Implementation of a tool for equipment supply planning : Creation and implementation of an Excel tool to improve the efficiency of the planning of supply for equipment in the structural work phase of apartment buildings projects

Abstract: Supply planning is one of the key steps in an apartment building constructionproject, due to the repetitive nature of these projects where the constructionpace therefore has a crucial importance. However, if the working forceplanning and the materials planning are often acknowledged as important,the equipment supply planning can happen to be considered as secondary.Therefore less effort has been put in the tools used to make this planning.This master thesis is the result of a work in collaboration with the methodsdepartment at Eiffage Construction Habitat, one of the most important Frenchconstruction companies. It presents the implementation of a tool that automatesan important part of the equipment supply planning in order to gain efficiencyduring this planning process and to be able to focus deeper on the keyissues of the project. This tool allows to drastically reduce the time spentduring the supply planning for the equipment of the structural phase, bothregarding vertical works (walls and columns) and horizontal works (floors,beams and balconies). Along with making the planning more efficient, itallows to standardize the output documents and facilitate the work of theother departments with whom the methods department collaborates. Resultingfrom a case study and an internal survey, the implemented tool relies onthe Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications technology, allowing to staywithin the users’ range of mastered software, therefore improving the adoptionpotential of the tool. The results analysis showed a great satisfaction from theusers, both regarding the abilities of the tool and its form.