A decision support tool for planning module installation in industrial construction

Purpose: Properly planned module installation on an industrial site is a critical factor in delivering a project safely, on time and within budget. Different sizes of heavy-duty mobile cranes are used to pick, swing and place the modules. Crane selection depends on module size and weight, as well as crane availability, location and configuration. Weeks can be spent in trial and error to prepare and improve module installation plans due to the large number of ways to install the modules on site, high crane operating costs and other crane-module constraints. A tool to automatically generate module installation plans is essential. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a novel heuristic-based methodology for planning and sequencing module installation on industrial construction sites that takes into account proposed technological constraints. Findings: Case studies are presented to demonstrate the ease and effectiveness of the developed methodology in planning module installations. Originality/value: On a complex project, the tool can save time in preparing the installation plan, while also reducing the amount of crane supporting tasks (foundation preparation and crane movement).