Verifying the feasibility of the initial plan through simulation analysis

In large-scale civil engineering projects involving multiple contractors, regular progress meetings on soil distribution are held, where each company reports its progress based on the number of dump trucks used. However, this reporting method often leads to coordination issues—for example, a jobsite scheduled for soil transport may suddenly become unavailable, or a jobsite capable of receiving soil may no longer be able to do so. These disruptions frequently cause work stoppages due to poor coordination between jobsites.

In response to these challenges, IMAI CORPORATION, a general contractor based in Shimane Prefecture, recognized the need for more accurate data sharing and progress management—not only within its own work zone but also across other zones—to eliminate inefficiencies and maximize productivity.

However, under conventional methods, it was difficult to adequately consider changes in dump truck operation rates when planning concurrent processes. As a result, verifying the feasibility of their own construction plans before sharing them with other zones posed a significant challenge.

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In this project, 3 transportation routes were established: "On-jobsite Route A," "On-jobsite Route B," and "Transfer to another jobsite." The transfer to another jobsite route is planned in coordination with the schedule of the another jobsite. According to the original plan, transportation would begin with four 10-ton dump trucks using On-jobsite Route A. Simultaneously, transfer to another jobsite route would proceed, and once fill work for the box culvert area in the fill zone was completed, operations would shift to On-jobsite Route B. However, a simulation using「Smart Construction Simulation」revealed that the original plan left little schedule buffer for the targeted completion by the end of February, raising concerns about potential delays to the finishing phase. To address this issue, an optimized plan was developed. The number of 10-ton dump trucks was increased from 4 to 8, and fill work began in advance on the accessible side (right side) of the box culvert. Additionally, transportation was scheduled to occur simultaneously on both On-jobsite Routes A and B. The simulation results confirmed that this optimized plan would shorten the transportation period by one month and secure buffer time for subsequent work (Also allowing for a day off in the weekend). As a result, the decision was made to proceed with the optimized plan.

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Traditionally, it has been difficult to assess changes in efficiency based on the number of dump trucks when planning for concurrent operations. However, by utilizing「Smart Construction Simulation」it became possible to numerically verify changes in dump truck efficiency and trip counts across different phases, as shown in the reference diagram. This enables validation of the transportation plan's feasibility before construction begins.