A fuzzy synthetic evaluation of vulnerabilities affecting supply chain resilience of industrialized construction in Hong Kong
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 8 June 2021
Issue publication date: 24 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Demands for Industrialized Construction (IC) have intensified with growing construction industry imperatives to (A) boost performance; (B) reduce reliance on “in-situ and on-site” operations; and (C) strengthen supply chain resilience (SCR) not just for survival but also to fulfill obligations to clients in the coronavirus disease 2019–induced (COVID-19–induced) “new normal”. In addressing these imperatives, this paper targets more effective leveraging of latent efficiencies of off-site-manufacture, based on findings from a Hong Kong (HK)–based study on assessing and improving SCR in IC in a high-density city.
Design/methodology/approach
Starting with the identification of critical supply chain vulnerabilities (CSCVs), this study developed a multilevel–multicriteria mathematical model to evaluate the vulnerability levels of IC supply chains (SCs) in HK based on an in-depth questionnaire survey followed by experts' inputs and analyzing them using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).
Findings
The overall vulnerability index indicates that IC in HK is substantially vulnerable to disruptions, while production-based vulnerabilities have the highest impact. Top management attention is needed to address these CSCVs in IC in HK.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, this is the first structured evaluation model that measures the vulnerability level of IC, providing useful insights to industry stakeholders for well-informed decision-making in achieving resilient, sustainable and performance-enhanced SCs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms a part of a PhD research project entitled “Modeling Supply Chain Resilience in Industrialized Construction in Hong Kong.” The authors wish to thank the Research Grants Council, the Hong Kong PhD. Fellowship Scheme, the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the funding support to the research which has contributed to the preparation of this paper. Also, the authors gratefully acknowledge the survey respondents and anonymous reviewers for their significant contributions in compiling and improving this paper.
Citation
Ekanayake, E.M.A.C., Shen, G., Kumaraswamy, M. and Owusu, E.K. (2022), "A fuzzy synthetic evaluation of vulnerabilities affecting supply chain resilience of industrialized construction in Hong Kong", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 2358-2381. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-12-2020-1010
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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