A simulation-based approach for material yard laydown planning

This paper describes a simulation-based approach for planning material laydown yards for steel fabrication projects. The classic approach to material placement is the “reactive approach,” whereby as material arrives, the yard foreman decides, based on few rules and his/her past experience, where to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Automation in construction 2014-04, Vol.40, p.1-8
Main Authors: Alanjari, Pejman, Razavialavi, Seyedreza, AbouRizk, Simaan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Buildings. Public works
Computation methods. Tables. Charts
Computer simulation
Construction equipments
Construction works
Delivery scheduling
Exact sciences and technology
Genetic algorithm
Genetic algorithms
Heuristic
Laydown planning
Management
Material handling
Material management
Optimization
Placement
Policies
Simulation
Site organization
Structural analysis. Stresses
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Summary:This paper describes a simulation-based approach for planning material laydown yards for steel fabrication projects. The classic approach to material placement is the “reactive approach,” whereby as material arrives, the yard foreman decides, based on few rules and his/her past experience, where to place everything. It's often fraught with uncertainty resulting from imprecise and difficult-to-forecast construction consumption schedules, resource interactions, and supply chain issues, especially in material delivery. This paper outlines an approach to optimize reactive placement policy using heuristics, genetic algorithms and simulation to model material movement from laydown areas to the consumption unit. The novel approach combines analytical tools and heuristics to model the dynamic nature of material management. The paper compares this integrated approach with commonly-used optimization techniques which use weighted target functions based on rule of thumb. A case study demonstrates the suitability and efficiency of the proposed optimization method in reactive laydown yard management. •An approach to optimize reactive material management is proposed.•The approach uses heuristics, genetic algorithms and simulation.•Combined analytical tools and heuristics model material management dynamics.
ISSN:0926-5805
1872-7891
DOI:10.1016/j.autcon.2013.12.010