A Feasibility Study of Implementing Material Management in Construction: United Kingdom and Hong Kong Empirical Studies

Construction organizations have a common practice to purchase and to deliver required materials to construction sites about one month before activities start. This leads to uneconomical inventory on site and contractors' warehouses. This paper investigates the feasibility in implementing material management in construction. United Kingdom and Hong Kong are selected for the investigation as one has a long implementation period and another one is just implementing material management as noted by interviewed contractors. Questionnaires and structured interviews are conducted. It is found that United Kingdom construction industry benefits are more significant than that in Hong Kong. This can stimulate interests in implementing material management in Hong Kong. Respondents from Hong Kong claimed that their companies will be willing to implement material management where practicable. This study can also help countries currently implementing material management. From that, waste generation can be reduced and a green construction environment can be achieved. Recommendations to improve the implementation are also discussed.