Assessing South African Construction Worker’s Knowledge of Modern Technologies for Effective Material Management (original) (raw)
Related papers
IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering
The role of technology in every facet of the economy cannot be handled with levity. The construction industry like other germane sectors of the economy thrives best with the adoption of technology in various parts of its subsets. It has been established that Material management can be handled effectively with the use of modern technologies. It is based on this that this research focuses on identifying the roles and effects of adopting modern technological tools for effective material management in the South African construction industry. The study adopted a quantitative approach where questionnaires were administered to professionals in the South African construction industry. Descriptive statistics tools were used to analyse the gathered data. Findings showed that the prevalent roles of adopting technological tools for effective material management in South African construction industry are majorly continuously Progress monitoring; Monitoring mechanisms with regard to stated outcomes are clearly explained from the beginning, and scope and use of materials are explained to all role players. On the other hand, the effects of technological tools are seen mainly as profit maximization; constant monitoring of materials on site and, Aids in planning and clarification of materials before projects begin. The implication of the roles and effects is that there is an opportunity of great productivity in construction industry with the use of technology as it makes things easier while improving principles of management.
IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2019
A vital building block for construction project globally is construction materials which are huge, costly and are often delivered in great quantities to the construction sites. One of the key roles in the successful completion and delivery of a project is effective construction materials management. However, it has been established that material wastage is a prevalent problem in developing countries which can be tackled with modern technologies for effective material management. It is based on this assertion that this paper focuses on the challenges to use of modern technologies for effective material management in the South African construction industry. The study adopted a quantitative approach where questionnaires were administered to professionals in the South African construction industry. Descriptive statistics tools were used to analyse the gathered data. Findings showed that the common challenges to using of modern technologies for effective material management in the constr...
Dama Academic Scholarly Journal of Researchers | Published by: Dama Academic Scholarly & Scientific Research Society, 2020
Effective and efficient use of construction materials is very crucial in achieving project success. Increasingly, construction companies need to develop competitive advantages based on an adequate and intensive use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of construction Material Management Processes. The aim of the dissertation was to explore the application of ICT to materials (MMP) in the construction industry in Ghana. The research design adopted was a quantitative approach using survey questionnaires to collect field data. The key findings included: Organizational Policy, Identification of materials and supervision of workers for usage of store materials, tracking of materials movement and quality materials from suppliers and Working relationship and formal training. Also, it was found that ICT tools application in MMP have positive significant impact on labour productivity (LP). Key barriers that militate against the application of ICT tools included; Technical, environmental and legal reasons, Financial Reasons and Complete Technical Reasons. Benefits identified included; More cost effective projects are achieved, expedite purchasing processes of construction material, Reduction in craft labour cost, a better standard of work and Completion of construction works on schedule. A descriptive framework for categorizing major enabling factors, critical barriers, ICT tools, (LP) and benefits derived was developed. It is recommended that, Stakeholders of construction education in Ghana should make sure that they have adequate ICT content in construction education in addition; Materials managers should have much commitment towards ICT tools application in (MMPs).
The Awareness Of ICT Implementation For Materials Management In Construction Projects
Int. J. of Computer and Communication …, 2010
Construction materials usually constitute a major portion of the total cost in a building construction project. Despite the potential benefit of ICT, convincing construction organisations to embrace its use and implementation has proved a difficult task. This research seeks to identify the implementation of ICT in construction materials management processes and to investigate on the acceptance of contractors for ICT transformation to the materials management in construction projects. In relation to that, current constraints that are found hindering the acceptance of ICT in materials management processes are also identified. A triangulation research approach which consists of standard derived questionnaires, semi structured interviews with class A contractors and review of previous research were conducted. The findings from this research reveal that the implementation of ICT in the materials management for construction projects in Malaysia is at early stage. Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet and handheld devices are found to be the common ICT tools adopted in the materials management processes. Meanwhile, there is only an average level of acceptance towards the transformation of ICT implementation in the construction materials management. The main barrier is found to be the cost involvement at the initial stage or overall implementation of ICT in the materials management processes. Finally, it can be concluded that there is a lack of awareness towards the ICT implementation of materials management in the construction projects.
Dama Academic Scholarly Journal of Researchers | Published by: Dama Academic Scholarly & Scientific Research Society, 2020
Effective and efficient use of construction materials is very crucial in achieving project success. Increasingly, construction companies need to develop competitive advantages based on an adequate and intensive use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of construction Material Management Processes. The aim of the dissertation was to explore the application of ICT to materials (MMP) in the construction industry in Ghana. The research design adopted was a quantitative approach using survey questionnaires to collect field data. The key findings included: Organizational Policy, Identification of materials and supervision of workers for usage of store materials, tracking of materials movement and quality materials from suppliers and Working relationship and formal training. Also, it was found that ICT tools application in MMP have positive significant impact on labour productivity (LP). Key barriers that militate against the application of ICT tools included; Technical, environmental and legal reasons, Financial Reasons and Complete Technical Reasons. Benefits identified included; More cost effective projects are achieved, expedite purchasing processes of construction material, Reduction in craft labour cost, a better standard of work and Completion of construction works on schedule. A descriptive framework for categorizing major enabling factors, critical barriers, ICT tools, (LP) and benefits derived was developed. It is recommended that, Stakeholders of construction education in Ghana should make sure that they have adequate ICT content in construction education in addition; Materials managers should have much commitment towards ICT tools application in (MMPs).
S6-1 ICT IMPLEMENTATION FOR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Construction materials usually constitute a major portion of the total cost in a building construction project. Despite the potential benefit of ICT, convincing construction organisations to embrace its use and implementation has proved a difficult task. This study seeks to identify the implementation of ICT for materials management processes in construction projects. The findings from the interviews reveal that the implementation of ICT in the materials management processes for construction projects in Malaysia is at early stage. Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet and handheld devices are found to be the common ICT tools adopted in the materials management processes. The main barrier is found to be the cost involvement at the initial stage or overall implementation of ICT in the materials management processes. Finally, this paper concludes the finding from interviews towards the ICT implementation of materials management in the construction projects.
2023
The construction industry plays a pivotal role in the development of the country but does this does not mean the construction industry is immune to challenges. This paper examines the challenges facing the performance of South African construction industry. Furthermore, this paper seeks to disclose the most fundamental challenge that affect the progress, performance and growth of the construction industry. There are a few challenges that influence the performance of the South African construction industry. The study focused on assessing the challenges based available literature and on user perspective in order to improve the performance of the construction industry. A survey will be undertaken based on previous literature among construction professionals. The research will enhance the body of knowledge about a way forward in producing an effective performance within the construction industry.
The adoption and effectiveness of mobile applications on south African construction sites
Computing in construction, 2023
Mobile applications have become the primary means of communication, collaboration, and information sharing on South African construction sites. This quantitative study adopted the purposive sampling technique, which included participants from the South African construction industry. Findings indicate that there is minimal awareness and usage of mobile digital technologies on construction sites, and there is a lack of awareness with respect to digital technologies such as building information modelling (BIM). Furthermore, the South African construction industry should leverage the positive benefits of digital technology usage and invest in digital technology for construction management.
Construction 4.0: The Future of the Construction Industry in South Africa
Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2018
The construction industry is a renowned latecomer to the efficiency offered by the adoption of information technology. Whereas, the banking, manufacturing, retailing industries have keyed into the future by using digitization and information technology as a new approach for ensuring competitive gain and efficiency. The construction industry has yet to fully realize similar benefits because the adoption of ICT is still at the infancy stage with a major concentration on the use of software. Thus, this study evaluates the awareness and readiness of construction professionals towards embracing a full digitalization of the construction industry using construction 4.0. The term 'construction 4.0' was coined from the industry 4.0 concept which is regarded as the fourth industrial revolution that originated from Germany. A questionnaire was utilized for sourcing data distributed to practicing construction professionals through a convenience sampling method. Using SPSS v24, the hypotheses posed were tested with the Mann Whitney test. The result revealed that there are no differences between the consulting and contracting organizations on the readiness for adopting construction 4.0 concepts in the construction industry. Using factor analysis, the study discovers that adopting construction 4.0 will improve the performance of the construction industry regarding cost and time savings and also create sustainable buildings. In conclusion, the study determined that construction professionals have a low awareness towards construction 4.0 concepts. The study recommends an increase in awareness of construction 4.0 concepts through seminars, workshops and training, while construction professionals should take hold of the benefits of adopting construction 4.0 concepts. The study contributes to the roadmap for the implementation of construction industry 4.0 concepts in the South African construction industry.