Framework for an IoT-based shop floor material management system for panelized homebuilding

Abstract

Panelized construction, an emerging offsite construction method, is garnering increasing attention globally particularly for wood-frame wall panels as an advanced construction technology. Although utilizing this advanced construction method can greatly improve the working environment and productivity, the conventional mentality in construction, which historically overlooks the value of an automated management system to support off-site prefabrication and on-site installation, hinders its application. This research introduces an Internet of things (IoT)-based shop floor material management system that can capture dynamic data in real-time and effectively synthesize it along the supply chain. With the assistance of a feature-based modelling method, real-time information can be merged into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system rather than manually inputting data. Through the research presented in this article, IoT-based shop floor material management is shown to be highly effective in addressing dynamic changes in a cost-effective manner. As demonstrated in a case study, the proposed system can lead to cost reduction, improved efficiency, and improved compliance with just-in-time (JIT) inventory management principles.

Abbreviations
BIM	=	Building information modelling
BOM	=	bill of material
CAD	=	computer-aided design
CAE	=	computer-aided engineering
DMT	=	data management tool
ERP	=	enterprise resource planning
IoT	=	Internet of things
JIT	=	just-in-time
RFID	=	radio frequent identification
UML	=	unified modelling language

Keywords:

• Barcode
• building information modelling (BIM)
• enterprise resource planning (ERP)
• Internet of things (IoT)
• Panelized construction

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Grant Nos. ‘DG 5641 Ma’ and ‘CRDPJ 516160-17’), as well as the assistance from ACQBUILT, Inc. and Landmark Group of Companies in Edmonton, Canada.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Grant Nos. ‘DG 5641 Ma’ and ‘CRDPJ 516160-17’), as well as the assistance from ACQBUILT, Inc. and Landmark Group of Companies in Edmonton, Canada.