https://doi.org/10.24928/2022/0190

Investigation of the Construction Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Under an Unfavorable Macro-Environmental Context

Sarow Saeedi¹, Kayvan Koohestani², Mani Poshdar³ & Saeed Talebi⁴

¹ Researcher, Industrial Engineering Department, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3624-5582
²Researcher, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9988-3688
³Lecturer, Built Environment Engineering Department, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9132-2985
⁴Sr. Lecturer, School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6711-0931

Abstract

International trades rely on robust supply chains. However, supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions. Before implementing lean construction, identifying construction supply chain vulnerabilities (CSCV) is crucial to avoid failure. Meanwhile, an unfavorable macro-environmental context (e.g., challenging economic and political situations) can potentially affect the behavior of CSCV. This paper aims to identify and prioritize CSCV under an unfavorable macro-environmental context in a real-world case and then analyze the changes in CSCV in a period coinciding with the Covid-19 outbreak. A literature review led us to extract 26 variables that were then prioritized using the responses from questionnaires distributed among 72 participants in the studied country. A descriptive statistical approach was used to analyze the results, which showed that unlike the normal contexts mentioned in previous studies, under an unfavorable context, such CSCV as "price and exchange rate fluctuations", "supply-demand volatility", "financial issues", and "political challenges" gained priority. Moreover, analyzing the changes in CSCV indicated that the studied construction supply chain has become more vulnerable in the mentioned period. Considering the identified CSCV, this paper suggests that managers focus more on tools such as the Last Planner System and value stream mapping when implementing lean.

Keywords

Construction Supply Chain Vulnerabilities (CSCV), Lean Construction, Unfavorable macro-environmental context

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Reference

Saeedi, S. , Koohestani, K. , Poshdar, M. & Talebi, S. 2022. Investigation of the Construction Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Under an Unfavorable Macro-Environmental Context, Proc. 30th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) , 784-794. doi.org/10.24928/2022/0190

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