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Improving materials logistics plan in road construction projects using discrete event simulation

Alvanchi, A ; Sharif University of Technology | 2021

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-08-2018-0317
  3. Publisher: Emerald Group Holdings Ltd , 2021
  4. Abstract:
  5. Purpose: Motivated by the high cost of material movements in road construction projects, past studies have used analytical methods to optimize materials logistics plans. A key shortcoming of these methods is their inability to capture the uncertain, dynamic and complex characteristics of the road construction material logistics. Failure to incorporate these characteristics can lead to sub-optimal results. The purpose of this study is to propose the use of discrete event simulation (DES) to address the existing shortfall. Design/methodology/approach: Despite the powerful capabilities of DES models in capturing the operational complexities of construction projects, they have not been previously utilized to optimize the material logistics of road construction projects. The proposed DES-based method in this research captures the operational details of material logistics and uses a heuristic approach to overcome the combinatorial problem of numerous choices. The method was applied to a 63.5 km real-world road construction project case to demonstrate its capabilities. Findings: Six different material types from 28 material sources were used in the case. Approximately 1.5% of the material logistics costs were saved by following the proposed method and choosing appropriate material sources. Originality/value: This research contributes to the body of knowledge by leveraging the capabilities of DES and presenting a novel method for improving the materials logistics plan of road construction projects. The proposed method provides practitioners with the basis for capturing the key operational details that were overlooked in the past. The proposed method can be adopted in road construction projects to reduce the overall material procurement cost. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited
  6. Keywords:
  7. Costs ; Discrete event simulation ; Highway planning ; Knowledge management ; Optimization ; Road construction ; Roads and streets ; Appropriate materials ; Combinatorial problem ; Complex characteristics ; Construction projects ; Design/methodology/approach ; Heuristic approach ; Material procurement ; Operational complexity ; Heuristic methods
  8. Source: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management ; Volume 28, Issue 10 , 2021 , Pages 3144-3163 ; 09699988 (ISSN)
  9. URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ECAM-08-2018-0317/full/html