Abstract:
The objective of this thesis is to improve the operations efficiency of large diameter bored pile. The evaluation of the true production cost methodically is also sought. The study into the production process of large diameter bored piles considers factors that affect the production time, production costs, and overall cost structure. The study was carried out in 3 areas: 1) Improvement in production efficiency by defining recommended practices for each production steps in order to shorten the time and prevent making mistakes. Consequently, this will enhance control over materials quantities. 2) Improvement in production costs by considering the major cost which is concrete material. The cost of concrete is made up of 2 portions; namely, the theoretical volume (Vnet), and the additional volume to theoretical volume, (Vw). This study resulted in a recommendation that could save 1.68% of concrete material. 3) Improvement in the estimation of production cost methodically. With respect to the direct materials cost, of which concrete is the major item, the analysis of the additional concrete volume required plus the theoretical volume is similar to the actual volume used. In the case of labour cost, which varies with production time, this study applies the computer software model called SIGMA to simulate the production process and hence estimates the production time for the project. This allows a more accurate calculation of the labour cost. In this study preliminary costs are considered to be fixed costs and the concrete volume is used as the base for calculation. The results of the above improvements can be summarized herebelow: 1. An improved method of calculating concrete volume enabling a reduction in the cost of concrete of 1.68% 2. An improved method of calculating the production cost which more accurately reflects the true cost.