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A Review on the Digitalization of On-Site Production Management—Case Study in a Portuguese Construction Company

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New Advances in Building Information Modeling and Engineering Management

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Abstract

The Construction Industry (CI) is characterised by a low-skilled workforce and a low level of digitalization and information integration. Compared to similar industries, it suffers from low productivity and low efficiency. This paper explores alternative ways of collecting data at the construction site to improve on-site production management through workforce control, taking into account the technical skills of on-site workers. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify the main trends and research tools. The main objective of this research is to propose solutions for the digitalization of worksite processes. The use of technologies, especially mobile applications, accelerates the transmission of productivity information and allows management to make informed decisions and reduce the burden of the control process. This paper presents a case study demonstrating that mobile applications can bridge the gap between the workplace and the office and fit into the context of geographic dispersion. Although mobile applications are beneficial for managing production in the field, a system that integrates all software and data storage in a single location is required to achieve lasting results in efficiently transferring information from the field to the office. This research argues for a gradual adoption of these technologies in construction companies. Further study of the transition between different levels of digitization is essential to determine the true impact on a company's productivity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Competitiveness and Internationalisation Operational Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Funding reference: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-046123] and by Core Funding—UIDB/04708/2020 of CONSTRUCT—Institute of R&D in Structures and Constructions—funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Luís Jacques de Sousa, Miguel Chichorro Gonçalves & J. Poças Martins

  2. CONSTRUCT-GEQUALTEC, Department of Civil Engineering (DEC), Faculty of Engineering (FEUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Luís Jacques de Sousa & J. Poças Martins

Authors
  1. Luís Jacques de Sousa
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  2. Miguel Chichorro Gonçalves
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  3. J. Poças Martins
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luís Jacques de Sousa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela Técnica Superior de Edificación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    María de las Nieves González García

  2. Departamento Engenharia Civil, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Fernanda Rodrigues

  3. Departamento Engenharia de Minas, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    João Santos Baptista

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Jacques de Sousa, L., Chichorro Gonçalves, M., Poças Martins, J. (2023). A Review on the Digitalization of On-Site Production Management—Case Study in a Portuguese Construction Company. In: González García, M.d.l.N., Rodrigues, F., Santos Baptista, J. (eds) New Advances in Building Information Modeling and Engineering Management. Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30247-3_3

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