Modular construction manufacturing (MCM) is superior to the current on-site construction system which is hampered by inefficiency and material and process waste. Modular buildings are potentially built through a more efficient and costeffective method, but in the current manufacturing-based approach, a gap still exists between design and production. The increased interest in modular buildings demands special methods of design and manufacturing to support effective production operation. MCM

more »

... des opportunity to apply Lean for production efficiency in the plant. Lean is a concept first developed in the manufacturing industry which has been since adapted to the construction industry. Although the focus of Lean in both industries is the same, Lean principles vary between manufacturing and construction since these two industries differ in nature. Lean as the concept is applicable to any industries, taking into consideration that MCM has characteristics of both manufacturing and construction yet is distinct and should be seen in the class of its own. Given the distinct nature of MCM, the technical elements in "Lean production" and "Lean construction" are not sufficient to achieve the Lean goals for MCM industry, necessitating a modified framework by which to exploit the potential benefits of modular building. The focus of this research is to develop a framework that supports manufacturers' needs for design and which encompasses the integration of Lean into production process. In this research, Lean is adopted for the MCM industry in order to improve production process efficiency which is introduced as "Lean-Mod". To apply the proposed Lean-Mod strategies on a factory production line, an enhanced integrated approach of Building Information Modeling (BIM), Lean, and simulation is proposed. Integrating these concepts involves transferring generated data from a BIM model to the manufacturing phase, where Lean strategies are applied, and evaluating the production process scenarios through simulation modeling. The simulation model of production flow evaluates improvement from the Lean point of view and provides assessment of potential scenarios. The proposed methodology is validated by a case study-a residential modular factory located in Edmonton, Canada-and illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Undertaking this PhD has been truly a life-changing experience for me and it would not have been accomplished without appreciated support from people who have helped and inspired me during this journey. It has been a great privilege to spend several years in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect to my supervisor, Professor Mohamed Al-Hussein, for his continuous support and encouragement. His immense knowledge, valuable advice, and insightful guidance accompanied me throughout the years of my research. His vision and dedication was invaluable and indispensable in my efforts towards finishing this research work. It was a great honor to work under his supervision. Special thanks go to Tarry Tweed, president of Igloo Prebuilt Homes, for his guidance and support. He provided me the opportunity to work with his team and gave access to Igloo's factory as testing grounds for this research. I also acknowledge the assistance of Jonathan Tomalty for his continuous support in proofreading my work. I would like to express my deep appreciation to my loving husband, Reza, for his love, patience, understanding, and sacrifice which gave me motivation to finish my research work. I would like to thank him for his constant support and for being there for me at all times. He has been always a true and great supporter. I would not have made it this far without him. I owe special thanks and appreciation to my parents, for their unconditional love and endless encouragement throughout my life. They taught me the spirit of perfection and gave me strength to chase my dreams. Their patience and sacrifice will remain my inspiration. I could never thank them enough and I always appreciate everything they have done for me. My deepest love and thanks goes to my lovely sister and my kind brother for their constant motivation. Module 443A 665 sqft Module 443B 665 sqft Module 431A 660 sqft Module 431B 609 sqft Module 433 1320 sqft Module 434 1584 sqft Module 442A 665 sqft Module 442B 665 sqft Station Tasks Man Module 420A 706 sqft Module 420B 698 sqft Module 432 1584 sqft