Planning and scheduling bridge girders fabrication through shop-floor operations simulation

In modular and offsite construction, structural components are prefabricated in a fabrication shop resembling a manufacturing plant in order to accelerate field construction processes. However, the dynamic nature of such fabrication operations often demands frequent adjustments to original production plans so as to fit actual project start-finish schedules in terms of completion dates and budgets and accommodate changes in design details. It is a daunting task to minimize disruptions to ongoing workflows while realizing high efficiency in utilization of shop production resources. In reality, such situations constantly press production manages to take prompt decisions without having analytical decision support in exploring available options, potentially resulting in loss of productivity on the shop floor and missed deadlines. This research introduces a structured approach to communicating shop-floor operations simulation at various management levels. The paper focuses on the representation of project schedules and production plans resulting from simulation in straightforward, role-specific “bar charts”. The applicability of the proposed approach is demonstrated with a case in the setting of a steel girder fabrication shop.