A BIM-Based Simulation Model for Inventory Management in Panelized Construction

Off-site construction is gaining more consideration from builders in North America, as it provides better quality products in less time and cost. Panelized construction is an increasingly popular off-site construction method in which components are panels fabricated off-site then transported to the site for assembly. Panels are manufactured at a rate that exceeds that of on-site assembly of the panels, which necessitates inventory management of the fabricated panels awaiting transportation to the site for assembly. Effective inventory management is thus required in panelized construction to reduce costs. The randomness of the manufacturing and assembly process entails processing a large amount of information iteratively in order to select the proper production scenario to effectively manage the inventory. In this context, simulation provides an appropriate means of testing proposed scenarios in a timely manner. Simulation models require precise information, and building information modeling (BIM) provides a convenient and comprehensive means of data exchange among different environments. This paper thus presents a combination of discrete-event and continuous simulation that uses the information extracted from the BIM model to facilitate inventory management for panelized construction. This approach develops a schedule and ensures continuity and smoothness of the workflow.