1.1 Introduction
Material resources are the heart and life wire of any construction industry. This is because the production and distribution activities as well as the general overall performances of any construction organization will be shaky in the case of under stocking or poor management of material. Such materials are the gravel, sand and other aggregates which are found in building construction site. This materials if there not properly manage will lead to poor extension of building work. Material as the general term is used to connote raw materials, spare parts and components, consumable stores, packeting materials, subassemblies etc. use to produce a good or services. For many manufacturing firms, materials account for more than half (1/2) of the production cost. As production activity becomes more highly automated, materials proportion of the project cost tends to increase. On the other hand, for a services outfit, the proportion of materials cost is lower.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
According to Michael (2012), wastes are residual materials which are as a result of human activities which cannot be reused or recovered as a resource, recycled into material production processes thermally/biologically utilized for energy production. Waste streams vary from country to country and may be aggregated as solid, liquid and gaseous wastes; hazardous and nonhazardous wastes or as industrial, commercial, residential or institutional waste streams (Maclaren 2000, UNEP 2005).
An effective material management system cannot be evolve without basing it on an overall work programme. One of the basic rules of management is that no project is likely to be successful unless the objectives are adequately defined and the necessary allocation made to labour and materials. This rule is no less true when applied to the economy of a country. It is imperative for the government to decide which object are to be met within its program - choosing between a number of conflicting and overlapping social needs and laying down the proportion of the nations resources that is to be devoted to each.
According to Hersey and Blandard (2003) Management is “working with and through individual to accomplished organizational goal”. Bladdle and Evander (2000) defining management in terms of the purpose also stated that “it is the efficient and effective use of resources to achieve objectives and achieving results with and through people”.
A common trend that appears in the definition is the manager's concerns for accomplishing organizational goals and objectives. It can therefore be said that the achievement of organizational objectives through leadership in management. Armed with the better understanding of management concepts, the production of the building can be approached bearing in mind the importance of the effective material management to the entire building project. To achieve this, objective must be clearly define, which within the construction industry is usually aimed at the completion of the project on schedules at the lowest possible price, keeping the quality of building work standard as specified.
The planning and control of all building materials resources for the realization of the building project is of vital important. Before commencement of work on site, ample time should be allowed for planning, while thought must be given to the way in which the building operation will be organized. Only by proper planning can aids to productivity, such as mechanical plant, incentives and efficient use of labour and materials becomes fully effective.
The use of these materials and their control involves cost and could influence profit. Therefore, their efficient management is vital to avoid delays through storage, acquisition of goods unfit for their intended purpose, or serious expenditure and erosion of profit which is the basis for material management. With this integrated approach to material management, all jobs encompassed by these activities would be under the overall direction of a material manager whose responsibility is to manage the procurement and delivery of material for company use.
However, it is clear from previous researches both at local and international level that these groups of stakeholders have been neglected. It is against this backdrop that this study is predicated. The outcomes of this study will enable the clients, consultants, contractors, and construction professionals know that site operatives and craft men are aware of material waste and are conscious of contributing to their reduction during construction. The outcome will also add to the body of knowledge available on construction waste management. Overall, construction operatives and craft men will be considered important stakeholders in the scheme of things regarding making decision in construction operations that relate to construction waste generation and management.
Therefore, in Imo State where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Analysis of Strategies for Materials Wastage Management on Building Construction Sites.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Material manager have the most basic job of focusing the efforts of their subordinates on the objectives of the organization or enterprise. In the area of material management, this boil down to supplying materials at lowest possible total cost. To achieve this, the long and short term effect of the manager's actions will have to be considered.
Waste management is a global environmental challenging issue that is severe especially in developing countries where increased urbanization, poor planning and lack of adequate resources contribute to the poor state of Municipal Solid waste management (Mwanthi et al., 1997). Proper management of solid waste has been established to be critical to the health and well being of urban residents (World Bank, 2001).
This research will look on how to solve the problem of effective material management such as follows:
- Reduce the cost of materials
- Bring the inventory in line with demand on site and thereby reduced over investment.
- Increase productivity to a maximum, so as to enhance profitability.
- Make certain that finished product's were ready to satisfy customers order on due time.
- Reduced wastage and reduce obsolesce to minimum.
- Enhance the company corporate image at all times.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to analyze the Strategies for Materials Wastage Management on Building Construction Sites in Imo State. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To identify the most wasteful material produced during construction operations
- To determine the most important factors that influence material waste production during construction work
- To assess measures of minimizing construction material waste
- To identify the most important benefit of material waste minimization.
- To evaluate the impacts of materials wastage management in our construction industries.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Is wasteful material produced during construction operations in Imo State?
- What are the crucial factors that influence material waste production during construction work?
- What are the impacts of effective material management as regards to building construction site or project in Imo State?
- What are the strategies in use for building project as regards to effective management of materials on construction site?
- To what extent have these measures succeeded in improving the management of material in construction site?
- What are the problems encountered by the construction industry in the implementation of material management?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
- H01: There is no significant statistical difference in the perceptions of the various groups of operative and craft men concerning the most wasteful material produced during construction operations
- H02: There is no significant statistical difference in the perceptions of the various groups of operative and craft men concerning the factors affecting material waste in construction
- H03: There is no significant statistical difference in the perceptions of the various groups of operative and craft men concerning the measures of minimizing construction material waste
1.7 Significance of Study
This research would help curtail the incessant effective material in building construction site. The research work will also foster more important way of achieving work through planning and control of all materials resources necessary for the realization of the building project as a vital importance. And the reduction of wastage and reduce obsolesce to minimum. Finally it will enhance the company corporate image at all time due to their material management and project profitability.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Analysis of Strategies for Materials Wastage Management on Building Construction Sites in Imo State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Material Management: It is referred to as the process by wish an organization is supplied with goods of services that it needs to achieve it objectives.
Structural Element: In this research work, structural work elements are refers as those element or parts of a particular building. Such elements are the roof member, walls, structural framing, beams, slabs, stairs and foundation.
Purchase Requisition: This is other words that refers to a situation where a company notifies the purchasing department on materials requirements
