Integrating off-site and on-site panelized construction schedules using fleet dispatching

Abstract

In off-site construction, finding good synchronization between the factory and the construction site is critically important. However, in practice, on- and off-site operations are typically scheduled separately, without considering their performance at the project level. For the planning of logistics operations that bridge a factory and sites, this paper proposes a framework to optimize the truck-dispatching schedule using a discrete-event simulation model built based on real fleet operational data (e.g., GPS). Independently pre-planned schedules of factory and site operations are used as inputs, and historical data from transportation equipment are leveraged to generate the dispatching schedule. According to actual panelized residential projects, the proposed framework resulted in approximately 90% of deliveries being made on time, and daily activities were completed on average 40 min earlier than the historical time. Thus, the optimization of on- and off-site schedules may reduce the delays and under-utilization of equipment.