• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2024.07a
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• pp.1308-1308
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• 2024

Computer vision techniques have been widely employed in automated construction management to enhance safety and prevent accidents at construction sites. However, previous research in the field of vision-based approaches has often overlooked small-sized construction tools. These tools present unique challenges in data collection due to their diverse shapes and sizes, as well as in improving model performance to accurately detect and classify them. To address these challenges, this study aimed to enhance the performance of vision-based classifiers for small-sized construction tools, including bucket, cord reel, hammer, and tacker, by leveraging synthetic images generated from a 3D virtual environment. Three classifiers were developed using the YOLOv8 algorithm, each differing in the composition of the training dataset: (i) 'Real-4000', trained on 4,000 authentic images collected through web crawling methods (1,000 images per object); (ii) 'Hybrid-4000', consisting of 2,000 authentic images and 2,000 synthetic images; and (iii) 'Hybrid-8000', incorporating 4,000 authentic images and 4,000 synthetic images. To validate the performance of the classifiers, 144 directly-captured images for each object were collected from real construction sites as the test dataset. The mean Average Precision at an IoU threshold of 0.5 (mAP_0.5) for the classifiers was 79.6%, 90.8%, and 94.8%, respectively, with the 'Hybrid-8000' model demonstrating the highest performance. Notably, for objects with significant shape variations, the use of synthetic images led to the enhanced performance of the vision-based classifiers. Moreover, the practical applicability of the proposed classifiers was validated through confidence scores, particularly between the 'Hybrid-4000' and 'Hybrid-8000' models. Statistical analysis using t-tests indicated that the performance of the 'Hybrid-4000' model would either matched or exceeded that of the 'Hybrid-8000'model based on confidence scores. Thus, employing the 'Hybrid-4000' model may be preferable in terms of data collection efficiency and processing time, contributing to enhanced safety and real-time automation and robotics in construction practices.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.53-58
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• 2008

This paper presents the findings obtained from the investigation of fatal disasters occurred by small-sized construction firms which have been accepted as to provide lower safety performance other than large-sized construction enterprises and cause more than half of the safety accidents in average. The study identifies the current status of safety performance provided by the small-sized construction contractors in details, find the issues involved with lack of safety performance, and suggest the improvement measures derived from the findings. A survey questionnaire was administered to the construction contractors, which are listed in the database of Construction Association of Korea as to fall into rank between 501st and 1000th in construction capacity. Safety issues such as the performance of safety management system, safety control structure, safety cost relative to safety control, education devoted to safety improvement, usage of safety garments or individual protective tools, and activities to maintain safety performance on site, etc were investigated from the study.

• IE interfaces
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.302-311
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• 2009

It's very important to make an effective and optimized production schedule for the small-to-medium-sized factory which have high-variety low-volume manufacturing properties. And now people say that MES is very useful to make scheduling more effectively. But for small-to-medium-sized factory, it is very difficult to build MES system because of fewer infrastructures in the factory, and more to keep it's continuous maintenance and improvement. Therefore it is more important to systematize the production scheduling generation using simpler and easier tools like EXCEL sheet. And it will be needed a new method to make simple MES construction for more efficient production scheduling. This paper proposes the method which can build simple MES easily using a tool of EXCEL VBA for a small-to-medium-sized factory, and introduces an applied case by the proposed method and EXCEL VBA.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.151-178
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• 2014

The objective of the present case study is to analysis how effectively Hilti, which is a former family firm owned and managed by a family in Liechtenstein as a tiny european country, a land sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, has made a global market success. Liechtenstein has $160km^2$ land and about 36,000 residents. Despite its small size of country, however, Hilti Corporation doesn't view its location as a liability in its business strategy. Hilti is a global leading provider of professional power tools in building, mining, civil engineering etc. Also, Hilti is a firm with a clear vision to become the leading industry partner for construction professionals and building installations through customer focus, high quality equipment, and tools and systems specially designed for specific jobs. This study considered Hilti as a good case, which verifies that born-conditions, endogenous factors according to Michael Porters diamond model does not decisive role more for international competitiveness of firms. Lessons from Hilti are that in order to obtain and sustain the global competitiveness of small and medium-sized firms in Korean manufacturing sector under high production cost, they have to do actively innovative. Also they can give to customers newer and higher customer-values than competitors in abroad give. The case summarizes that the strategy of Hilti for the global market success is comprised of several factors: Technological and organizational innovation, and a clear customer-value oriented business strategy and its implementation. Innovation and its integration into marketing for the customers value creation is central to Hilti's Success. The present case study is expected to provide insights and implication for many firms in Korea that are seeking to secure global presence and market success.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.785-796
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• 2023

The adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance(ESG) practices in domestic construction firms is predominantly driven by major corporations. These companies not only publish reports on their ESG management but also engage in a meticulous process of identifying key issues and setting priorities. This process entails an in-depth evaluation of the severity of various issues and the gathering of insights from experts in the field. Interestingly, a comparative analysis of ESG assessments for construction companies, both domestically and internationally, reveals significant discrepancies in outcomes. These differences stem from the varied evaluation methodologies and criteria employed by different assessing bodies. Addressing this gap, our study proposes a suite of strategies aimed at bolstering ESG management within the construction sector. We advocate for enhanced policy support and financial backing, especially targeting small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to facilitate their engagement in ESG practices. A critical step forward involves the standardization and transparent disclosure of ESG evaluation criteria, tailored to reflect the unique aspects of the construction industry. Moreover, the standardization and publication of ESG assessments for subcontractors are essential, equipping them with the necessary tools for effective ESG management and evaluation. Given the global nature of construction projects, particularly those commissioned by the European Union in regions like Africa and East Asia, adherence to ESG standards is imperative. Our long-term vision includes the development of a comprehensive database detailing ESG regulations and their impacts, segmented by region and country. This repository will serve as a valuable resource for companies venturing into international construction projects.