MATERIALS MANAGEMENT ON PROJECT DELIVERING
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The
Nigerian building and construction industry continues to occupy an important
position in the nation’s economy even though it contributes less than the
manufacturing or other service industries, (Aibinu and Jagboro, 2002). The
contribution of the building and construction industry to national economic
growth necessitates improved efficiency in the industry by means of cost effectiveness
and timeliness, and would certainly contribute to cost savings for the country
as a whole. It is also common knowledge that the implementation of the
construction project in the industry is usually accompanied with poor quality
delivery and delivery time delay and cost increase as well as owner
dissatisfaction (Hafez, 2001). Thus, the efficient use and management of
material have an importance influence on a company's profit and can delay
project construction (Abdul Rahman and Alidrisyi, 1993). The researchers will
examine the
impact of material management on project delivery in Nigeria.
Material
management is a planned procedure that include, the purchasing, delivery,
handling and minimization of waste with the aim of ensuring that requirement
are met (Illingworth and Thain, 1998). According to Culvert (1998), a detailed
material schedule and co-ordination of the requisition and order of material
are important in assuring material availability. Efficient material planning is
a key to high productivity on site. Material planning embraces quantifying,
ordering and scheduling-. Productivity will suffer if the material planning
process is not executed properly (Kaming, Olomolaiye, Holt and Harris, 1997).
Kwik
(1994) stated that another issue (which is sometime beyond management control)
is material shortages, for example yearly cement shortages have long been a
topic of debate within the construction industry. Bell and Stukhart (1987)
investigated a total concept for a Material Management System (MMS), which
combined and integrated the take-off, vendor evaluation, purchasing expediting,
and warehousing and distribution functions of material. The system resulted in
improved labour productivity, reduced material surplus, reduced material
management, manpower and cost saving. A1-Jibouri (2002) described a computer
simulation model, which helps to solve the problem of order and deliveries of
materials in real life by keeping a predetermined list of order and delivery
time of all the materials on site. The delivery of each kind of material then
takes place automatically at the specified time.
Ineffective
materials
management for projects can result in significant cost blow-outs and delays
in project completion. Such cost inefficiencies will negatively impact global
competitiveness, and owner operators and engineering, procurement, and
construction companies are trying to streamline work processes for their
projects. Inaccurate materials information, such as incorrect bills of
materials, inaccurate cycle counts, shipping errors, receiving errors and so
on, will also affect the overall project life cycle and increase project costs.
Having to deal with subcontractors outside of the materials
management process impacts the overall project supply chain as there is an
increased risk of data inconsistencies.
Material
management is the system for planning and controlling to ensure that the
right quality and quantity of materials and equipment are specified in a timely
manner. Materials should be obtained at a reasonable cost, and be available for
use when needed. The cost of materials represents a large proportion of the
cost. A good management system for materials management will lead to benefits
for construction. Cash flow has become crucial for the survival of any business,
if materials are purchased early, capital may be tied up and interest charges
incurred on the excess inventory of material. Material may deteriorate during
storage or be stolen; also delays and extra expense may be incurred if
materials required for particular activities are not available.
Despite
the importance of the materials, very little research has been directed towards
understanding the management of materials from order to production; most
research is focused upon the management of the design and procurement process
and on labour site productivity. Materials management, which includes
procurement, shop fabrication, logistics, supply chain management, production
on site, and field servicing, requires special attention to achieve cost
reduction. The supply chain is a convenient term used to describe a complex web
of activities. The use of new equipment and innovative methods of materials
handling has influenced changes in construction technologies in recent years.
Modern
methods of material
management have been embraced by the manufacturers across a wide range of
industry sectors outside of construction.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Ogunlana
and Proukumtong (1996) studied construction delays in a fast growing economy:
comparing Thailand with Nigeria and some of the construction delays were
attributed to material management: the study blames material shortage on site
on unreliable supply from material suppliers occasioned by the general shortage
in the industry, although there were specific instances in which poor
communication between sites and head office purchasing, planning and
co-ordination could be cited. However, much research has not be done on material
management and project delivery in Nigeria considering the economic
situation of Nigeria and the market full of substandard products. This study
will therefore examine the impact
of material management of project delivery in Nigeria in terms of quality
and time.1.3 OBJECTIVES OF
THE STUDY The following are the objectives of this study:
To
examine the
impact of material management on project delivery time in Nigeria. To
examine the
impact of material management on project quality upon delivery in Nigeria.
To determine the advantages and disadvantages of material management in project
construction.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is
the
impact of material management on project delivery time in Nigeria? What is
the impact of material management on project quality upon delivery in Nigeria?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of material management in project
construction in Nigeria?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS HO: Material
management does not affect project delivery in Nigeria HA: Material management
does affect project delivery in Nigeria
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This
study will be of importance to building professionals and the general public
because it would not only clarify but also create awareness of the extent to
which inadequacies in material management can adversely affect project
delivery. The study will also help contractors, clients, consultants and all
parties involved in construction projects about ways of improving their current
method of material management. This research will also serve as a resource base
to other scholars and researchers interested in carrying out further research
in this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to provide new
explanation to the topic.1.7
SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The scope of this study
on impact
of material management on project delivery in Nigeria will cover all the
project construction in Nigeria looking at their level of adoption of material
management approach considering their successes with respect to project
delivery quality and time.LIMITATION
OF STUDYFinancial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to
impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials,
literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet,
questionnaire and interview).Time
constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with
other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for
the research work.REFERENCES Abdul-Rahman,.
H. and Alidrisyi, M. N. (1994) “A
Perspective of Material Management Practices in a Fast Developing Economy; the
case of Malaysia”. Construction Management and Economics, 12, 412-422. Aibinu
A.A and Jagboro G.O (2002): “The
Effects of Construction Delays on Projects Delivery in Nigeria Construction
Industry”. International Journal of Project Management, 20, 593-599.
Al-Jibouri, S. (2002): “Effects
of Resource Management Techniques on Projects Schedules”. International
Journal of Project Management, 20, 627-632 Kwik.K.G. (1994): “Cement and Its Problem in Indonesia”. Kompas
October. 10 Illingworth, J. and Thain, K. (1998): “Material Management is it Worth It?” Technical
Information Service, The Chartered Institute of Building ASCOT. 93, 1-5 Kaming,
P.F, Olomolaiye, P. O., Holt, G.O. and Harris F.C. (1997): “Factors Influencing Construction Time and Cost Overruns on
High-Rise Project in Indonesia”. Construction Management and
Economics, 15, 83-94 Hafez, N (2001): “Residential Projects Obstacles and
problems in Kuwait MS Project”, Department of Civil Engineering, Kuwait
University. Culvert, O. (i998): “Correlates
of time Overrun in Commercial Construction”. ASC Proceedings of
the 40th Annual Conference. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, April
8-10.
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