Browsing by Author "Alarcon, Luis F."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Analysis of Factors Influencing Productivity Using Craftsmen Questionnaires: Case Study in a Chilean Construction Company
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2011) Rivas, Rodrigo A.; Borcherding, John D.; Gonzalez, Vicente; Alarcon, Luis F.
    Improvement of productivity in construction has been a major industry challenge, given its high impact on project results. It has received increased attention from construction researchers promoting different enhancement actions, since analyzing factors affecting labor productivity is an instrumental part in this process. This paper focuses on identifying and understanding the productivity factors affecting projects in a Chilean construction company on the basis of questionnaires administered to both direct workers and midlevel employees. Analysis of the questionnaire results helped to determine organizational and managerial weaknesses and facilitated comparison of the findings with previous productivity studies. The results proved to be useful in developing recommendations for productivity improvements. The main findings indicate that the critical areas affecting construction productivity were related to materials, tools, rework, equipment, truck availability, and the workers' motivational dynamics. These results are similar to those obtained in previous studies in the United States and in Chile. Salary expectations were found to be the main reason for turnover in the studied company, which was an aspect not mentioned in previous studies. Finally, additional analyses seem to show that some factors affecting productivity are common to construction projects across boundaries, therefore validating data aggregation and the possibility of learning from experiences in different locations and even separated in time of occurrence. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000274. (C) 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Identifying waste in virtual design and construction practice from a Lean Thinking perspective: A meta-analysis of the literature
    (PONTIFICIA UNIV CATOLICA CHILE, ESCUELA CONSTRUCCION CIVIL, 2016) Mandujano, Maria G.; Alarcon, Luis F.; Kunz, John; Mourgues, Claudio
    In recent years, the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has broadly expanded the use of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), particularly Lean Construction methods, to deliver value to their customers. VDC includes the use of Production Management using Lean methods as an integral part of the defining theory and method, and multiple case studies have concluded that the greatest performance improvement is achieved by implementing both initiatives together. This paper reviews extensive literature of VDC and Lean Construction with the intent to show benefits in the application of Lean Construction in the actual practice of VDC and to provide examples of waste and opportunities for improvement in projects if Lean methods are applied. This study found that use of Lean methods can help to reduce waste within the VDC process, in the phase of information flow (process view). Specifically, our main finding from this study was that only five types of waste represent 80% of the referenced occurrence of waste in VDC processes, which suggests that if teams use Lean Methods and focus on elimination of these types of waste (i.e., motion (excess), inventory (excess), overproduction, waiting and employee knowledge (unused)), teams can improve VDC practices dramatically.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Impact of Machine-Failure Costs on Equipment Replacement Policies: Tunneling Company Case Study
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2012) Alarcon, Luis F.; Rodriguez, Andres; Mourgues, Claudio
    For those construction companies engaged in projects where production is controlled by equipment availability, with tunneling as maybe the most extreme example, equipment replacement policies affect not just the cost of a machine but have a decisive effect on overall project cost and achieved profit. Although equipment replacement models described in the literature suggest that the consequential costs of equipment failure are significant and should be considered in replacement decisions, most fail to explicitly include consequential costs or fail to provide methods to calculate the consequential cost in complex systems. This lack of consequential cost in a model seriously diminishes the effectiveness of a company's equipment replacement policies and the company's ability to earn a project. This work describes a case study that used simulation to quantify the consequential costs of equipment availability for a company engaged in tunnel-construction. The study includes the simulation of activities of the drill-and-blast method for five tunnel types. The simulation proved to be very valuable when seeking to evaluate consequential costs. The results indicate that consequential costs are very relevant to the replacement decision of the most expensive equipment. Also, the results show a significant effect of the consequential costs on the company's equipment replacement policies. Therefore, changes in existing policies to consider consequential costs have the potential of providing important future benefits for such companies. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000480. (C) 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Impact of Using an E-Marketplace in the Construction Supply Process: Lessons from a Case Study
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2009) Alarcon, Luis F.; Maturana, Sergio; Schonherr, Ignacio
    The procurement process is critical for construction companies. To improve it, many are resorting to e-marketplaces although they usually do not know exactly how much they can gain by doing so. This paper describes a study that measured the benefits of using an e-marketplace to support the procurement process of a construction company. The study included three marketplaces currently operating in Chile. However, in this paper, we focus on Iconstruye, the most important one. 70 executives and professionals from 25 construction companies randomly selected from the 89 that used this marketplace, were interviewed and asked to fill out a questionnaire. This data was validated using data from Iconstruye and from 33 suppliers. The results show that the adoption of an e-marketplace reduces turnaround time, errors, urgent orders, and irregular purchases. A more reliable procurement process directly contributes to a leaner construction process by reducing upstream variability, procurement cycle times, and the need for large inventories on site. Users also perceive an improvement in certain global indicators when using an e-marketplace.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Model for Systematic Innovation in Construction Companies
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2014) Pellicer, Eugenio; Yepes, Victor; Correa, Christian L.; Alarcon, Luis F.
    The reasons that drive construction companies to innovate, as well as the processes they use, have not yet been fully explored in the construction management literature. This paper describes the hows and whys behind the push for innovation in a construction company. The research method is founded on the validation of a model developed by a case study; this is focused on a medium-sized construction company which implemented and certified an innovation management system, as established by a Spanish standard. The studies conducted by the authors over a five-year period generated a set of 18 propositions reflecting an explanatory model of innovation management. This paper reports on the external validation of this model by means of a set of interviews; the results fully corroborate 15 of these propositions. The strongest drivers of innovation in construction companies are technical problems in construction projects, client requirements, and upper management. Innovation opportunities are identified as a result of examination of the internal processes of the company, the construction projects, and the environment. Identifying, developing, and transferring an innovative solution require the implementation of technological watch and knowledge management in the organization. Finally, the research concludes that the main benefit of innovation management is an increase in the company's technical capability, whereas the two main barriers to innovation are the prioritization of production processes and the lack of support from the leaders of the company.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Risk Planning and Management for the Panama Canal Expansion Program
    (ASCE-AMER SOC CIVIL ENGINEERS, 2011) Alarcon, Luis F.; Ashley, David B.; de Hanily, Angelique Sucre; Molenaar, Keith R.; Ungo, Ricardo
    In April 2006, the Panama Canal Authority formally proposed a major expansion of the canal to increase its capacity and make it more productive, safe, and efficient. This proposal included cost and schedule estimates for completing the expansion and was supported overwhelmingly by the citizens of Panama in an October 2006 public referendum. Given the conceptual level of design at the time of the proposal and the inherent uncertainty in a project of this magnitude at the early stages of engineering, a comprehensive risk analysis was performed to develop a contingency model for the total expansion program cost and schedule. This contingency model is based on a Monte Carlo simulation of the cost and schedule estimates, taking into account the most significant risks identified for the project. The resulting model provides contingency assessments for duration and total cost and sensitivity analysis of the risks; it also allows for multiple scenario planning and ultimately supports overall risk management. This paper presents a project case study that focuses on the contingency model development and the resulting risk management and contingency resolution processes. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000317. (C) 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.