Mapping the concept of industrialized bridge construction: potentials and obstacles

Improving productivity is a central challenge in all industries, but particularly in construction where improvements have been slow, as highlighted by governmental reports and research publications from many countries (e.g. the UK and US). In Sweden the urgency of improving productivity and client satisfaction in the construction industry have initiated a number of government investigations. Recommendations arising from one of these investigations include improving the planning of procurements for projects, increasing the numbers of turnkey contracts and raising the industrialization of the sector. As a response, the Swedish Transportation Administration (STA) has launched a research and innovation program to foster an industrial mindset and identify ways to increase the standardization of products (among other desired changes). However, increasing industrialization has been difficult to achieve in the project-based construction industry, except in the process-based housing sector. Thus, the aim of the research this thesis is based upon was to identify the most important components and processes that can be industrialized to make bridge construction projects more efficient. For this purpose, empirical data have been collected through questionnaire surveys, workshops and case studies. Analyses of the data have been presented in four appended papers, which contribute to reach the overall aim by mapping key aspects of the industrialization concept. One of the interesting aspects highlighted by the empirical results is that the practitioners and industry experts have a multi-facetted view of industrialization, a concept involving elements like prefabrication, standardization and processes. Many of the identified core elements of industrialization are related to processes (long-term) rather than projects (short-term). Several major barriers for industrialization have been identified, including: lack of repetition possibilities, strict norms and rules, Design-bid-build contracts, government regulations, and conservatism in the infrastructure sector. Interestingly, three out of these five major barriers could be traced back to the client’s role. Hence, the clients (e.g. the STA in Sweden) must address these barriers in order to facilitate increases in industrialization. The long-term research and innovation program launched by the STA, where increasing industrialization throughout the value chain and standardization of products are on the agenda, is a first step towards breaking down the barriers, thus enhancing the possibilities for increasing productivity. Furthermore, the results show that standardization of components and products is a possible way of decreasing complexity in on-site construction. The case studies performed have shown that massive time savings can be achieved by utilizing prefabrication instead of traditional on-site construction. However, standardization and prefabrication will not become more common until identified drawbacks, like aesthetics issues and assumptions that they reduce quality, are recognized and addressed by practitioners. In addition, the opportunities for applying large-scale production processes and repetition are currently limited, and must be expanded, before standardized parts and products can be more frequently used. The general conclusion of this research is that massive time savings can be achieved by utilizing more industrialized methods and techniques during the construction of concrete bridges, but substantial barriers must be tackled before long-term productivity increases can be achieved.