A systematic design approach for the innovation of supply chain resilience of prefabrication

Abstract

Prefabrication has been widely deployed as an integral part in the intelligent construction, of which prefabrication supply chain resilience (SCR) will play a significant role. However, when an emergency (e.g., the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)) occurs, prefabrication's life-cycle management will be seriously threatened. Besides, there exists efficiency and interaction challenges such as schedule delays, invisible progress, and fragmented information transmission. This article aims at developing an intelligent platform based on inclusive technologies, incorporating blockchain, building information modeling (BIM), and Internet of Things (IoT) to facilitate the real-time management of prefabrication supply chain. Specifically, from the perspective of stakeholders, this platform not only shares real-time interactive information management and control but also provides reliable support for decision making. As far as potential security issues are concerned, a blockchain framework is proposed to reveal how it helps to guarantee the reliability and authenticity of the entire supply chain. Under this platform, a case study in Shenzhen is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the platform. With the guarantee of interactive efficiency and data reliability, the prefabrication supply chain is considered to be more resilient to disruptions.