Evaluation of Mechanization in Building Production as a Way of Cost Reduction a Study of Some Construction Sites in Enugu South Local Government Area (Published)
Motivated by the need for an empirical evidence to convince local builders in Enugu south of the benefits of adopting mechanization in building production, this study evaluated the place of mechanization in building production. Survey design was adopted involving field survey, questionnaire survey and personal interviews of some registered professionals in building; civil, structural and mechanical engineers; architects; and surveyors. In verifying the impact of mechanization against voted contract sum in the bill of works, a site where activities in excavation and concrete works were mechanized was selected for case study. From the result of the analyses, it was found that the use of plants can bring about 25-35% reduction in cost of labour in excavation and concrete works where a great deal of resources usually goes down in building production. Sequel to the above findings, the study recommended the use of plants and other forms of mechanization should be explored as excellent alternatives to the use of manual labour, especially when the project is a large one. Also that contractors wanting to venture into mechanization should first consider a variety of alternatives available to them and endeavor to embark on a feasibility study and possibly a thorough cost-benefit analysis before the decision to employ mechanization is made.
Keywords: Building Production, Construction Sites, Cost Reduction, Enugu South, Local Government Area, Mechanization