"QR-code implementation to reduce unnecessary procedures in material ha" by Junyong Ahn, Younghan Jung et al.
QR-code implementation to reduce unnecessary procedures in material handling
Junyong Ahn, Florida Institute of Technology
Younghan Jung, Old Dominion University
Sara Smith, University of Northern Iowa
Shahram Varzavand, University of Northern Iowa
Material handling, QR-code, Reducing information gap
The completion of a construction project requires a great deal of data management to successfully implement the personnel and material resources in the most productive manner. In general, construction documents, specifically technical specifications, require contractors to submit product data, samples, and shop drawings as well as change orders to architects and engineers for approval. After the approval, the material will be ordered and delivered to the construction site, but the material itself does not contain any information regarding change orders or submittals that are already made. After the delivery of materials, construction workers and managerial personnel have to check the materials separately based on the construction documentation. The process is therefore ripe for a more efficient method to manage data and improve the communication from the managerial positions to the craftspeople. Fortunately, two-dimensional (2D) barcodes are able to bridge the information gap between the documentation and the material. The resilience of barcode technology to compete, reinvent, and refine itself every few years is astonishing. The amount of data transmitted, collected, and deciphered via this technology is truly monumental. In fact, without identification, tracking capabilities, and economics of barcode technology, gigantic global couriers, and logistics management companies such as FedEx, DHL, and UPS could not have thrived. One of the next generation barcodes is a two-dimensional barcode known as the visual quick respond code (QR-Code). One-dimensional (1D) barcodes can encode just several digits to hundreds of characters while the QR-code can store thousands of characters. This paper discusses the feasibility of introducing QR-code implementation to the construction management process for reducing unnecessary procedures in material handling and installation.
Ahn, Junyong; Jung, Younghan; Smith, Sara; and Varzavand, Shahram, "QR-code implementation to reduce unnecessary procedures in material handling" (2018). Faculty Publications. 795.