Integrated Simulation-Based Look-Ahead Scheduling for Steel Fabrication Projects

Steel fabrication activities require a variety of equipment, material and skilled work in order to produce unique steel pieces. Because of the complexity of steel products, the large number of potential resources, activities, and interactions, and the possible combinations of all these variables, an accurate analysis of such a production system can be extremely difficult. Punctual look-ahead scheduling based on the most recent system analysis and projects data can significantly improve the productivity and project control of the steel fabrication projects. This paper presents an integrated simulation-based framework in which real-time as-built data are captured and along with the as-planned data are fed into the simulation model for look-ahead scheduling. A distributed simulation system based on the High Level Architecture is proposed to enhance the performance of the system. The ability of the proposed system to incorporate real-time actual data along with different scenarios that represent the dynamic work environment and external factors opens new doors to improve the accuracy of look-ahead scheduling in construction industry. To exhibit the feasibility of the proposed framework, a prototype system is developed and deployed in a steel fabrication company.