Scheduling the production of prefabrication construction supply chains considering variable delivery times

The application of prefabrication in the construction industry has grown significantly. The efficiency of prefabrication supply chains yields substantial advantages for construction projects. A challenge is the variability in delivery times, which negatively impacts the economy and reliability of prefabrication supply chains. Most prefabrication suppliers cannot adjust their schedules in response to delivery time changes in a timely manner. Despite this critical challenge, limited research has addressed proactive and robust production scheduling to mitigate these uncertainties. This study investigates a method for proactive and robust production scheduling for suppliers with multiple shops. This paper introduces a multi-objective, two-stage stochastic programming model that facilitates the production planning considering variable delivery times. Computational results are presented for an experimental study with three fabrication shops, ten construction projects, and fifteen job parts. The model allows fabricators to develop a robust set of optimal schedules that flexibly balance cost and time reduction objectives.