A queuing model to improve the utilization of concreting equipment

Equipment productivity plays a vital role in the successful completion of a construction project. Since concrete is used as a primary construction material in many construction projects, low productivity of concreting equipment affects both project cost and schedule. The present study proposes a queuing model to improve the productivity of concreting equipment. Three different case studies have been performed using this model to examine the impact of low utilization of equipment on cost. This model could help construction practitioners in optimizing fleet cost and usage of concreting equipment such as transit mixers and concrete pumps. It could be used to study the concreting processes in real-time and thereby, identify the issues that lead to their low output. The case studies revealed that lack of skilled operator along with poor planning and supervision while performing simultaneous jobs of concreting and other related activities affect productivity rates in concreting operations.