Against a background of foreign and domestic pressures on the construction industry, this article explores some of the opportunities for the use of low-cost ICTs to enable and enhance what is broadly referred to as "Lean Construction” practices, and looks at the practical experiences of a real-world case study.
The local construction industry is under siege! Many of the indigenous businesses in the sector are struggling to stay afloat under the twin pressures of anaemic, low-growth in the domestic economy, and the irrepressible competitive pressures of foreign-based enterprises armed with deep capital, heavy machinery and low-cost labour, with little protection from Government policy interventions. The recent MSBM Roundtable, themed "Construction as Driver for Economic Growth," emphasised the critical importance of greater efficiencies in the financing and operations of local construction companies in order to remain sustainable businesses. In this article, we explore some of the opportunities for the use of low-cost ICTs to enable and enhance what is broadly referred to as "Lean Construction” practices, and look at the practical experiences of a real-world case study.
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About the Author
Maurice McNaughton is the Director of the Centre of Excellence for IT Innovation at Mona School of Business & Management, UWI.
Dr. McNaughton is Director of the Centre of Excellence for IT-enabled Innovation at the Mona School of Business & Management and is currently doing active research in the areas of Open Source Software, Open/Big Data and Mobile Computing. He is a founding member of the Caribbean Open Institute, a regional coalition of Caribbean organizations that engages and works with regional governments, researchers, journalists, technologists, NGOs, and academics, to raise awareness, strengthen capacity, and foster collaborations towards the adoption of open development approaches.