Plant Management

Abstract

It is difficult to identify the limit to machine usage on construction sites. It is clear, however, that as time goes by more machines will be invented or adapted for use in the construction of buildings. This being the case it is very important to attempt to measure the benefits or potential benefits of machine usage in particular circumstances. Managers are continually having to make decisions about methods of operation and the right mix of men and machines within a working environment. Machines are therefore selected, arrive on site, are used and, when a project is completed, removed and returned to the company’s plant depot or the hire company. Within this cycle various decisions and assessments are required to be made. This chapter examines how to identify the need for machinery to suit particular circumstances, and how to measure its efficiency in use. A key aspect of plant management is the knowledge of where a machine is, what it is doing and how efficiently it is working, and this is an underlying theme of this chapter.