Stakeholders' Perception on the Current Practices of Industrial Building System (IBS) Construction Technology

Abstract

The Industrialised Building System (IBS) has been adopted in the Malaysian construction sector to replace the conventional building approach. Despite the government's attempts to encourage IBS adoption, the use of IBS in Malaysian building projects remains low. This study aims to gather stakeholders' views on drivers, barriers, and strategies to improve IBS implementation in Malaysia. About 52 questionnaires were received from IBS stakeholders in Johor such as consulting firms, contractors and IBS manufacturers. Average Index Analysis was used to analyse the questionnaire data on the main factors: current drivers, factors when considering IBS construction, current barriers and strategies to increase IBS construction. From the questionnaire survey, among the main drivers of IBS construction in Malaysia are technology advancement, reduce completion time and improve quality and productivity. Stakeholders also perceived that supervision on continuous and regular improvements and IBS implementation needs planning for productive process among the main factors when considering IBS construction. Meanwhile, the main barriers for IBS construction perceived are high initial cost investment in projects related to IBS construction, lack of skilled workers and unable to adapt instant changes to design modification in IBS construction. Several main strategies were noted to enhance the IBS implementation such as improving the balance between supply and market demand, innovation in creating eco-friendly sustainable construction and factory production optimization for IBS items. The outcomes of the study could assist relevant parties to understand the current drivers and barriers of IBS construction, and further help them to enhance the IBS implementation in Malaysia.