Application of Operational Management Tools at Precast Yard

Achieving higher productivity and higher production rates can help in maximizing profits at the construction site. The current practices at construction sites carry large sources of waste and inefficiencies which is the major cause of a decline in productivity and decrease in production rate. Segmental bridge construction sites are not an exception. Therefore, this study aims to achieve higher productivity, overcome inefficiencies, and standardize best practices to achieve a higher production rate at segmental precast yard sites by adopting principles and tools of operational management. In this study, seven sources of waste are identified at the precast yard which directly or indirectly affect productivity. The importance of implementing other key concepts of operational management which include responsiveness versus crew productivity graph, and quartile analysis is illustrated. And further productivity measurement tools which include key performance indicators (KPIs), overall people effectiveness (OPEs), and overall equipment effectiveness (OEEs) are introduced to implementation in the construction industry, particularly in the precast yard.