Lean construction of public housing production in Hong Kong: A process-based approach

As a way to minimize the waste of materials, time and effort to generate the maximum value, the lean construction concept has been introduced successfully into the construction industry. This paper first examines the implementation of the lean construction principles, which is primarily focusing on waste reduction. The paper then suggests the adoption of a process-based approach to integrate the lean principles into the off-site prefabricated housing production. A case study on Hong Kong public housing production is presented in this paper. The study analyses the detailed business process along the supply chain of public housing production, which typically includes the design, manufacturing of prefabricated components, cross-border logistics, as well as on-site assembly and operation. Observations are made on the existing procedural deficiencies from the perspective of the client In order to further improve the efficiency and increase the cooperation among various supply chain actors, information communication technologies are implemented by the client based on the process-based approach.