The Applicability of Just in Time in UAE Construction Projects

Abstract

Material procurement in construction sites plays an important role in the life-cycle of construction projects. If it is not managed appropriately, it could trigger dramatic financial losses to the contractor as well as lengthy delays. The construction industry contributes approximately 14% to the United Arab Emirates GDP. Literature shows that delays and overruns in UAE construction projects are prevalent and introduce waste and inefficiency into the productive market. The objective of this study was to investigate the causes of materials delivery delays to construction sites in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to explore the applicability of the familiar technique Just-in-Time (JIT) in the UAE environment and construction culture to help overcome materials delivery delays. To achieve this target, a questionnaire was developed addressing the causes of material delays and the applicability of JIT. One hundred and eleven surveys from professionals in various construction projects were collected. The survey results identified a set of five delay causes, ranked by company activity and project type. The results also showed that to improve the material management process and improve project schedule reliability; the techniques such as Just-in-Time can be culturally acceptable and useful in the UAE construction industry, if they are coupled with modern techniques such as modularization and a more sophisticated delivery system. Applying such technique can assure construction fluidity in terms of managing materials procurement process in construction projects.