State of the Art
The notion of configuration and digital, automated
Focus on configuration
manufacturing can thus, in a simplified way be condensed to a read/write process or, in digital
The construction industry is, to a large extent,
terms: scanning and printing. In most cases, the
based on one-offs and can be characterised as an
scanning or input of the user needs/decisions is
engineer-to-order environment. Considerable
done via the configurator, while for the printing or
resources are used in the sales process.
manufacturing some kind of digitally controlled
Manufacturers and suppliers of building
process is needed in order to fully exploit the
components use their resources in several
possibilities of an automated flow.
stages of the projects:
Within the construction industry, no fully automat-
• (Architectural) Design stage
ed configuration, production and installation system
• Tender stage
is in operation at present. Seen as a flow line from
• Construction stage
user specification to recycling, there are examples of systems handling different areas of the chain.
In the design stage of the project, the supplier will typically service the architect or contractor in
This chapter will show examples of CIC systems
terms of providing proposals and samples showing
from the construction industry with their focus on
how their particular product can be incorporated
configuration, engineering, manufacturing or
into the project. The project team is at a research
installation. Although engineering in a fully
stage often without any clear overview of the project
industrialised line of thinking should be called
economy and the supplier has no way of knowing
product development and placed prior to
whether his product will survive the following tender
configuration, in the contemporary design
stage, even if it meets the required specification.
process it is still exercised as a construction process following the design phase. We will also show an example of a system from another industry (shipbuilding), which handles almost the entire value chain for a product, which in complexity is highly comparable to the construction industry.
by Jesper Nielsen
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