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Partnering as a mean towards the use of supply chain management in temporary construction organizations
Linköping University, Department of Science and Technology, Communications and Transport Systems. Linköping University, The Institute of Technology. Linköping University, Faculty of Science & Engineering. (Bygglogistik)ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5612-0608
(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The construction industry is a complex industry typically working in temporary

organizations. The temporary organizational structure of the construction industry affects

the outcome of construction projects. In recent years the construction industry has been

associated with problems such as low productivity, high costs, high waste and poorly

managed supply chains. To overcome these problems, several government funded reports

and research reports have addressed the problems. Two concepts have gained a lot of

interest in these reports: partnering and supply chain management (SCM). However,

partnering, that have been introduced to overcome the temporariness in the construction

industry has been more successful than SCM. A reason behind this could be that SCM

derives from the manufacturing industry and is directed towards long-term relationships

and permanent organizational structures. By a conceptual literature review it is

investigated if the realization of SCM in construction could be facilitated by the use of

partnering. Both concepts share many components and partnering has been a successful

approach to overcome the boundaries temporary organizations imply. The two concepts

are in fact so similar that it can be argued that partnering is a subset of SCM focusing

relationships. The question would then be what type of partnering approach is most

suitable when realizing SCM in construction.

Keywords [en]
Partnering, Supply chain management, Temporary organizations, Construction management, Construction industry
National Category
Construction Management Transport Systems and Logistics Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-128819OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-128819DiVA, id: diva2:932213
Available from: 2016-05-31 Created: 2016-05-31 Last updated: 2016-06-01
In thesis
1. Exploring Third-Party Logistics and Partnering in Construction: A Supply Chain Management Perspective
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Exploring Third-Party Logistics and Partnering in Construction: A Supply Chain Management Perspective
2016 (English)Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The construction industry is associated with problems such as low productivity and high costs. This has been highlighted in several government-funded reports in both Sweden and in the UK during the course of over two decades. The construction industry is a large industry sector employing hundreds of thousands and a large contributor to a country’s GDP. The problems therefore have a large impact on society. Some of the problems are rooted in the organizational structure of the construction industry. Compared to other manufacturing industries, the construction industry is organized in temporary organizations. The temporary organizations cause temporary supply chains, fragmentation among construction industry actors and adversarial relationships between those actors. Partnering has been but forward as a solution to overcome the temporariness and the adversarial relationships in the construction. Another solution to mitigate the problems suggested in the reports is supply chain management (SCM). Both concepts have been taken from the manufacturing industries and partnering has been more successful compared to SCM in the construction industry. In the construction industry the progress towards SCM has focused on logistics. In recent years dedicated third-party logistics (TPL) solutions have emerged in the Swedish construction industry, where a company is hired to manage the logistics in a construction project.

The purpose with the research presented in this licentiate thesis is to explore how client initiated TPL solutions and partnering can be facilitators for SCM in the construction industry. Being a new phenomenon in the construction industry TPL solutions provide a logistical competence not necessarily included in a traditional construction project. Therefore, TPL solutions are of particular interest when studying the realization of SCM in the construction industry. In the process of realizing SCM in the construction industry, the construction clients have been put forward as having a crucial and important role. The clients are the initiator and funder of construction projects and as such the client can influence the course of a construction project. Therefore, it is of interest to study how the client can take an active role in this process. Initiating a TPL solution in a construction project is one way for a client to take an active part in the realization of SCM in construction.

However, in order to study how clients can take an active role towards the realization of SCM in the construction industry, there have to be an understanding of how SCM is to be adopted to the construction industry context. SCM that derives from the manufacturing industry is designed to be used in long-term relationships with permanent organizational structures. The construction industry on the other hand is associated with short-term relationships and a temporary organizational structure. Partnering that is designed to mitigate the temporariness and establish long-term relationships have been quite successful in the construction industry, and could therefore be used as a facilitator for SCM in construction.

To study the use of client initiated TPL-solutions in construction and the realization of SCM in the construction industry the following research questions have been addressed:

  • RQ1: To what extent can a third-party logistics solution be a facilitator for client driven SCM in the construction industry?
  • RQ2: How will upstream and downstream tiers be affected when a thirdparty logistics provider is used in a construction project?
  • RQ3: How can partnering be used a mean to facilitate the realization of SCM in the construction industry?

To answer the research questions two main methodologies have been used; case study for the empirically grounded research and conceptual studies for the analysis of the case studies as well as for comparing the two concepts of partnering and SCM. All questions have been grounded in literature and previous research. The findings of this research is therefore grounded in both theory and in practice. The main findings of this research is that TPL solutions are not a quick fix for realizing SCM in the construction industry. However, if used right a TPL solution can be an effective tool to address logistical issues in a construction project and to establish an interface between the supply chain and the construction site. By initiating a TPL solution the client addresses the importance of logistical competence in a construction project. A TPL solution does not have a purpose of its own; a TPL solution is a service function to the construction project, providing expertise on logistics management. There are also a number of driving forces and concerns that have been identified, if they are addressed prior to a TPL solution is implemented, the likelihood of its success will increase.

Furthermore, both partnering and SCM rely on high trust and share several key components and issues that have to be addressed. Partnering on strategic level with several suppliers included can even be hard to distinguish from SCM. Wherefore, partnering is considered a facilitator for the realization of SCM in construction. By addressing the necessary issues in both concepts a good foundation for SCM is established.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Linköping: Linköping University Electronic Press, 2016. p. 66
Series
Linköping Studies in Science and Technology. Thesis, ISSN 0280-7971 ; 1753
Keywords
Case study, construction, construction management, construction industry, supply chain management, logistics, third-party logistics, logistics management, partnering
National Category
Construction Management Transport Systems and Logistics Business Administration
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-128820 (URN)10.3384/lic.diva-128820 (DOI)978-91-7685-746-5 (ISBN)
Presentation
2016-06-16, TP1, Hus Täppan, Campus Norrköping, Linköpings universitet, Norrköping, 13:15 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2016-06-01 Created: 2016-05-31 Last updated: 2019-10-29Bibliographically approved

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Ekeskär, Andreas

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