Exploring Key Factors for Contractors in Opening Prefabrication Factories: A Chinese Case Study

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Jiasheng Zhang¹  Pengcheng Xiang¹  Jia Zhong²  Jian Zhang³  Zezhou Wu⁴  Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari⁵ 

[1] School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University;China Construction Fourth Engineering Bureau No. 3 Co. Ltd.;China State Construction Silk Road Investment Group Co. Ltd.;Sino-Australia Joint Research Centre in BIM and Smart Construction, Shenzhen University;Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University

关键词: prefabrication;    contractor;    key factors;    social network analysis;    China;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.837350

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Adoption of prefabrication is essential for improving the urban built environment. However, the existing prefabrication market in China is far from mature. As the stakeholder who conducts construction activities, the contractor is facing a dilemma of lacking steady prefabricated components supply. In this circumstance, a potential solution is that contractors open their own prefabrication factories to guarantee stable component supply. The aim of this research is exploring the key factors for contractors to open prefabrication factories. Firstly, a total of 28 influencing factors were identified from literature. Then, the identified factors were divided into four categories: policy environment, market environment, technological environment, and enterprise internal environment. Through interviews with experienced professionals, a total of 19 factors were selected for future analysis. Based on the 19 factors, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to the experts to rate the degree of mutual influences. The collected data were analyzed using Ucinet6.0 software, and the adjacency matrix and the visual models were established. Finally, through the analysis of node centrality, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality, the four key influencing factors were determined including mandatory implementation policy, precast concrete component's price, market demand, and contractor's strategic objectives. The results of this study could assist contractors in making decisions of opening their own prefabrication factories toward more sustainable environment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY