• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2007

This paper describes the optimization of maintenance workforce scheduling at Afam power station in Nigeria. The objective is to determine the optimum schedule to satisfy growing maintenance labour requirements with minimum cost and highest efficiency. Three alternative maintenance workforce schedules are compared. The first alternative is to continue with the traditional five-day workweek schedule currently being practiced by Afam power station maintenance line. The second alternative is to switch to a seven-day workweek schedule for the morning shift only. The third alternative is to use a seven-day workweek schedule for all three work shifts. The third alternative is chosen, as it is expected to save 11% of the maintenance labour cost.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.538-545
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• 1993

Individual farming involving small land parcel (0.5 to 1.0ha) is declining because it is uneconomic and unable to incorporate modern technological innovation to improve its production efficiency. A centrally managed medium scale mechanised rice share farming was implemented at Permatang Pauh, Sebeerang Perai, Malaysia in 1988-1991 for eight seasons on a contiguous 57 ha rice land rented from 100 owners. Ten participants were chosen to participate in this project which perpetuated from revolving fund of MR 165.000. The objective of the project was to overcome problem of production efficiency and to provide a stable income to farmers operating on a medium and full time basis. Mechanisation was given prime emphasis to optime and reduce labour requirement and meeting the targeted crop scheduling. Direct seeding and mechanical transplanting methods of crop establishment were adopted. Land preparations, crop establishment and crop care were done using machineries purchased by the group. Selected participants were trained to operate machineries which composed 2 and 4 wheel tractors, mechanical transplanters, motorised seeders and sprayers. Harvesting and transportation of rice to the mills were done on contractual basis using combine harvesters and bulk handling via 3-4 ton lorries respectively. The net clean yield (less 10-20 percent deduction at rice mills) obtained in such project has contributed to stabilise the production and income of participating farmers.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.686-693
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• 2022

Construction is a collaborative endeavor. The complexity in delivering construction projects successfully is impacted by the effective collaboration needs of a multitude of stakeholders throughout the project life-cycle. Technologies such as Building Information Modelling and relational project delivery approaches such as Alliancing and Integrated Project Delivery have developed to address this conundrum. However, with the onset of the pandemic, the digital economy has surged world-wide and advances in technology such as in the areas of machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have grown deep roots across specializations and domains to the point of matching its capabilities to the human mind. Several recent studies have both explored the role of AI in the construction process and highlighted its benefits. In contrast, literature in the organization studies field has highlighted the fear that tasks currently done by humans will be done by AI in future. Motivated by these insights and with the understanding that construction is a labour intensive sector where knowledge is both fragmented and predominantly tacit in nature, this paper explores the integration of AI in construction processes across project phases from planning, scheduling, execution and maintenance operations using literary evidence and experiential insights. The findings show that AI can complement human skills rather than provide a substitute for them. This preliminary study is expected to be a stepping stone for further research and implementation in practice.