A fuzzy synthetic evaluation of vulnerabilities affecting supply chain resilience of industrialized construction in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

Purpose>Demands for Industrialized Construction (IC) have intensified with growing construction industry imperatives to (A) boost performance;(B) reduce reliance on “in-situ and on-site” operations;and (C) strengthen supply chain resilience (SCR) not just for survival but also to fulfill obligations to clients in the coronavirus disease 2019–induced (COVID-19–induced) “new normal”. In addressing these imperatives, this paper targets more effective leveraging of latent efficiencies of off-site-manufacture, based on findings from a Hong Kong (HK)–based study on assessing and improving SCR in IC in a high-density city.Design/methodology/approach>Starting with the identification of critical supply chain vulnerabilities (CSCVs), this study developed a multilevel–multicriteria mathematical model to evaluate the vulnerability levels of IC supply chains (SCs) in HK based on an in-depth questionnaire survey followed by experts' inputs and analyzing them using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).Findings>The overall vulnerability index indicates that IC in HK is substantially vulnerable to disruptions, while production-based vulnerabilities have the highest impact. Top management attention is needed to address these CSCVs in IC in HK.Originality/value>To the authors' knowledge, this is the first structured evaluation model that measures the vulnerability level of IC, providing useful insights to industry stakeholders for well-informed decision-making in achieving resilient, sustainable and performance-enhanced SCs.