Lean Techniques Approaches to Managing Ghanaian Contractor Supply Chains
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Evidence from past research demonstrates a high potential for significant improvements in overall construction performance through the incorporation of Lean techniques into construction supply chains. Amongst Ghanaian contractors however, there is a low level of awareness and poor uptake of Lean techniques and principles. The current material supply processes used by Ghanaian contractors lead to waste and inefficiency. In this multiple-case study, the level of awareness and the uptake of Lean techniques and principles in the management of contractor supply chains in the Ghanaian construction industry are investigated. Using three selected cases, in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty (20) professional project participants from the selected construction firms. The findings showed a low awareness of Lean techniques amongst the contractors surveyed. Long-term relationships are not a major priority for most of the respondents. Contractors surveyed faced challenges relating to material deliveries such as quality, quantity and bad sequence of deliveries and problems with communication between contractors and their suppliers. The paper concludes that education will help improve the knowledge and understanding of Ghanaian contractors on Lean techniques and principles. This will improve the uptake of these techniques and integration into the management of their supply chains leading to overall performance improvements.
Language: English
Subfield: Management Information Systems
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W800855027