Automation in construction materials handling: the case study in north central Nigeria

Abstract

Automation in construction material handling system is a method of utilising material handling equipment. It could be the basis of cost reduction or wasteful expenses if not efficiently planned. However, there is limited understanding of construction material handling process utilised by the manufacturing industry in Nigeria. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of automation in material handling by the manufacturing industry in North Central Nigeria. A quantitative method and case study research approach was adopted, six construction material manufactured and distributed within the North-central region of Nigeria were selected for this study. A purposive sampling method was used for the selection of the ten construction material manufacturing companies used in the research. The study employed non -participant structured observation and measurement template for the data collection. The material handling processes observed includes, order picking method, material handling equipment, storage equipment, loading and offloading equipment. The descriptive method of data analysis was employed using percentage and results presented in a form of bar charts and interpreted directly. The study concluded low utilisation of automation in the combined processes of order picking, handling, storage, loading and offloading. But used more manual labour that involved multiple handling. This low adoption of automation in material handling by the manufacturing industry leads to inefficiency. This in turn have a negative influence such as poor management, low throughput, prone to error, long lead time and high labour cost. These have the implication of increasing construction cost and cause project delay. This study was conducted using observations which is one of the limitations of this study.