Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Automation in Construction
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon

Review

Lean manufacturing applications in prefabricated construction projects

Juan Du a, *, Jingyi Zhang a, Daniel Castro-Lacouture b, Yuqing Hu c
a
SILC Business School, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, China
b
Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, United States
c
Architectural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 210 Engineering Unit A, State College, PA 16801, United States

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Prefabricated construction is typically conducted using a special construction method and is employed in various
Lean prefabricated construction disciplines such as engineering, management, and technology. Currently, one of the emerging research directions
Scientometric analysis involves a combination of prefabrication and lean principles. However, the systematic analyses outlined in the
Systematic literature
literature in this field is insufficient and lacks clarity on the mainstream research topics; thus, it is difficult to
understand the current research progress and determine the various subject branches. Hence, the purpose of this
paper is to review previous research on lean management and the practices adopted in prefabricated construction
projects to systematically evaluate their impact on prefabricated construction improvement. To this end, a
critical review and summary of the application of lean construction principles in prefabricated construction is
conducted using a three-step approach that incorporates bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-
depth literature classification. Consequently, five different research dimensions are obtained: data-driven
intelligent decision, construction sustainability, activity process optimization, lean construction adoption in
prefabricated construction, and other prefabrication-related lean adoption strategies such as circular economy,
flexible field factory, and on-site industrialization. The research methods, lean techniques and tools, and research
limitations are then discussed and analyzed based on these topics. Because all relevant articles are reviewed, this
study contributes to building the knowledge system for lean prefabricated construction (LPC). Furthermore, the
current universal development status and periodic results in this field are also discussed in this study. Therefore,
the findings can be used to establish new research directions based on future thematic trends in the LPC domain,
inspire practitioners using LPC technological implementation paths, and foresee possible obstacles in the future.

1. Introduction is to divide and improve the manufacturing process. The construction

The traditional construction industry is faced by problems such as
high energy consumption, low efficiency, and poor quality [1]. How­
ever, these problems can be effectively solved by promoting the devel­
opment of the construction industry to achieve industrialization.
Compared with traditional construction, the use of prefabricated con­
struction improves the construction quality, reduces the wastage of re­
sources, enhances the control of the construction time, increases the
health and safety, and enhances the life-cycle performance [2–5].
Therefore, it conforms to the development requirements for industrial­
ization, making it the best method for achieving the transformation and
upgrading of the construction industry.
‘Lean’ is used in the manufacturing industry to emphasize the
elimination of waste and uncertainty in the production process through
scientific management, and the essence of lean manufacturing principles
mode for a building assembly is similar to that used in the
manufacturing industry, and it comprises the design, production,
transportation, and on-site assembly of prefabricated components.
Furthermore, the use of prefabricated construction simplifies the process
and reduces variations, thereby meeting the requirements of lean
management and practices.
The integration of lean philosophy and prefabricated construction is
beneficial for the optimization of the production processes in the con­
struction industry, and has shown a high potential for effectively
addressing resource wastage and inefficiency, resulting in widespread
interest from scholars. Koskela [6,7] systematically integrated lean
principles into construction and proposed the transformation, flow, and
value generation (TFV) theory. Furthermore, various studies have
explored lean construction in the architectural, engineering, and con­
struction fields, such as multi-process construction applications,

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: ritadu@shu.edu.cn (J. Du), zhangjy@shu.edu.cn (J. Zhang), castro98@purdue.edu (D. Castro-Lacouture), yfh5204@psu.edu (Y. Hu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2023.104790
Received 28 October 2022; Received in revised form 1 February 2023; Accepted 11 February 2023
Available online 1 March 2023
0926-5805/© 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
J. Du et al.
sustainable development, and a combination of building information
modeling (BIM) strategies [8–10]. However, these studies separately
summarized lean construction and prefabrication. Moreover, systematic
analyses and summaries of the literature in this field are lacking; thus,
the concept of lean prefabricated construction (LPC) was proposed, and
has been implemented in some studies [11]. However, it is still difficult
to understand the current research progress and determine the various
subject branches, and little is known about the status of LPC application
in actual projects [12,13].
In this study, the research status of lean manufacturing in pre­
fabricated construction is investigated according to related literature on
various off-site construction topics such as supply chains, performance
evaluations, and technological applications [14,15]. Hence, the aim of
this study is to determine mainstream LPC-related research topics from
relevant literature and determine the connections, emphasis, and gaps in
the literature. First, LPC search topics are obtained based on related lean
and prefabricated construction research. Subsequently, the keywords
and authors are scientometrically analyzed to determine four research
dimensions in the LPC domain, and the fifth potential research topic is
determined based on a literature review. Finally, the research methods,
lean techniques and tools, and research limitations for each topic are
discussed based on an in-depth literature review. Therefore, the sys­
tematic review of relevant articles that was conducted in this study
contributes to the existing knowledge system on LPC. After the summary
of the research findings, a discussion on the current development status
and periodic results in this field is provided. Thus, the findings can be
used to determine new research directions based on future themes in the
LPC domain, inspire practitioners using new LPC technological imple­
mentation paths, and foresee possible obstacles in the future.
2. Background of lean prefabricated construction
Prefabricated construction is a method in which construction com­
ponents are produced in a factory and transported to the construction
site for assembly [14]. In contrast to traditional construction, pre­
fabricated construction involves the production, transportation, and
assembly of precast components, resulting in advantages during the
manufacturing process [16] such as increased productivity and reduced
lead time [17], reduced on-site labor and on-site operation risk [18],
decreased energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions [19],
shortened delivery cycle, and reduced inventory [20]. Owing to these
benefits, several countries have actively popularized prefabricated
construction and identified the corresponding tactics for implementa­
tion [21–25].
Because prefabricated construction has strict management re­
quirements during the various stages including design, prefabrication,
and construction, it is difficult to use conventional construction man­
agement to satisfy the management requirements of prefabricated con­
struction. Particularly, lean principles are compatible with the idea of
prefabricated construction management, which aims to cut waste and
shorten the project cycle [26,27]. These principles include reducing the
variability by controlling the cycle times and batch sizes (striving for
single-piece flow), increasing the flexibility by selecting an appropriate
production control approach and developing a standardized process,
and continuous improvement using a visual production system to
inspect and extend the partners’ networks [28]. Owing to their
compatibility with lean principles, various lean construction technolo­
gies and tools have been used in LPC such as the 5S (sort, set, shine,
standardize and sustain) lean tool [26], six sigma management [29],
Kanban [30], value stream mapping (VSM) [31], Jidoka [32], and last
planner system (LPS) [33].
Although lean philosophy originates from the manufacturing in­
dustry where it has a mature research and theoretical system, a sys­
tematic framework that can be used in the promotion of the application
of lean manufacturing principles in the construction industry is lacking.
Prefabricated construction is a representative form of construction
2
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
industrialization; thus, various studies have been conducted on this field
[34]. Moreover, it is necessary to review the research progress on lean
philosophy in PC because it is beneficial for understanding mainstream
academic research directions.
3. Proposed methodology and preliminary analysis
3.1. Proposed methodology
In this study, a multistep holistic review approach is introduced to
identify the latest research themes that exist at the intersection of lean
principles and prefabricated construction. This approach integrates the
review steps used in early research on off-site construction such as Jin
et al. [11], Innella et al. [13], and Wang et al. [14], as shown in Fig. 1.
First, the significance of this study is discussed in the background sec­
tion. Second, a bibliometric search consisting of three steps is performed
followed by a topic search of Scopus and Web of Science, review of the
abstract, repeated screenings and invalidation of the screening. Subse­
quently, the collected data was used in a metrological analysis using
VOSviewer software for scientific mapping based on word frequency
statistics and correlation analyses on information in the literature such
as the authors and keywords. The results are then visually presented to
reveal the development process and structural relationship between
various research components in the LPC field. Finally, the content in
each article is categorized and analyzed, and based on the results of the
scientific mapping clustering, the main research dimensions are ob­
tained, and the current research themes and application methodologies
of lean concepts in off-site construction are summarized. Based on the
results, this study can be used as a valuable reference for future research
in this field.
3.2. Bibliometric search
Although the review was conducted sequentially, it is important to
recognize that many of these stages involve interactions [10]. In the
‘prefabricated construction’ domain, many words are similar and have
the same meaning, such as ‘modular construction,’ ‘prefabricated con­
struction, ‘prefabricated buildings, and ‘off-site construction.’ To reflect
the lean principles and practices, the keyword ‘lean’ should be added.
Based on this, some related reviews on prefabricated construction and
lean construction were referenced to find the initial search terms
[8,9,11,13,14,16]. which are listed in Table 1.
The following electronic databases can be used to search for the
terms: Web of Science, Scopus, Emerald, Engineering Village, Google
Scholar, Taylor and Francis, and the American Society of Civil Engineers
[9,14,16]. This study mainly used the two most extensive databases:
Web of Science and Scopus; because Web of Science has an longer time
frame, and Scopus has more recent and comprehensive articles [35].
Simultaneously, other electronic databases were used to validate and
supplement this data, which was only obtained from articles written in
English. In contrast, to avoid missing relevant information, the search
parameters in this study included the titles, abstracts, and keywords of
the aforementioned studies. Additionally, to increase the value of the
study, the document types for the references was reviews and articles,
and the source types was journals. In addition, the search time for this
study was October 2022; thus, all related articles before this time were
considered.
The next step consists of screening based on a review of the abstracts.
115 papers from Scopus, 63 papers from Web of Science, and 11 papers
from other databases were screened. Subsequently, the unrelated arti­
cles, which focused on other industries that only apply preassembly and
modularization as lean tools [36], or those centered on prefabricated
construction and not on lean construction practices [37–39], were
deleted. Moreover, the articles wherein the word ‘lean’ means ‘thin’ or
‘oblique’ were excluded [12]. After screening, 115 articles from Scopus
remained, and those from Web of Science decreased to 63, bringing the
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Fig. 1. Research framework.

4. Scientometric analysis
Table 1
Search Terms.
Vosviewer was used as a tool to prompt the systematic literature
Prefabrication Lean Construction Scene review of LPC, and scientometric analysis was adopted to identify the
off-site AND Lean (Construction) Practices AND Construction individuals actively participating in lean theory research. Furthermore,
Offsite Lean (Construction) Tools House co-citation and co-journal analyses were conducted to identify hotspots
Modular Lean (Construction) Strategies Housing
in the research field, and the articles were classified into various di­
Data Lean (Construction) Principles Building
Prefabricated Lean (Construction) Techniques Components
mensions based on the co-occurrence of keywords to determine the
Industrialized Concrete current status and future research directions.
Panelized
Tilt up 4.1. Co-citations analysis
Tilt-up
Precast
Co-citation analysis is an objective method used to analyze literature
data [15]. Co-citation occurs when two articles quote one another; thus,
total to 178. The last step involves repeating the screening and deleting it can better reflect the contributions in this field compared with
the duplicates and undiscoverable documents, which reduced the total bibliographic coupling. Based on Jin et al. [11], the minimum number of
to 121 articles. Fig. 2 shows the distribution of articles based on publi­ citations was adjusted to 55, and 14 articles remained. The resulting
cation year. The results show that the trend in the research in this field is scientific mapping is shown in Fig. 3 and the most influential articles are
not increasing year by year. In general, the number of studies in the field listed in Table 2.
of LPC has been gradually increasing, and the quantity of literature From Fig. 3, the ‘Norm. Citation’ refers to the normalized number of
produced in the last eight years is higher than that before eight years citations, which better reflects citation performance compared to the
ago, indicating that research in this field has gained traction. With the peer articles. From Fig. 3 and Table 2, Sacks et al. [40], Nahmens and
increasing requirements for energy saving techniques, environmental Ikuma [49], Jin et al. [11] and Yu et al. [26] obtained the highest norm.
protection, and efficiency, combining prefabricated buildings with the citations and number of specifications. The articles with high reference
lean theory has proven to be beneficial in construction engineering. values focused on the following areas: integration of information

3
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Fig. 2. Annual valid reference articles.

Fig. 3. Scientific mapping for articles in LPC.

was extended from weekly to daily by providing the information infra­

Table 2
structure and coordinating between the involved parties. The next
Most Influential Articles in LPC.
article focused on the sustainability of modular buildings, and used three
Author Cluster Links Citations Norm. cases to show the impact of lean on the triple bottom line in modular
Citations
housing construction [50]. It can be seen that the article written by Jin
Sacks et al. (2010a) [40] 1 6 203 4.1856 et al. [11] is similar to other articles because it provides a review of
Nahmens and Ikuma (2012) 1 9 99 3.4839
prefabricated construction; however, it posseses a high research value
[41]
Jin et al. (2018) [11] 2 3 94 2.8200
because many papers on prefabrication are cited. Arashpour et al. [51]
Yu et al. (2013) [26] 1 8 77 2.3476 and Yu et al. [26] also obtained higher reference values in their studies.
Arashpour et al. (2016) [42] 2 6 61 2.2593 One of them optimized the relationship between the various processes
Mostafa et al. (2016) [16] 2 8 59 2.1852 involved in the construction of a prefabricated building, and the other
Höök and Stehn (2008a) [43] 3 8 89 1.9669
applied the lean construction principles to a prefabricated building
Xu et al. (2018) [44] 2 6 64 1.9200
Nahmens and Ikuma (2009) 1 6 57 1.8387 element, including 5S management, standardized work, takt time, va­
[45] riety management, and VSM.
Alinaitwe (2009) [21] 1 9 55 1.7742
Nath et al. (2015) [46] 1 3 56 1.62
Höök and Stehn (2008b) [47] 3 7 68 1.5028
4.2. Co-occurrence of keywords analysis
Tommelein (1998) [48] 1 5 206 1.0000
Ballard et al. (2003) [29] 1 6 59 1.0000 In this section, the current research dimensions are explored based
on the classification results presented in the keyword co-occurrence
scientific mapping. Keyword analysis is one of the methods used to
technology represented by BIM and Internet-of-Things (IoT), sustain­
identify hotspots in a research field [53], and its validity has been
ability of construction under the triple bottom line, off-site construction,
verified in various literature review papers [14] [52]. In this study, the
and algorithm optimization incorporating lean construction principles.
minimum number of occurrences for all keywords was determined to be
These directions also show the opportunities and trends in LPC.
four based on the initial 81 keywords. Subsequently, the keywords that
The article written by Sacks et al. [50] has the highest Norm indices,
matched or were basically the same as the search terms were removed,
and production management systems are proposed for construction
such as buildings, prefabrication, off-site construction, modular con­
based on BIM platforms, a Kanban-style pull process flow, and Andon
struction, manufacturing, lean construction, precast concrete, con­
alerts. Additionally, the construction process was visualized and the LPS
struction industry, and construction. After this step, 40 keywords

4
J. Du et al.
remained, as presented in Fig. 4, and the keywords with more than five
occurrences are listed in Table 3.
According to Fig. 4 and Table 3, the red node represents the inte­
gration of information technology in each project phase, which is rep­
resented by the architectural design, BIM, information theory, or
planning. Additionally, the green node is related to the research supply
chain management, including the supply chains and contractor; the
yellow node describes the sustainability of the production process,
including sustainable development, carbon emissions, and precast con­
crete; and the blue node represents the research method and application
of lean construction principles, including discrete event simulation,
agile manufacturing systems, value stream mapping, and just-in-time
production. The keyword ‘productivity’ has the highest number of oc­
currences in the blue cluster, which is the aim of LPC.
Classification analysis can be more effective in determining the
research status and direction of lean principles in prefabricated con­
struction. According to the distance of each cluster in Fig. 4, the four
types of keywords have a certain relationship. By summarizing the
commonality of the keywords in each cluster and combining the highly-
valuable articles, four dimensions were obtained: (1) data-driven intel­
ligent decisions represented by BIM and algorithm optimization, (2)
construction sustainability represented by industry development and
environmental protection, (3) activity process optimization represented
by agile manufacturing systems and simulation, and (4) lean construc­
tion adoption represented by supply chain management and contractor
cooperation. Subsequently, four dimensions were identified based on
these four clusters.
However, there are several studies that are not presented in Fig. 4.
These articles have keywords such as flexible field factory, circular
economy, design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), large-scale
construction, and industry-university relationship, which are based on
concepts that are highly relevant for achieving lean construction.
Therefore, these keywords are worth considering. In this regard, the lean
strategies in this category of articles, which provide important insights
for related research, were analyzed and classified into a fifth dimension.
Overall, the research dimensions of LPC can be classified into five
categories: information integration, construction sustainability, activity
process optimization, lean construction adoption in prefabricated
Fig. 4. Scientific mapping for keywords in LPC.
5
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
construction, and other prefabrication-related lean adoption strategies.
Including the uncategorized literature reviews, the proportion of each
research dimension was calculated based on the statistical analysis as
17%, 16%, 25%, 22%, and 13%, respectively, and the remaining 7% of
the literature did not fall into any of the five dimensions above.
5. Research frontiers and gaps
Using literature synthesis, the gaps and research opportunities were
identified based on the detailed literature on each dimension, as shown
in Fig. 5. This classification is described in the following subsection.
5.1. Data-driven intelligent decision
5.1.1. Literature synthesis
There were 19 articles in this dimension, as shown in Table 4. This
dimension has many high-value articles, all of which are based on in­
formation integration techniques such as BIM, and the incorporation of
lean construction principles to achieve automatic and intelligent appli­
cations, as shown in Table 7. Visual management is of vital importance
in lean construction principles, and BIM can be the key to achieving this.
The role of visual management using BIM such as pictographic in­
structions generated by BIM for assembly [54], visual representation of
the lean level in the BIM model [55], increasing collaboration among all
parties [49,56], generating drawings of prefabricated modules [46],
mass customization [57], and digitization before the production stage
[31], have been expounded in many of the articles in this dimension. In
addition, work in this area includes real-time monitoring and data
visualization during construction for continuous improvement [58,59],
and improving logistics management [33,60,61].
In contrast to the above article, which focuses on visual manage­
ment, the following articles focus on the role of information technology
in project decision making. Xu et al. proposed an operational model for
the economical and flexible use of IoT technology by small and medium-
sized enterprises (SMEs) through the adoption of the concept of cloud
assets and by building an information cloud platform [44]. Ezzeddine
and de Soto developed a digital platform based on a game engine that
connects the design, production, transportation, and construction of a
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Table 3
Most Frequent Keywords in LPC.
Keywords Cluster Total link strength Occurrences Average Publication Year Average Citation Avg. Norm. Citation

Supply chains 2 41 19 2014 19.4737 1.1164

Architectural design 1 53 17 2018 30.0588 1.1236
Building information modeling 1 50 16 2019 20.375 0.9935
Housing 2 30 14 2011 27.9286 0.8278
Precast concrete 4 44 14 2013 20.9286 0.8663
Productivity 3 31 14 2014 27.2857 1.0751
Sustainable development 4 37 12 2014 27.8333 1.1015
Agile manufacturing systems 3 29 9 2012 25.3333 0.8546
Value stream mapping 3 28 9 2017 24.5556 1.0651
Simulation 3 15 8 2015 20.5 0.744
Surveys 2 25 8 2014 36.25 1.2793
Discrete event simulation 3 21 7 2018 15 1.3915
Just in time production 3 18 7 2016 15.4286 1.8461
Contractors 2 13 6 2017 15.8333 0.5885
Information theory 1 25 6 2019 38.1667 1.584
Mapping 3 20 6 2017 13.3333 0.7908
Planning 1 22 6 2014 54 1.6273
Product design 1 10 6 2011 22.8333 1.0497

project to provide a virtual environment and make collaborative de­
cisions [62]. Additionally, some studies have applied algorithms that
incorporate lean principles to optimize off-site construction, such as
optimization-based metaheuristics [51], algorithms for stacking panel
materials [32], integrating the last planner system, the linear scheduling
method, and critical chain project management [63]. These articles
focus on the implementation and application of information integration
in different scenarios.
5.1.2. Research gaps
Based on literature synthesis, the existing research gaps in the in­
formation integration dimension can be summarized as follows:
(1) Lack of uniform standards for information integration. In the
reviewed articles, research cases such as those on the construc­
tion of standardized workflows, parameterized BIM common
components, and worker instruction information databases have
their own case uniqueness, which makes the generalization of the
research conclusions in other projects difficult.
(2) In the context of information technology, the importance of data
security and privacy issues are highlighted. Moreover, the
adoption of integrated information is closely linked with specific
scenarios, and under the intelligent-based cyber-system, the
control and usage of these data is important and should also be
considered. However, few studies have focused on data security
in construction engineering.
(3) Studies in this dimension have focused on the use of intelligent
algorithms to achieve lean management in prefabricated con­
struction. However, previous studies typically simplify the pre­
fabricated construction conditions during the algorithm design or
modeling process, hindering the algorithm or model’s ability to
obtain effective results under more complex conditions such as
the automatic matching of supply and demand and multi-player
interaction-based decision-making.
(4) The development of models or algorithms does not consider the
impacts of unexpected events such as delayed delivery, in­
ventory, and response strategies. In particular, under more un­
certainties or emergency issues, intelligent algorithms must be
adaptive to systematic and complicated scenarios.
5.1.3. Research opportunities
Establishing a unified data model for a prefabricated component
cloud platform to promote information sharing and information storage
can enhance the cooperation between SMEs. However, the data security
and privacy issues of construction companies need to be considered, and
the platform should have a developed intelligent decision module to
attract customers [44] and quantify the platform and system benefits
[31]. In addition, the approach should also consider how it can be
extended to other projects, which is the motivation for standardization,
versatility, and multi-participation [46,57,64]; and employee and
stakeholder training to ensure the convenient use of standard workflows
[49,54].
This dimension focuses on algorithm optimization, which was used
as an assumption in the modeling process [32], as schedule targets for
module production [51] and the monitoring, controlling, and tracking of
linear schedules [63]. To simplify the problem for off-site construction,
future studies should consider more complex situations such as cost
factors and the different conditions in construction. Simultaneously,
reasonable estimation and modeling of the process are key for utilizing
lean construction strategies.
The logistics problems encountered during integration into the
construction site and production plant can be addressed by imple­
menting lean construction principles; however, most of the available
research focuses on site and materials logistics planning. Therefore, the
impact of various situations on construction sites such as delayed de­
livery and large inventory [61], and the potential cost savings related to
the implementation of the system [33], needs to be evaluated during
model development.
5.2. Construction sustainability
5.2.1. Literature synthesis
In lean prefabricated construction, emphasis is placed on methods of
reducing waste during the construction process including high labor
utilization, economic development, and environmental and social ben­
efits under the triple bottom line of sustainability. This has attracted
several authors from the United States to study employee safety and job
satisfaction using the job safety analysis (JSA) method, and several au­
thors from Singapore to study the reduction of carbon emission using the
life cycle assessment method (LCA), as indicated in Table 8. These
studies were then classified in terms of the three dimensions of sus­
tainability: social, environmental, and economic, as shown in Table 5.
From a social perspective, various articles have focused on social
responsibilies such as the worker safety and welfare. Nahmens et al.
studied the worker’s satisfaction [41] and risk [45,67,68], and Court
et al. [18] developed a lean and agile construction system that promotes
safety and productivity. Zaalouk and Han [69] used lean principles to
identify bottlenecks in the production process of prefabricated compo­
nents, redesigned the production plant, and improved the safety of the
production process of prefabricated components.
From an environmental perspective, Konstantinou and Heesbeen
[70] proposed a combination of lean and prefabricated construction as

6
J. Du et al.
Fig. 5. Framework to link current research themes to research gaps for the application of lean principles in prefabricated construction.
an effective means of achieving energy savings and low carbon emis­
sions for the development of building industrialization. Wu et al. [71]
studied the methods used to achieve low carbon in precast concrete
factories [71–74] or construction sites [75,76]. In addition, Koch and
Bertelsen [77] analyzed a demonstration project that includes a set of
products and process concepts in which the process elements contain
value-based lean design and construction for the development of low-
carbon housing. Senaratne and Ekanayake [78] divided the produc­
tion process of a precast concrete bridge beam into conversion activities
to eliminate unnecessary activities. Kim and Bae [79] compared the
energy emissions of on-site and prefabricated rebars using life cycle
assessment (LCA). Finally, Heravi et al. [19] comprehensively consid­
ered the energy consumption during the production, transportation, and
installation of prefabricated components.
From an economic perspective, Safaa et al. [80] applied design for
7
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) to prefabricate bridges, simplified
and standardized the design of bridge components, and evaluated the
application effect of DfMA based on lean manufacturing principles. They
found that DfMA reduces the costs and results in significant economic
benefits. Moreover, prefabricated construction has the advantages of
standardization and scientific management, which can avoid the
drawbacks of traditional construction and reduce the construction costs.
However, the high cost of prefabricated construction has hindered its
adoption in China [81]. In contrast, many construction enterprises lack
technology and management experience required to employ LPC [82],
mainly because they have not formed a complete LPC operation and
supply chain management system, which has led to engineering changes
and cost increases [15]. Therefore, implementing the lean construction
principle is an important method of improving the economic benefits
and enhancing sustainable development in prefabrication construction.
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Table 4
Document classification statistics for the research content in information integration.
No Authors Countries Research Topics Lean construction Tools Methodologies

1 Shewchuk and United States Stacking and location of prefabricated components at the Kaizen, Jidoka,5S Algorithm
Guo (2012) [32] installation site
2 Arashpour et al. Australia Defining the optimal module production sequencing with JIT Empirical analysis,
(2016) [51] the aim of minimizing changeover time Algorithm, Simulation
3 Han et al. (2012) United States Optimizing the production module at the modular VSM, takt time Empirical analysis,
[65] production line Simulation, 3D visualization
4 Bataglin et al. Brazil Logistics management Integrated production and JIT, Standardized work, LPS Empirical analysis, BIM
(2020) [61] installation
5 Bortolini et al. Brazil A logistics planning and control model for site assembly Hierarchical relationships and Empirical analysis, BIM
(2019) [60] interactions between Lean
principles
6 Chen et al. (2020) Switzerland Facilitating the flow of materials and related information LPS RFID, BIM, Simulation
[33]
7 Dallasega et al. Italy Real-time planning and monitoring LPS, location-based Empirical Analysis,
(2018) [59] management system (LBMS), Information platform
takt time
8 Nascimento et al. Brazil Optimizing the installation of industrial plant construction PDCA, Obeya Room Empirical analysis, BIM
(2017) [58]
9 Sacks et al. United Kingdom Better collaboration between all parties involved in the LPS Empirical analysis, BIM
(2010b) [49] and Finland construction process
10 Xu et al. (2018) China The operation model for SMEs to economically and flexibly Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, IoT, BIM,
[44] use IoT technologies construction Cloud technology
11 Ng et al. (2016) China The detailed business process of an RFID-enabled BIM Focus on the results of lean RFID, BIM
[56] platform construction
12 Nath et al. (2015) Singapore Generating drawings of prefabricated modules in workshop VSM Empirical analysis, BIM
[46]
13 Johnston et al. United States A virtual prototype to support construction assembly Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, Virtual
(2016) [54] procedures construction prototyping, BIM
14 Gbadamosi et al. United Kingdom Measuring the lean level of prefabricated components Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, Voting
(2019) [55] construction analytical hierarchy process,
BIM
15 Ezzeddine and United States Using the game engine to create a platform to integrate the Focus on the results of lean Game engine technology
García de Soto design, production, transportation and team-building of construction
(2021) [66] modular construction
16 Salama et al. United States Presenting a new method for project tracking and control of LPS BIM, Linear scheduling
(2021) [63] integrated offsite and onsite activities in modular method
construction
17 Zhang et al. (2021) Canada A prototype of the production information system was VSM, mass customization Empirical analysis, BIM, DES,
[57] proposed to facilitate the mass customization Virtual reality
implementation in the millwork manufacturer
18 Barkokebas et al. Canada Use BIM and Lean integration in off-site construction to VSM Empirical analysis, BIM,
(2021) [31] improve the prefabrication process (design, procurement simulation
and bidding)
19 Eldeep et al. Saudi Arabia Studying the relationship between BIM and lean, and Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, BIM
(2021) [66] developing an innovative method of information flow construction
modeling

5.2.2. Research gaps
Based on the research analysis of lean prefabricated construction
from a social, environmental, and economic perspectives, three research
gaps were considered. First, construction sustainability requires devel­
opment under a triple bottom line. The discussion of lean construction
principles in sustainability is currently mainly focused on one or two
perspectives, creating a lack of information on the environmental, eco­
nomic, and social aspects. Second, it can be planned, built, and managed
more effectively; thus, it is more sustainable throughout the full life
cycle of construction. Moreover, the methods employed in sustainable
construction through lean and prefabricated construction require addi­
tional in-depth and specific research.
Through virtual reality and other technologies, a more realistic
description of the working environment can be outlined to provide a
better understanding of the risks, which can then be used to further
validate off-site safety [67]. Moreover, it is possible to combine BIM and
other information technologies to collect and analyze carbon emissions
[58]. The analysis of carbon emissions during the entire life cycle of
prefabricated construction can provide effective information and in­
dicators for carbon emission control [83]. BIM and DfMA can be com­
bined to realize 3D visualization through BIM technology and optimize
the sustainability and cost of designing prefabricated structures [84].
5.3. Activity process optimization

5.2.3. Research opportunities 5.3.1. Literature synthesis

It is necessary to simultaneously consider the three perspectives in
the triple bottom line [50]. In addition, several research directions can
be further explored such as the whole life cycle of prefabricated com­
ponents, including post-demolition [75], and environmental sustain­
ability assessment and optimization can be enhanced to not be based
solely on the construction site or factor [73,74]. Heravi et al. [19]
explored the impact of lean techniques on the reduction in carbon
emissions in prefabricated construction, and extended the evaluation
process to the entire life cycle.
This dimension has the largest number of articles, and the analysis
was mainly done using VOSviewer based on 14 highly-relevant articles
and supplemented by other articles, as shown in Table 6. In contrast to
other dimensions, lean construction principles are used in this dimen­
sion. The research focus in this area was divided into design, production,
and assembly; therefore, a literature analysis of these processes was first
performed.
Many of the highly-relevant articles were found to focus on the
production stage [17,26,29]. Heravi et al. [87] integrated the

8
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Table 5
Document classification statistics of the research content in construction sustainability.
No Authors Countries Research Topics Lean construction Tools Methodologies

1 Kim and Bae (2010) Korea The environmental impacts of prefabrication and JIT JIT Empirical analysis, LCA, construction
[79] delivery strategy of rebar supply environmental decision-support tool
(CEDST)
2 Firmawan et al. Indonesia Applying Lean construction and Value engineering to Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, FAST (Function
(2012) [85] elevate the environment construction Analysis System Technique)
3 Koch and Bertelsen Denmark Analyzing a demonstration project as part of the Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis
(2014) [77] commercialization of design and the innovation construction
process
4 Nahmens and United The impact of lean on the triple bottom line of Safety and Lean Integrated Kaizen Empirical analysis
Ikuma (2012) [50] States sustainability (SLIK)
5 James et al. (2014) United The relationship between Lean and worker safety Kaizen Empirical analysis, JSA
[67] States during construction activities
6 Nahmens et al. United Through Kaizen events to improve job satisfaction Kaizen Empirical analysis
(2012) [41] States levels
7 Nahmens and United Exploring whether continuous improvement can Kaizen Empirical analysis
Ikuma (2009) [45] States improve safety in the construction industry
8 Ikuma et al.(2011) United Applying of SLIK to Improve Performance Kaizen Empirical analysis, JSÁ
[68] States
9 Court et al.(2009) United Improving health, safety, productivity for the onsite Activity Based Classification (ABC), Empirical analysis
[18] Kingdom labor. JIT
10 Peng and Pheng Singapore Identifying the contribution of the lean concept to VSM, Activity Based Classification Empirical analysis
(2011) [86] achieve sustainability in precast concrete factories.
11 Wu and Feng Singapore Applying lean benchmark to offer relative Benchmark, Kaizen Empirical analysis, LCA
(2012) [72] measurements of carbon emissions for precast
concrete products
12 Wu (2015) [75] Singapore Achieving low carbon in precast concrete Grouping technology, JIT, Empirical analysis, LCA
construction sites Uninterrupted workflow, Total
quality control (TQC)
13 Wu et al. (2013a) Singapore Achieving low carbon in precast concrete Kaizen, VSM, Uninterrupted Empirical analysis
[76] construction sites workflow
14 Wu et al. (2013b) Singapore Achieving low carbon in precast concrete factories Benchmark, Kaizen Empirical analysis, LCA
[71]
15 Wu and Feng Singapore Achieving low carbon in precast concrete factories Grouping technology, JIT, Empirical analysis
(2014) [73] Uninterrupted workflow, TQC
16 Wu and Low (2012) Singapore Achieving low carbon in precast concrete factories JIT，Kaizen Empirical analysis
[74]
17 Heravi et al. (2020) Iran Reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide VSM, JIT, Kaizen, TPM Empirical analysis, LCA, Discrete
[19] emissions integrating production, transportation, event simulation (DES)
and erection processes
18 Senaratne and Sri Lanka Evaluating Lean Principles to the precast concrete Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis
Ekanayake (2012) bridge beam production process construction
[78]

production and installation processes of prefabricated steel frame
structures and adopted a phased lean management approach to improve
the project construction performance. Schulze and Dallasega [88]
summarized the obstacles between the component manufacturing or­
ders and actual production and construction processes during modular
building lean implementation, and proposed an engineer-to-order (ETO)
framework for lean implementation, which is helpful in overcoming the
mismatch between the production and demand. This collaborative
function of BIM facilitates the implementation of lean construction [66].
For example, Bakhshi et al. [89] designed a framework that integrates
BIM and DfMA to enable customers to participate in the entire prefab­
rication process, which improves customer satisfaction and flexibility.
Moreover, although the production process of prefabricated components
is similar to the manufacturing process, the latter focuses on the
implementation of lean principles in the production stage. For instance,
Jansson et al. [90] outlined the use of lean product development flow
(LPDF) in industrialized house-building environments, which can pro­
vide more flexibility in product development and production. Moreover,
some articles have focused on lean implementation in construction sites
[91,92].
5.3.2. Research gaps
Majority of the available research focuses on application-level
techniques and types of lean construction principles rather than the
results of lean construction such as the reduction in waste and vari­
ability, and zero inventory. The hierarchical relationships of the lean
construction principles constructed by Bortolini et al. [60] lay the
foundation for this approach. In addition, the methods used to effec­
tively measure the lean ability and improve the lean level also deserve
attention. According to the previous literature review, the deficiencies in
this dimension can be summarized as follows. First, in lean construction
applications, it is necessary to understand the profound meaning of lean
construction. Second, the method used to measure a company’s ability
to implement lean construction in the absence of project data and the
corresponding standards need to be developed.
5.3.3. Research opportunities
One research direction that can be developed is a general research on
the lean construction principles using simulations for the analysis and
without the use of actual data. Furthermore, the development of lean-
oriented simulation templates for parameterization to provide com­
panies with the ability of performing quantitative evaluations needs to
be explored [93]. Goh and Goh [91] conducted a simulation study on the
prefabrication construction process and compared the differences be­
tween traditional and modular construction methods to obtain the
project benefits of lean implementation through simulation.
The apparent contradiction that occurs whereby the productivity
increases under a lower labor utilization is both an economic and social
issue; therefore, more comprehensive research should be conducted on
the other factors of productivity in future studies [91,92]. For example,
the use of lean construction principles to improve productivity while
ensuring the effective utilization of employees should be investigated.

9
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Table 6
Document Classification Statistics of the Research Content in Activity Process Optimization.
No Authors Countries Research Topics Lean construction Tools Methodologies

1 Ballard et al. (2003) United Learning to identify and utilize workflow for precast concrete Six Sigma, Kaizen,5S, Empirical analysis
[29] Kingdom fabrication Employee involvement, JIT
2 Simonsson et al. Sweden Applicability of VSM to improve workflow JIT, VSM Empirical analysis
(2012) [94]
3 Yu et al. (2013) [26] United Optimizing the whole production process of building 5S, standardized work, VSM, Empirical analysis
States components takt time
4 Nahmens and Mullens United Optimizing the precast concrete panelizer in the factory Standardized work, Empirical analysis
(2011) [17] States Continuous flow, Kaizen
5 Afifi et al. (2022) [95] Canada Lean improvements integrating discrete-event simulation Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, DES
approach to increase the productivity of the assembly line. construction
6 Arashpour et al. Australia Proposing an autonomous production tracking to analyze real- Standardized work, Cross- Empirical analysis, DES
(2015) [42] time production training
7 Polat et al. (2006) Turkey An economic comparison of the on-site and off-site fabrication Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis,
[96] practices of rebar construction Mathematical modeling, DES
8 Heravi and Firoozi Iran Optimizing the production process of prefabricated steel frames VSM, JIT Empirical analysis, DES
(2017) [97]
9 Gallardo et al. (2014) Brazil Promoting line flow precast concrete process through basic PDCA Empirical analysis
[98] stability
10 Ahmad et al. (2019) Malaysia Optimizing the reinforcement work process in the precast JIT, Kanban, Layout Empirical analysis
[30] concrete production improvements
11 Goh and Goh (2019) Singapore Providing and evaluating recommendations to improve VSM, TQM, Kanban, cross- Empirical analysis, DES
[91] modular construction efficiency training
12 Wang et al. (2019a) China Optimizing the precast concrete component production VSM Empirical analysis
[20]
13 Bamana et al. (2019) Canada Simulating a real construction project to assess the impact of JIT,5S Empirical analysis,
[92] prefabrication, JIT, and lean principles Simulation
14 Jansson et al. (2016) Sweden Improvements to the design process Standardized work, Obeya Empirical analysis
[90] room

Moreover, because the main focus during optimization was reducing
waste and managing the various processes rather than ensuring the
product retains its customer value [90], research can also be conducted
on the customer value or a combination of these factors.
5.4. Lean construction adoption
5.4.1. Literature synthesis
The implementation of lean construction has faced several chal­
lenges. Studies in this dimension have mainly focused on the imple­
mentation of lean construction principles [23,99–101] and
measurement of the lean level of a prefabricated construction project
[102], wherein questionnaires and interviews are the most commonly
used methods. Yuan et al. [103] analyzed the relationship between the
lean capability and its benefits during the prefabricated construction
process. Through a questionnaire survey and empirical analysis, it was
found that the adoption of effective management is key to improving the
lean capability. In this dimension, some articles explored the imple­
mentation of lean principles from a supply chain management
perspective [104,105] while others explored the product offer strategy
from a contractor’s perspective [21,106–110]. As shown in Fig. 4, the
two have a high correlation of identified keywords. The typical meth­
odologies employed in this dimension to determine the importance of
each factor are empirical analysis, principal component analysis (PCA),
and analytic network process (ANP), as shown in Table 7.
In addition, there is a category of articles that discussed the benefits
and appropriateness of lean principles, and customized production was
found to be more profitable than market-driven procurement from a
customer value perspective [108,111]. Moreover, interdisciplinary
skills, which combine lean construction principles with project man­
agement supported by information technology, can further improve the
efficiency of construction [112,113].
5.4.2. Research gaps
In this dimension, studies were based on questionnaires and in­
terviews owing to the survey environment, and the identification of
indicators led to a different focus for the results. For example, Alinaitwe
[21] identified obstacles hindering the application of the principles of
lean construction and then interviewed a contractor to determine the
ranking of barriers, and Noor et al. [100] identified drivers and barriers
from references and sorted out the factors for lean construction based on
the management levels. Moreover, the survey objects of Meng [105]
consisted of different types of construction projects, and Stehn and Höök
[47] focused on industrialized housing in Sweden. It is important to
consider the interrelationship of lean metrics and the need to accurately
predict the cost of lean implementation based on more information
[102], wherein the specificity of the region or construction mode
included in the indicator is not necessarily a disadvantage [114]. Ac­
cording to the above analysis, the research gaps in this dimension can be
divided into two parts. First, there is a lack of systematic indicators and
methods for studying impediments to lean construction. Second, there is
a lack of research on the relationship between the lean principles and
related construction modes.
5.4.3. Research opportunities
In this dimension, future studies should investigate the obstacles and
essential principles required for the implementation of interdisciplinary
skills based on a combination of the information technology and lean
construction principles [112,113]. Therefore, it is necessary to identify
the most important problems faced by different regions or construction
modes before implementing these interdisciplinary skills in actual cases
so that they can be solved in advance, which reduces the resistance to
the application of these interdisciplinary skills.
5.5. Other prefabrication-related lean adpotion strategies
5.5.1. Literature synthesis
This dimension of the articles is not obtained from the keyword
clustering analysis, it is a summary of the remaining articles that do not
appear during scientific mapping. The literature on this dimension is
closely related to other concepts, as shown in Table 8, and in most ar­
ticles, the application of lean in prefabricated construction is not the
main research topic. The lean strategies adopted in this dimension
involve the cooperation between the construction industry and

10
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Table 7
Document classification statistics of the research content in lean construction adoption.
No Authors Countries Research Topics Lean construction Tools Methodologies

1 Pheng and Chuan (2001) Singapore Surveying the application of JIT in precast concrete Kanban, Employee involvement, Empirical analysis
[115] components through main contractors TQM, continuous flow
2 Shams Bidhendi et al. (2019) Australia Proposing the weighted leanness assessment VSM Empirical analysis,
[102] methodology to evaluate and compare the lean Mathematical modeling,
levels of the organization ANP
3 Böhme et al. (2018) [113] Australia Investigating the reasons for decline productivity in Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis, Ishikawa
Australia mid-rise residential construction network construction diagram
4 Alinaitwe (2009) [21] Uganda Investigating the difficulty of overcoming lean TQM, LPS, JIT, VSM, Concurrent Empirical analysis
construction barriers through contractors Engineering (CE), Standardized work
5 Nahmens and Mullens United Discussing the relationship between lean JIT, Kaizen, Visual Management, Empirical analysis
(2009) [25] States construction and mass customization Continuous flow, Takt time,
Standardized work
6 Ray et al. (2006) [116] United How to successfully implement lean construction VSM Empirical analysis
States
7 Noor et al. (2018) [100] Malaysia The drivers and challenges to adopting lean Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis,
management. construction Interpretive Structural
Modeling
8 Ahmed and Wong (2018) Malaysia Assessing the level of awareness and acceptance of JIT, TQM, LPS, Value Management Empirical analysis
[22] the need for lean construction techniques (VM)
9 Meiling et al. (2012) [101] Sweden Measuring the extent to which companies based on 5S, Kaizen, Takt time, Standardized Empirical analysis
off-site manufacturing adopt lean management work
principles
10 Pasquire et al. (2011) [111] Sweden Value-driven purchasing of customized kitchen JIT, Customer value Empirical analysis
cabinets is more profitable than market-driven
purchasing
11 Höök and Stehn (2008b) Sweden Deepening the understanding of how to approach a Kaizen, Standardized work Empirical analysis, Principal
[47] lean culture Component Analysis (PCA)
12 Björnfot and Stehn (2007) Sweden Examining the potential of the product offer from Customer value Empirical analysis
[108] the value views of customers
13 Höök and Stehn (2008a) Sweden The applicability of lean principles and practices JIT, Kaizen, Standardized work, Empirical analysis, PCA and
[43] visualization Mean measurement
14 Forsman et al. (2012) [112] Sweden Enhancing efficiency through lean principles and LPS, JIT, Kaizen Empirical analysis
Information modeling
15 Sandberg and Bildsten Sweden Applying Coordination theory to improve the waste Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis
(2011) [23] of lean principles construction
16 Lennartsson and Björnfot Sweden The popularize research of modular construction standardization Empirical analysis
(2010) [24]
17 Ireland (2004) [104] United Investigating the impact of lean and partnering Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis
Kingdom approaches to supply management construction
18 Meng (2019) [105] United Exploring the implementation of lean principles in Kaizen, Customer value Empirical analysis
Kingdom the context of project-based construction supply
chains
19 Power and Taylor (2019) Ireland Investigating the performance and identifying areas LPS Empirical analysis
[107] for improvement of individual trade contractors
20 Melo and Alves (2010) Brazil Investigation on cooperation between supply chain VSM Empirical analysis
[106] enterprises
21 Yuan et al. (2020) [114] China Exploring the critical barriers of on-site lean Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis
construction construction
22 Xing et al. (2021) [117] China Application of Lean Practice in the Chinese LPS, JIT, Kanban Empirical analysis
construction industry
23 Hussein and Zayed (2021) Hong Kong The key factors of applying JIT in modular JIT Empirical analysis
[99] construction
24 Rahima Shabeen, S., and India Application of lean manufacturing using value VSM Empirical analysis
Aravind Krishnan, K. (2022) stream mapping (VSM) in precast component
[110] manufacturing: A case study

university, which aims to promote process innovation through the
industry-university consortium, and the design and implementation of
LPC, which requires the joint efforts of university academic research and
industry practice [118]. In addition, it also includes circular economy.
To this end, Benachio et al. [119] and Minunno et al. [120] found a
correlation between lean construction and the circular economy, and the
adoption of lean strategies related to the design and production of
buildings such as flexible field factories [121], on-site industrialization
[122,123], large-scale construction [40], design methods on design-bid-
build projects [124], and DfMA [125].
Simultaneously, there are other studies related to off-site construc­
tion such as timber-framed engineering [126,127] and electrical pre­
fabrication [128,129] using lean construction as the main strategy,
which were published by Martinez et al. [130].
5.5.2. Research gaps
The currently-available research employs a combination of large-
scale construction, circular economy, DfMA, large-scale construction,
and industry-university construction with prefabrication, as strategies to
improve project lean; however, the current research is not clear enough.
Therefore, more effective strategies need to be developed under
different construction modes. Moreover, the use of a combination of
other concepts or methods to enrich lean strategies also needs to be
further explored.
5.5.3. Research opportunities
Future research should not be limited to the adoption of lean stra­
tegies in traditional prefabricated buildings, but to other related con­
struction modes too such as flexible field factories and on-site
industrialization [121,123,130]. These construction methods are similar

11
J. Du et al. Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790

Table 8
Document classification statistics of the research content in other prefabrication-related lean adpotion strategies.
No Authors Countries Research Topics Lean construction principles Methodologies

1 Lavikka et al. (2020) Finland Describing the development of the relationship between Applying lean as a research project Empirical analysis
[118] industry and university (IU) theme
2 Martinez et al. (2008) European Using concepts like lean construction to develop modular JIT, Visual management, Jidoka Empirical analysis
[130] Union products by robotics systems onsite or offsite.
3 Tykkä et al. (2010) European Applying innovative concepts such as lean production to Focus on the results of lean Empirical analysis
[126] Union develop Timber Framed Engineering construction
4 Duncheva and Bradley European Exploring the products and processes of volumetric (and JIT,5S Empirical analysis
(2019) [127] Union panelized) timber manufacturers
5 Minunno et al. (2018) Australia The circular economy is applied to the strategies of Focus on the results of lean Normative research
[120] prefabricated buildings, one of which is lean construction construction analysis
6 Benachio et al. (2021) Brazil Discovering the interaction between Circular Economy All kinds of lean construction
[119] practices and Lean Construction principles principles
7 Martínez et al. (2013) European The concept and the layout design and the evaluation Lean as the basic principles Empirical analysis,
[121] Union performed of a flexible field factory for the construction Simulation
industry
8 Li et al. (2020) [123] China The concept of on-site industrialization Lean is one of the five basic Action research
principles
9 Rosarius and García De United On-site factories combine the strengths of both Takt time, balanced work Empirical analysis, DES
Soto (2021) [122] States prefabrication techniques and lean principles
10 Said (2016) [128] United Understanding the determinants of the feasibility of Lean is questioned as a factor Empirical analysis,
States electrical prefabrication Logistic regression
11 Said (2015) [129] United Identifying current best practices of electrical construction Lean is questioned as a factor as a Empirical analysis
States prefabrication and future improvement opportunities suggestion for improvement
12 Sacks and Partouche United Reference significance of large-scale construction Lean construction is analyzing as a Empirical analysis
(2010a) [40] States production system paradigm
13 Hallowell and Toole United Inapplicability of traditional design methods on design-bid- Lean construction as the direction Empirical analysis
(2009) [124] States build projects of future improvement
14 Langston and Zhang, Brazil Discovering the interaction between Circular Economy All kinds of lean construction Empirical analysis
(2021) [125] practices and Lean Construction principles principles

Fig. 6. Potential research directions for the application of lean principles in prefabricated construction

12
J. Du et al.
to the modular construction production methods and have been devel­
oped on this basis. For the analysis of the emerging methods, a combi­
nation of existing research ideas and methods in LPC could be employed
with a focus on establishing applicable lean construction principles and
tools for optimizing the process and maximizing the benefits to
customers.
6. Conclusions
This paper discusses the application of lean principles in pre­
fabricated construction using a three-step approach, while incorporating
bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-depth literature
classification. Based on keyword analysis, the research topics were
classified into five dimensions: data-driven intelligent decision, con­
struction sustainability, activity process optimization, lean construction
adoption, and other prefabrication-related lean adoption strategies.
Therefore, considering the research value, this study has a theoretical
and practical importance. First, a review of the existing literature on
prefabricated construction and lean integration is provided, thereby
contributing to the research knowledge on LPC. The division of the di­
mensions reveals the focus areas, which allows the analysis of the cur­
rent status of research based on different dimensions, and assists in the
determination of new research directions. Second, the application of
bibliometric methods in reviewing off-site construction research is
documented. By extending the bibliometric analysis to an in-depth dis­
cussion, research areas with substantial literature can be reviewed more
effectively. Thus, this study can also be used as a reference by industry
practitioners in the development of emerging practices for off-site con­
struction such as combining LPC with concepts such as BIM and sus­
tainability thinking.
Based on the literature analysis and research achievements, potential
research directions were obtained for each dimension, as shown in
Fig. 6.
• For the data-driven intelligent decision dimension, the current
research themes include visual management, real-time monitoring,
logistics management, and algorithm optimization. Based on litera­
ture analysis, digital innovation is changing the construction in­
dustry, and frontier technologies can provide the necessary
guarantee and support to lean construction. Prefabricated construc­
tion processes are different from ordinary cast-in-place construction
processes because the construction site extends to the factory. Thus,
cost management, quality management, safety management, and
schedule management can be achieved faster and better under the
coordination of information technology. In addition, prefabrication-
based supply chain management involves more stakeholders and has
a lower tolerance for design errors. Therefore, information technol­
ogy is important to achieve lean performance in prefabricated con­
struction processes. Future research should focus on standardization
and versatility, intelligent decisions, reasonable process estimation
and modeling, and potential cost savings related to implementation.
In addition, under the impact of various contingencies, data security
and privacy should also considered.
• For the construction sustainability dimension, the discussions on
lean construction principles and sustainability are always closely-
linked. The use of prefabricated construction with a well-designed
management process is a promising solution for achieving energy
saving capabilities, emission reduction, and environmental protec­
tion. Therefore, lean construction is important for achieving sus­
tainable development. Based on the lean construction theory and
management techniques, and a combination of the characteristics of
sustainable construction, the proposed implementation maximized
the achievement of sustainable development goals such as a good
built environment, maximized the customer value, and minimized
the waste. Therefore, it is necessary to simultaneously consider more
sustainable research directions such as the three perspectives in the
13
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
triple bottom line, and whole-life cycle construction based on BIM,
VR, and other new technologies for sustainable construction.
• For the activity process optimization dimension, the lean construc­
tion process management techniques can be used to solve the
complexity of engineering projects and improve the performance.
The production efficiency can be improved through the systematic
coordination of prefabricated construction, including production
line planning, the construction site layout, and adoption of con­
struction and optimization methodology. The use of lean construc­
tion techniques assists in the identification of the cost waste for the
entire construction process, optimization of the cost management
process from different aspects, and enhancement of the management
logic and fluency, thereby improving the project productivity and
eliminating the drawbacks of the current project cost management.
Therefore, future research should focus on application-level lean
techniques and methods, lean-oriented simulation modules for
parameterization, customer value assurance, and employee produc­
tivity improvement.
• For the lean construction adoption dimension, existing research fo­
cuses on the implementation of lean construction principles and
measurement of the lean maturity for the entire prefabricated con­
struction process. Considering the regular problems encountered in
prefabrication construction such as excessive production, large in­
ventory, quality defects, and extra rework, the implementation of a
lean strategy can effectively eliminate the need for non-value-added
activities during the production process to achieve value maximi­
zation. Although previous research has already demonstrated the
advantages and suitability of using lean construction methods, future
research should address social and environmental factors in addition
to the economic issues. The results of this research can be used in the
evaluation and prediction of the adoptions after using higher-priority
lean principles and encountering obstacles for the use of interdisci­
plinary skills.
• For the other prefabrication-related lean adoption strategies, the
research involves a combination of LCP with other technologies such
as mass construction and flexible field factories, which broadens the
research perspective for the development of LPC. Prefabricated
construction has similar characteristics to manufacturing, and as a
result, the conditions for implementing lean construction have
matured. Therefore, future research on lean strategies should be
linked to factors such as circular economy and on-site industriali­
zation. Moreover, research initiatives regarding applicable lean
construction principles and tools for other related construction
modes should also be considered.
Finally, based on the existing data scope and focus limitations, this
research can be improved from the following perspectives. First, in
terms of the database selection, literature searches were conducted
using only two databases, Web of Science and Scopus, which resulted in
a limited number of studies; thus, future studies should employ a wider
search scope. Second, "supply chain" has the highest co-occurrence of
keywords in the scientific mapping conducted in this study, which in­
dicates to some extent that "supply chain" is an important link between
lean and prefabrication; thus, future research should focus on lean
management in prefabrication construction from a supply chain
perspective.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influ-
ence the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
No data was used for the research described in the article.
J. Du et al.
Acknowledgement
This work is supported by The Chinese National Natural Science
Foundation Project [71701121] and The Science and Technology
Commission of Shanghai Municipality Project [20DZ2251900 and
21ZR1423800].
References
[1] Y.M. Tian, S. Spatari, Environmental life cycle evaluation of prefabricated
residential construction in China, Journal of Building Engineering 57 (2022)
104776, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104776.
[2] M. Kamali, K. Hewage, Life cycle performance of modular buildings: a critical
review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 62 (2016) 1171–1183,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.05.031.
[3] W. Pan, C. Goodier, House-building business models and off-site construction
take-up, Journal of Architectural Engineering 18 (2) (2012) 84–93, https://doi.
org/10.1061/(asce)ae.1943-5568.0000058.
[4] N. Boyd, M.M. Khalfan, T. Maqsood, Off-site construction of apartment buildings,
Journal of Architectural Engineering 19 (1) (2013) 51–57, https://doi.org/
10.1061/(asce)ae.1943-5568.0000091.
[5] X. Zhang, S. Azhar, A. Nadeem, M. Khalfan, Using building information modelling
to achieve lean principles by improving efficiency of work teams, International
Journal of Construction Management 18 (4) (2017) 293–300, https://doi.org/
10.1080/15623599.2017.1382083.
[6] L. Koskela, Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction vol.
72, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 1992. https://www.researchgate.net/pub
lication/243781224_Application_of_the_New_Production_Philosophy_to_Const
ruction.
[7] L. Koskela, An exploration towards a production theory and its application to
construction, in: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, 2000. https://cris.vtt
.fi/en/publications/an-exploration-towards-a-production-theory-and-its-appli
cation-to.
[8] O. Babalola, E.O. Ibem, I.C. Ezema, Implementation of lean practices in the
construction industry: a systematic review, Building and Environment 148 (2019)
34–43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.10.051.
[9] D. Carvajal-Arango, S. Bahamon-Jaramillo, P. Aristizabal-Monsalve, A. Vasquez-
Hernandez, L.F.B. Botero, Relationships between lean and sustainable
construction: positive impacts of lean practices over sustainability during
construction phase, Journal of Cleaner Production 234 (2019) 1322–1337,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.216.
[10] P. Saieg, E.D. Sotelino, D. Nascimento, R.G.G. Caiado, Interactions of building
information modeling, lean and sustainability on the architectural, engineering
and construction industry: a systematic review, Journal of Cleaner Production
174 (2018) 788–806, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.030.
[11] F. Innella, M. Arashpour, Y. Bai, Lean methodologies and techniques for modular
construction: chronological and critical review, Journal of Construction
Engineering and Management 145 (12) (2019), https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)
co.1943-7862.0001712. Article 04019076.
[12] R.Y. Jin, S. Gao, A. Cheshmehzangi, E. Aboagye-Nimo, A holistic review of off-site
construction literature published between 2008 and 2018, Journal of Cleaner
Production 202 (2018) 1202–1219, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jclepro.2018.08.195.
[13] L. Li, Z.F. Li, X.D. Li, G.D. Wu, A review of global lean construction during the
past two decades: analysis and visualization, Engineering Construction and
Architectural Management 26 (6) (2019) 1192–1216, https://doi.org/10.1108/
ecam-03-2018-0133.
[14] Z.J. Wang, H. Hu, J. Gong, X.P. Ma, W.Y. Xiong, Precast supply chain
management in off-site construction: a critical literature review, Journal of
Cleaner Production 232 (2019) 1204–1217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jclepro.2019.05.229.
[15] Z.D. Li, G.Q. Shen, X.L. Xue, Critical review of the research on the management of
prefabricated construction, Habitat International 43 (2014) 240–249, https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2014.04.001.
[16] S. Mostafa, N. Chileshe, T. Abdelhamid, Lean and agile integration within offsite
construction using discrete event simulation: a systematic literature review,
Construction Innovation 16 (4) (2016) 483–525, https://doi.org/10.1108/ci-09-
2014-0043.
[17] I. Nahmens, M.A. Mullens, Lean homebuilding: lessons learned from a precast
concrete panelizer, J. Archit. Eng. 17 (4) (2011) 155–161, https://doi.org/
10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000037.
[18] P.F. Court, C.L. Pasquire, G. Gibb, D. Bower, Modular assembly with
postponement to improve health, safety, and productivity in construction,
Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction 14 (2) (2009) 81–89,
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1084-0680(2009)14:2(81).
[19] G. Heravi, M. Rostami, M.F. Kebria, Energy consumption and carbon emissions
assessment of integrated production and erection of buildings’ pre-fabricated
steel frames using lean techniques, Journal of Cleaner Production 253 (2020),
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120045. Article 120045.
[20] S.Q. Wang, J. Tang, Y.Q. Zou, Q.H. Zhou, Research on production process
optimization of precast concrete component factory based on value stream
mapping, Engineering Construction and Architectural Management 27 (4) (2019)
850–871, https://doi.org/10.1108/ecam-10-2018-0455.
14
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
[21] H.M. Alinaitwe, Prioritising lean construction barriers in Uganda’s construction
industry, Journal of Construction in Developing Countries 14 (1) (2009) 15–30.
https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84871705325&origin
=resultslist&sort=plf-f&src=s&st1=9e42f2a6075f3ffa1f93be74daeda85d&sot
=b&sdt=b&sl=29&relpos=0&citeCnt=65.
[22] M.E.A.M. Ahmed, L.S. Wong, Assessment of lean construction practice at selected
construction sites in Klang Valley, International Journal of Engineering and
Technology 7 (4) (2018) 125–130, https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i4.35.22340.
[23] E. Sandberg, L. Bildsten, Coordination and waste in industrialised housing,
Construction Innovation 11 (1) (2011) 77–91, https://doi.org/10.1108/
14714171111104646.
[24] M. Lennartsson, A. Björnfot, Step-by-step modularity: a roadmap for building
service development, Lean Construction Journal 2010 (1) (2010) 17–29. http://le
an-construction-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/0815
4112/LCJ_10_008.pdf.
[25] I. Nahmens, M. Mullens, The impact of product choice on lean homebuilding,
Construction Innovation 9 (1) (2009) 84–100, https://doi.org/10.1108/
14714170910931561.
[26] H.T. Yu, M. Al-Hussein, S. Al-Jibouri, A. Telyas, Lean transformation in a modular
building company: a case for implementation, Journal of Management in
Engineering 29 (1) (2013) 103–111, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)me.1943-
5479.0000115.
[27] R.B. Richard, Industrialised building systems: reproduction before automation
and robotics, Automation in Construction 14 (4) (2005) 442–451, https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.autcon.2004.09.009.
[28] R. Sacks, L. Koskela, B.A. Dave, R. Owen, Interaction of lean and building
information modeling in construction, Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management 136 (9) (2010) 968–980, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-
7862.0000203.
[29] G. Ballard, N. Harper, T. Zabelle, Learning to see work flow: an application of lean
concepts to precast concrete fabrication, Engineering Construction and
Architectural Management 10 (1) (2003) 6–14, https://doi.org/10.1108/
09699980310466505.
[30] S. Ahmad, R. Soetanto, C. Goodier, Lean approach in precast concrete component
production, Built Environment Project and Asset Management 9 (3) (2019)
457–470, https://doi.org/10.1108/bepam-02-2018-0051.
[31] B. Barkokebas, S. Khalife, M. Al-Hussein, F. Hamzeh, A BIM-lean framework for
digitalisation of premanufacturing phases in offsite construction, Eng. Constr.
Archit. Manag. 28 (8) (2021) 2155–2175, https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-11-
2020-0986.
[32] J.P. Shewchuk, C. Guo, Panel stacking, panel sequencing, and stack locating in
residential construction: lean approach, J. Constr. Eng. Manag. 138 (9) (2012)
1006–1016, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000520.
[33] Q. Chen, B.T. Adey, C. Haas, D.M. Hall, Using look-ahead plans to improve
material flow processes on construction projects when using BIM and RFID
technologies, Construction Innovation-England 20 (3) (2020) 471–508, https://
doi.org/10.1108/ci-11-2019-0133.
[34] R.Y. Jin, Y. Zou, K. Gidado, P. Ashton, N. Painting, Scientometric analysis of BIM-
based research in construction engineering and management, Eng. Constr. Archit.
Manag. 26 (8) (2019) 1750–1776, https://doi.org/10.1108/ecam-08-2018-0350.
[35] A.A. Chadegani, H. Salehi, M.M. Yunus, H. Farhadi, M. Fooladi, M. Farhadi, N.
A. Ebrahim, A comparison between two main academic literature collections:
web of science and Scopus databases, Asian Social Science 9 (5) (2013), https://
doi.org/10.5539/ass.v9n5p18.
[36] V. Priyadarshini, E. Vetriselvan, S. Geetha, Optimization of Erection Cycle Time
in Electrostatic Precipitator Retrofit 10, 2015, pp. 11605–11611. https://www.
scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84942362025&origin=resultslist&s
ort=plf-f&src=s&st1=a6d1804717ae463f490400c56afa0113.
[37] R. He, M.K. Li, V.J.L. Gan, J. Ma, BIM-enabled computerized design and digital
fabrication of industrialized buildings: a case study, Journal of Cleaner
Production 278 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123505. Article
123505.
[38] D.D. Viana, I.D. Tommelein, C.T. Formoso, Using modularity to reduce
complexity of industrialized building systems for mass customization, Energies 10
(10) (2017), https://doi.org/10.3390/en10101622. Article 1622.
[39] Ö. Wikforss, A. Löfgren, Rethinking communication in construction, Journal of
Information Technology in Construction (ITcon) 12 (23) (2007) 337–346. https:
//www.itcon.org/paper/2007/23.
[40] R. Sacks, R. Partouche, Empire state building project: archetype of “mass
construction”, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 136 (6)
(2010) 702–710, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000162.
[41] I. Nahmens, L.H. Ikuma, D. Khot, Kaizen and job satisfaction-a case study in
industrialized homebuilding, Lean Construction Journal (2012) 91–104. http://le
an-construction-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/0815
4123/LCJ_12_002.pdf.
[42] M. Arashpour, R. Wakefield, N. Blismas, T. Maqsood, Autonomous production
tracking for augmenting output in off-site construction, Autom. Constr. 53 (2015)
13–21, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.03.013.
[43] M. Höök, L. Stehn, Applicability of lean principles and practices in industrialized
housing production, Construction Management and Economics 26 (10) (2008)
1091–1100, https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190802422179.
[44] G.Y. Xu, M. Li, C.H. Chen, Y.C. Wei, Cloud asset-enabled integrated IoT platform
for lean prefabricated construction, Automation in Construction 93 (2018)
123–134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2018.05.012.
[45] I. Nahmens, L.H. Ikuma, An empirical examination of the relationship between
lean construction and safety in the industrialized housing industry, Lean
J. Du et al.
Construction Journal (2009) 1–12. http://lean-construction-gcs.storage.google
apis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08154111/LCJ_08_006.pdf.
[46] T. Nath, M. Attarzadeh, R.L.K. Tiong, C. Chidambaram, Z. Yu, Productivity
improvement of precast shop drawings generation through BIM-based process re-
engineering, Automation in Construction 54 (2015) 54–68, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.autcon.2015.03.014.
[47] L. Stehn, M. Höök, Lean principles in industrialized housing production: the need
for a cultural change, Lean Construction Journal (2008) 20–33. http://lean-constr
uction-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08154109/
LCJ_08_002.pdf.
[48] I.D. Tommelein, Pull-driven scheduling for pipe-spool installation: simulation of
lean construction technique, J. Constr. Eng. Manag. 124 (4) (1998) 279–288,
https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(1998)124:4(279).
[49] I. Nahmens, L.H. Ikuma, Effects of lean construction on sustainability of modular
homebuilding, Journal of Architectural Engineering 18 (2) (2012) 155–163,
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000054.
[50] R. Sacks, M. Radosavljevic, R. Barak, Requirements for building information
modeling based lean production management systems for construction,
Automation in Construction 19 (5) (2010) 641–655, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
autcon.2010.02.010.
[51] M. Arashpour, R. Wakefield, B. Abbasi, E.W.M. Lee, J. Minas, Off-site
construction optimization: sequencing multiple job classes with time constraints,
Automation in Construction 71 (Part 2) (2016) 262–270, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.autcon.2016.08.001.
[52] Z. Wang, H. Hu, J. Gong, X. Ma, W. Xiong, Precast supply chain management in
off-site construction: a critical literature review, Journal of Cleaner Production
232 (2019) 1204–1217, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.229.
[53] N.J. Van Eck, L. Waltman, Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for
bibliometric mapping, Scientometrics 84 (2) (2010) 523–538, https://doi.org/
10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3.
[54] B. Johnston, T. Bulbul, Y. Beliveau, R. Wakefield, An assessment of pictographic
instructions derived from a virtual prototype to support construction assembly
procedures, Automation in Construction 64 (2016) 36–53, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.autcon.2015.12.019.
[55] A.Q. Gbadamosi, A.M. Mahamadu, L.O. Oyedele, O.O. Akinade, P. Manu,
L. Mahdjoubi, C. Aigbavboa, Offsite construction: developing a BIM-based
optimizer for assembly, Journal of Cleaner Production 215 (2019) 1180–1190,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.113.
[56] S. Ng, W. Zou, K. Wong, G. Huang, Lean construction of public housing
production in Hong Kong: a process-based approach, International Journal for
Housing Science and Its Applications 40 (3) (2016) 171–180. https://web.s.
ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=f41b18cf-1c33-48a5-ae
1f-2b524a6c0a0c%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%
3d#AN=124762698&db=aph.
[57] Y.X. Zhang, J.W. Wang, R. Ahmad, X.M. Li, Integrating lean production strategies,
virtual reality technique and building information modeling method for mass
customization in cabinet manufacturing, Engineering Construction and
Architectural Management 27 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-11-2020-
0955.
[58] D.L.D. Nascimento, E.D. Sotelino, T.P.S. Lara, R.G.G. Caiado, P. Ivson,
Constructability in industrial plants construction: a BIM-lean approach using the
digital Obeya room framework, Journal of Civil Engineering and Management 23
(8) (2017) 1100–1108, https://doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2017.1385521.
[59] P. Dallasega, E. Rauch, M. Frosolini, A lean approach for real-time planning and
monitoring in engineer-to-order construction projects, Buildings 8 (3) (2018),
https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings8030038. Article 38.
[60] R. Bortolini, C.T. Formoso, D.D. Viana, Site logistics planning and control for
engineer-to-order prefabricated building systems using BIM 4D modeling,
Automation in Construction 98 (2019) 248–264, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
autcon.2018.11.031.
[61] F.S. Bataglin, D.D. Viana, C.T. Formoso, I.R. Bulhoes, Model for planning and
controlling the delivery and assembly of engineer-to-order prefabricated building
systems: exploring synergies between lean and BIM, Canadian Journal of Civil
Engineering 47 (2) (2020) 165–177, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2018-0462.
[62] A. Ezzeddine, B.G. de Soto, Connecting teams in modular construction projects
using game engine technology, Automation in Construction 132 (2021), https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103887. Article 103887.
[63] T. Salama, A. Salah, O. Moselhi, Integrating critical chain project management
with last planner system for linear scheduling of modular construction,
Construction Innovation (2021), https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-05-2018-0046.
[64] A.-Q. Gbadamosi, A.-M. Mahamadu, L.O. Oyedele, O.O. Akinade, P. Manu,
L. Mahdjoubi, C. Aigbavboa, Offsite construction: developing a BIM-based
optimizer for assembly, Journal of Cleaner Production 215 (2019) 1180–1190,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.113.
[65] S.H. Han, M. Al-Hussein, S. Al-Jibouri, H.T. Yu, Automated post-simulation
visualization of modular building production assembly line, Automation in
Construction 21 (1) (2012) 229–236, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
autcon.2011.06.007.
[66] A.M. Eldeep, M.A.M. Farag, L.M. Abd El-hafez, Using BIM as a lean management
tool in construction processes - a case study, Ain Shams Engineering Journal 13
(2) (2022) 7. Article 101556, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2021.07.009.
[67] J. James, L.H. Ikuma, I. Nahmens, F. Aghazadeh, The impact of kaizen on safety
in modular home manufacturing, International Journal of Advanced
Manufacturing Technology 70 (1–4) (2014) 725–734, https://doi.org/10.1007/
s00170-013-5315-0.
15
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
[68] L.H. Ikuma, I. Nahmens, J. James, Use of safety and lean integrated kaizen to
improve performance in modular homebuilding, Journal of Construction
Engineering and Management 137 (7) (2011) 551–560, https://doi.org/10.1061/
(asce)co.1943-7862.0000330.
[69] A. Zaalouk, S. Han, Parameterized design optimization framework for worker-
friendly workplaces in modular construction, Journal of Construction
Engineering and Management 147 (5) (2021), https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)
co.1943-7862.0002029. Article 04021030.
[70] T. Konstantinou, C. Heesbeen, 10 - industrialized renovation of the building
envelope: Realizing the potential to decarbonize the European building stock, in:
E. Gasparri, A. Brambilla, G. Lobaccaro, F. Goia, A. Andaloro, A. Sangiorgio
(Eds.), Rethinking Building Skins, Woodhead Publishing, 2022, pp. 257–283,
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822477-9.00008-5.
[71] P. Wu, J. Pienaar, D. O’Brien, Developing a lean benchmarking process to
monitor the carbon efficiency in precast concrete factories—a case study in
Singapore, Journal of Green Building 8 (2) (2013) 133–152, https://doi.org/
10.3992/jgb.8.2.133.
[72] P. Wu, Y.B. Feng, Using lean practices to improve current carbon labelling
schemes for construction materials- a general framework, Journal of Green
Building 7 (1) (2012) 173–191, https://doi.org/10.3992/jgb.7.1.173.
[73] P. Wu, Y.B. Feng, Identification of non-value adding activities in precast concrete
production to achieve low-carbon production, Archit. Sci. Rev. 57 (2) (2014)
105–113, https://doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2013.829023.
[74] P. Wu, S.P. Low, Lean management and low carbon emissions in precast concrete
factories in Singapore, Journal of Architectural Engineering 18 (2) (2012)
176–186, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000053.
[75] P. Wu, Monitoring carbon emissions in precast concrete installation through lean
production – a case study in Singapore, Journal of Green Building 9 (4) (2015)
191–211, https://doi.org/10.3992/1943-4618-9.4.191.
[76] P. Wu, S.P. Low, X.H. Jin, Identification of non-value adding (NVA) activities in
precast concrete installation sites to achieve low-carbon installation, Resources,
Conservation and Recycling 81 (2013) 60–70, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
resconrec.2013.09.013.
[77] C. Koch, N.H. Bertelsen, Learning from demonstration? Developing construction
for sustainability, The Open Construction & Building Technology Journal 8 (1)
(2014) 9–17, https://doi.org/10.2174/1874836801408010009.
[78] S. Senaratne, S. Ekanayake, Evaluation of application of lean principles to precast
concrete bridge beam production process, Journal of Architectural Engineering
18 (2) (2012) 94–106, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000063.
[79] Y.-W. Kim, J. Bae, Assessing the environmental impacts of a lean supply system:
case study of high-rise condominium construction in Korea, Journal of
Architectural Engineering 16 (4) (2010) 144–150, https://doi.org/10.1061/
(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000024.
[80] Y.P. Safaa, J.U.D. Hatmoko, B. Purwanggono, Evaluation of the use of
prefabricated bridge elements with Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)
criteria, in: 2nd Conference for Civil Engineering Research Networks (ConCERN)
270, 2019, p. 9, https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201927005006.
[81] W. Jiang, X. Qi, Pricing and assembly rate decisions for a prefabricated
construction supply chain under subsidy policies, PLoS One 17 (1) (2022),
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261896. Article e0261896.
[82] H.X. Li, M. Al-Hussein, Z. Lei, Z. Ajweh, Risk identification and assessment of
modular construction utilizing fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and
simulation, Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 40 (12) (2013) 1184–1195,
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2013-0013.
[83] X.J. Li, W.J. Xie, L. Xu, L.L. Li, C.Y. Jim, T.B. Wei, Holistic life-cycle accounting of
carbon emissions of prefabricated buildings using LCA and BIM, Energy and
Buildings 266 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112136. Article
112136.
[84] M. Wasim, O. Oliveira, Efficient design of a prefabricated steel structure
integrating design for manufacture and assembly concepts, Australian Journal of
Structural Engineering 23 (4) (2022) 356–369, https://doi.org/10.1080/
13287982.2022.2092949.
[85] F. Firmawan, F. Othman, K. Yahya, Improving project performance and waste
reduction in construction projects: a case study of a government institutional
building project, International Journal of Technology 2 (1) (2012) 182–192,
https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v3i2.93.
[86] W. Peng, L.S. Pheng, Lean production, value chain and sustainability in precast
concrete factory-a case study in Singapore, Lean Construction Journal (2011)
92–109. http://lean-construction-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploa
ds/2022/08/08154117/LCJ_10_007a.pdf.
[87] G. Heravi, M.F. Kebria, M. Rostami, Integrating the production and the erection
processes of pre-fabricated steel frames in building projects using phased lean
management, Engineering Construction and Architectural Management 28 (1)
(2021) 174–195, https://doi.org/10.1108/ecam-03-2019-0133.
[88] F. Schulze, P. Dallasega, Barriers to lean implementation in engineer-to-order
manufacturing with subsequent assembly on-site: state of the art and future
directions, Production Planning and Control (2021) 1–25, https://doi.org/
10.1080/09537287.2021.1888159.
[89] S. Bakhshi, M.R. Chenaghlou, F.P. Rahimian, D.J. Edwards, N. Dawood,
Integrated BIM and DfMA parametric and algorithmic design based collaboration
for supporting client engagement within offsite construction, Automation in
Construction 133 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.104015. Article
104015.
[90] G. Jansson, E. Viklund, H. Lidelow, Design management using knowledge
innovation and visual planning, Automation in Construction 72 (2016) 330–337,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2016.08.040.
J. Du et al.
[91] M. Goh, Y.M. Goh, Lean production theory-based simulation of modular
construction processes, Automation in Construction 101 (2019) 227–244,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2018.12.017.
[92] F. Bamana, N. Lehoux, C. Cloutier, Simulation of a construction project: assessing
impact of just-in-time and lean principles, Journal of Construction Engineering
and Management 145 (5) (2019), https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-
7862.0001654. Article 05019005.
[93] J. Erikshammar, W. Lu, L. Stehn, T. Olofsson, Discrete event simulation enhanced
value stream mapping: an industrialized construction case study, Lean
Construction Journal 10 (2013) 47–65. http://lean-construction-gcs.storage.goo
gleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08160552/LCJ_12_007.pdf.
[94] P. Simonsson, A. Björnfot, J. Erikshammar, T. Olofsson, Learning to see’the
effects of improved workflow in civil engineering projects, Lean Construction
Journal 2012 (2012) 35–48. http://lean-construction-gcs.storage.googleapis.co
m/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08154122/LCJ_11_005.pdf.
[95] M. Afifi, A. Fotouh, M. Al-Hussein, S. Abourizk, Integrated lean concepts and
continuous/discrete-event simulation to examine productivity improvement in
door assembly-line for residential buildings, International Journal of Construction
Management 22 (13) (2020) 2423–2434, https://doi.org/10.1080/
15623599.2020.1793075.
[96] G. Polat, D. Arditi, G. Ballard, U. Mungen, Economics of on-site vs. off-site
fabrication of rebar, Constr. Manag. Econ. 24 (11) (2006) 1185–1198, https://
doi.org/10.1080/01446190500529432.
[97] G. Heravi, M. Firoozi, Production process improvement of buildings’
prefabricated steel frames using value stream mapping, International Journal of
Advanced Manufacturing Technology 89 (9–12) (2017) 3307–3321, https://doi.
org/10.1007/s00170-016-9306-9.
[98] C.A.S. Gallardo, A.D. Granja, F.A. Picchi, Productivity gains in a line flow precast
concrete process after a basic stability effort, Journal of Construction Engineering
and Management 140 (4) (2014), https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-
7862.0000728. Article B4013004.
[99] M. Hussein, T. Zayed, Critical factors for successful implementation of just-in-
time concept in modular integrated construction: a systematic review and meta-
analysis, Journal of Cleaner Production 284 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jclepro.2020.124716. Article 124716.
[100] S.R.M. Noor, R. Yunus, A.H. Abdullah, S. Nagapan, S. Syahir, S. Mazlan, Insights
into the adoption of lean management in Industrial-ised Building System (IBS)
implementation: the drivers and challenges, International Journal of Eng.
Technol. 7 (3.23) (2018) 22–31, https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i3.23.17253.
[101] J. Meiling, F. Backlund, H. Johnsson, Managing for continuous improvement in
off-site construction: evaluation of lean management principles, Engineering
Construction and Architectural Management 19 (2) (2012) 141–158, https://doi.
org/10.1108/09699981211206089.
[102] S. Shams Bidhendi, S. Goh, A. Wandel, Development of a weighted leanness
measurement method in modular construction companies, Journal of Industrial
Engineering International 15 (4) (2019) 603–625, https://doi.org/10.1007/
s40092-019-0313-y.
[103] Z.M. Yuan, Y.Q. Fang, J.K. Hong, Q. Zhang, Z.Y. Zhang, G.D. Ni, Coupling
relationship between capabilities and benefits of lean construction for precast
buildings from a multivariable moderation perspective, Journal of Construction
Engineering and Management 148 (5) (2022), https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)
co.1943-7862.0002258. Article 04022011.
[104] P. Ireland, Managing appropriately in construction power regimes: understanding
the impact of regularity in the project environment, Supply Chain Management-
an International Journal 9 (5) (2004) 372–382, https://doi.org/10.1108/
13598540410560757.
[105] X.H. Meng, Lean management in the context of construction supply chains, Int. J.
Prod. Res. 57 (11) (2019) 3784–3798, https://doi.org/10.1080/
00207543.2019.1566659.
[106] R.S.S. De Melo, da CL Alves, T., Investigation of the supply chain of prefabricated
wooden doors, Lean Construction Journal (2010) 30–42. http://lean-constructio
n-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08154112/LCJ_10
_017.pdf.
[107] W. Power, D. Taylor, Last planner® system and percent plan complete: an
examination of trade contractor performance, Lean Construction Journal (2019)
131–146. . http://lean-construction-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uplo
ads/2022/08/08160601/LCJ_19_016.pdf.
[108] A. Björnfot, L. Stehn, Value delivery through product offers: a lean leap in multi-
storey timber housing construction, Lean Construction Journal 3 (1) (2007)
33–45. http://lean-construction-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uplo
ads/2022/08/08154108/LCJ_06_005.pdf.
[109] B. Wernicke, H. Lidelöw, K. Simu, Flow dimensions at Swedish construction
contractors, Lean Construction Journal 2019 (2019) 24–46. http://lean-construct
ion-gcs.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08160559/LCJ_1
9_001.pdf.
[110] R.S. Sirajudeen, K.A. Krishnan, Application of lean manufacturing using value
stream mapping (VSM) in precast component manufacturing: A case study, in:
16
Automation in Construction 150 (2023) 104790
International Conference on Advances in Construction Materials and Structures
(ICCMS), 2022, pp. 1105–1111, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.04.159.
[111] L. Bildsten, A. Björnfot, E. Sandberg, Value-driven purchasing of kitchen cabinets
in industrialised housing, J. Financ. Manag. Prop. Constr. 16 (1) (2011) 73–83,
https://doi.org/10.1108/13664381111116106.
[112] S. Forsman, N. Björngrim, A. Bystedt, L. Laitila, P. Bomark, M. Öhman, Need for
innovation in supplying engineer-to-order joinery products to construction: a case
study in Sweden, Constr. Innov. 12 (4) (2012) 464–491, https://doi.org/10.1108/
14714171211272225.
[113] T. Bohme, A. Escribano, E.E. Heffernan, S. Beazley, Causes and mitigation for
declining productivity in the Australian mid-rise residential construction sector,
Built Environment Project and Asset Management 8 (3) (2018) 253–266, https://
doi.org/10.1108/bepam-10-2017-0097.
[114] Z.M. Yuan, Z.Y. Zhang, G.D. Ni, C. Chen, W.S. Wang, J.K. Hong, Cause analysis of
hindering on-site lean construction for prefabricated buildings and corresponding
organizational capability evaluation, Advances in Civil Engineering 16 (2020),
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8876102. Article 8876102.
[115] L.S. Pheng, C.J. Chuan, Just-in-time management in precast concrete
construction: a survey of the readiness of main contractors in Singapore,
Integrated Manufacturing Systems 12 (6–7) (2001) 416–429, https://doi.org/
10.1108/EUM0000000006107.
[116] B. Ray, P. Ripley, D. Neal, Lean manufacturing - a systematic approach a
improving productivity in the precast concrete industry, PCI Journal 51 (1)
(2006) 62–71, https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij.01012006.62.71.
[117] W.Q. Xing, J.L. Hao, L. Qian, V.W.Y. Tam, K.S. Sikora, Implementing lean
construction techniques and management methods in Chinese projects: a case
study in Suzhou, China, J. Clean. Prod. 286 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jclepro.2020.124944. Article 124944.
[118] R. Lavikka, O. Seppanen, A. Peltokorpi, J. Lehtovaara, Fostering process
innovations in construction through industry-university consortium, Construction
Innovation-England 20 (4) (2020) 569–586, https://doi.org/10.1108/ci-08-2019-
0081.
[119] G.L.F. Benachio, M.D.D. Freitas, S.F. Tavares, Interactions between lean
construction principles and circular economy practices for the construction
industry, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 147 (7) (2021),
https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0002082. Article 04021068.
[120] R. Minunno, T. O’Grady, G.M. Morrison, R.L. Gruner, M. Colling, Strategies for
applying the circular economy to prefabricated buildings, Buildings 8 (9) (2018),
https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings8090125. Article 125.
[121] S. Martinez, A. Jardon, J.G. Victores, C. Balaguer, Flexible field factory for
construction industry, Assembly Automation 33 (2) (2013) 175–183, https://doi.
org/10.1108/01445151311306708.
[122] A. Rosarius, B.G. de Soto, On-site factories to support lean principles and
industrialized construction, Organization Technology and Management in
Construction 13 (1) (2021) 2353–2366, https://doi.org/10.2478/otmcj-2021-
0004.
[123] L. Li, Z.F. Li, X.D. Li, S.X. Zhang, X.W. Luo, A new framework of industrialized
construction in China: towards on-site industrialization, Journal of Cleaner
Production 244 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118469. Article
118469.
[124] M. Hallowell, T.M. Toole, Contemporary design-bid-build model, Journal of
Construction Engineering and Management 135 (6) (2009) 540–549, https://doi.
org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2009)135:6(540).
[125] C. Langston, W.W. Zhang, DfMA: towards an integrated strategy for a more
productive and sustainable construction industry in Australia, Sustainability 13
(16) (2021), https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169219. Article 9219.
[126] S. Tykka, D. McCluskey, T. Nord, P. Ollonqvist, M. Hugosson, A. Roos,
K. Ukrainski, A.Q. Nyrud, F. Bajric, Development of timber framed firms in the
construction sector - is EU policy one source of their innovation? Forest Policy
and Economics 12 (3) (2010) 199–206, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
forpol.2009.10.003.
[127] T. Duncheva, F.F. Bradley, Multifaceted productivity comparison of off-site
timber manufacturing strategies in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom,
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management 145 (8) (2019), https://
doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001641. Article 04019043.
[128] H. Said, Modeling and likelihood prediction of prefabrication feasibility for
electrical construction firms, Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management 142 (2) (2016), https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-
7862.0001051. Article 04015071.
[129] H. Said, Prefabrication best practices and improvement opportunities for
electrical construction, J. Constr. Eng. Manag. 141 (12) (2015), https://doi.org/
10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001018. Article 04015045.
[130] S. Martinez, A. Jardon, J.M. Navarro, P. Gonzalez, Building industrialization:
robotized assembly of modular products, Assembly Automation 28 (2) (2008)
134–142, https://doi.org/10.1108/01445150810863716.