FRAMEWORK FOR LEAN CONSTRUCTION USING RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION

Abstract

Lean concept was first introduced in the manufacturing and production industry and has since been adapted by the construction industry, developed as lean construction. As an improvement to conventional project management protocols with increased emphasis on maximising customer value and reducing waste in the construction industry, there has been widespread employment of lean principles in the construction industry in United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), first used in World War II, has extended its application into the field of tracing and tracking of livestock and vehicles, as well as in security cards for access control. There are characteristics and features of the RFID tags that bring about its edge over other automatic identification systems and this has brought about the reason for its development in the recent years. The expansion in the application of RFID technology in the construction industry is also evident.

The main objectives of this research are to examine the extent of usage of RFID in Singapore’s present construction industry and to evaluate the potential of adopting RFID in the management of construction schedules using lean construction techniques. A questionnaire survey was conducted which showed that RFID is not widely known or used in Singapore and the industry routinely faces problems such as project delays. The survey results show that huge benefits can be gained by the usage of RFID along with the introduction of lean construction principles and techniques

Based on the survey results and the findings from the literature review, a framework for lean construction with RFID has been developed in this research. This framework is expected to contribute to solving current problems with the local construction industry.