Real-time tracking of production control : Requirements and solutions

Abstract

Production control in construction has been mainly discussed within the scope of Lean Construction, through tools and methods such as Last Planner System (LPS), Location-Based Management System (LBMS), and Takt Time Planning (TTP). However, despite the increasing use of these systems, information about the use of equipment, labour, and materials is still gathered through manual data collection, if at all. Real-time process information about these production factors is missing. This paper proposes an intelligent system for real-time production control (iCONS), which has been developed based on the requirements set by construction professionals from four countries, the existing technical solutions that have been used in real-time tracking, and on the proposed new solutions that can fulfill the requirements. Four types of requirements were identified based on interviews: 1) safety management, 2) monitoring process information, productivity and waste, 3) material logistics, and 4) location-based information on pull basis. The proposed system fills the key requirements by sharing and integrating real-time information between materials tracked with RFID tags, labour and equipment tracked by Bluetooth beacons, communicating with location-based gateways and iCONS app through a cloud-based solution. Project teams can use this system to improve production efficiency, management of suppliers, and safety conditions.