PRECAST CONCRETE

A study of precast concrete

in Malaysia
Malaysia has attempted to transform its conventional method of construction to prefabrication using
industrialised building systems (IBS) and changing productivity from project based into product based. The
most common IBS component used in Malaysia is precast concrete. This article describes a qualitative study
conducted on 15 decision makers from 25 Malaysian precast manufacturers registered with the
Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
Mohamed Nor Azhari Azman, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjong Malim;
Mohd Sanusi S Ahamad and Taksiah A Majid, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal;
Mohd Nazree Shah Anwar Shah, Wisma Global Globe, Kuala Lumpur; all Malaysia
n line with current housing demands in
the global market, the construction industry has shifted its focus to mass production assembly and standardising product
development. This strategy has prompted
the Malaysian construction industry to reevaluate the achievements of other countries in implementing prefabricated technology, such as the UK, Australia, Singapore
and Hong Kong.
Prefabrication technology in Malaysia
is called IBS, alternatively known as modern methods of construction (MMC) or
off-site manufacturing (OSM). Azman et
al(1) reported that the IBS concept is similar to MMC in the UK. OSM is used both in
Australia and the UK construction industry,
while prefabrication is used in Hong Kong
and Singapore.
IBS has been promoted since the 1960s
but the construction industry in Malaysia
has stuck to conventional methods. This
had a negative impact and delay in the

were interpreted and coded into an effective number of categories. Currently, 25 IBS
precast manufacturers are registered with
the CIDB in Malaysia. A population survey
was conducted through interviews with 15
decision makers (top management level)
from precast manufacturing plants with five
years experience in IBS work.

Table 1 Categorisation of off-site system

Countries Categorisation
Off-site preassembly
Hybrid system
US
Panellised system
Modular building
Component manufacture and
subassembly
UK
Non-volumetric preassembly
Volumetric preassembly
Modular building
Non-volumetric preassembly
Australia Volumetric preassembly
Modular building
Precast concrete systems
Formwork systems
Steel framing systems
Malaysia Prefabricated timber framing
systems
Block work systems
Innovative product systems
Source: Azman et al (2010)

Setting up

Figure 1: Relative frequency of themes in

setting up precast manufacturing.
implementation of projects. Hence, in
1994 the Malaysian Government set up the
Construction Industry Development Board
(CIDB) to educate the industry.
Since 1998, CIDB had implemented the
IBS Score to measure the level of IBS usage
in building. Based on CIDB requirements, all
public buildings are required to achieve a
minimum of 70% IBS Score, while for private
residential buildings, contractors need to
acquire a minimum of 50% to have exemption from the construction levy for projects.
The scoring system is in accordance with the
principles of standardised usage of prefabricated and IBS components, repeatability
and design building components based on
Malaysian Standard1064(2). Consequently,
there has been a high demand for precast
concrete among contractors and a qualitative survey was carried out to study the
establishment of precast manufacturing
sites and the criteria for setting up such
plant.

Methodology
The research methodology applies a qualitative approach through a series of interviews and observation. The collected data

50 Concrete Engineering International October 2012

The coding data of 15 respondents have

determined the relative frequency of four
main themes in setting up precast manufacturing (Figure 1). The relative frequency
themes are able to describe the rudimentary
measurement of the relative importance of
the precast manufacturing industry:

Appropriate technology
The appropriate IBS technology for the
construction industry in Malaysia is hybridisation a combination of a small partial
conventional method with mechanisation
technology. It reflects the latest IBS classification of innovative systems. Together,
the Government and the research scholars
have produced a guideline on the off-site
system. The categories, pattern and the
degree of technology changes are described
in Table 1.

Transportation/erection
The size and weight of completed precast units may limit the design and these
aspects need careful design consideration.
The length of a volumetric unit should not
exceed 12m, the normal vehicle length. The
IBS components height should not exceed
4.5m when loaded on the trailer; the components could not enter the highway system if
they exceed a height limitation ranging from
4.8 to 5.1m. The precast concrete component should not exceed 7 tonnes to ensure
that a crane can easily erect and transport
the material on-site. The suitable distance of
any potential development area to the fabri-

PRECAST CONCRETE

cation plant should be from 50 to 100km, based on the study made

by Warszawski(3). It is also important to have the precast concrete
in parts. This partial size can be plugged and played to enhance
the effectiveness for the erection of the IBS components. Figure 2
shows the typical sequences of the IBS working system.
All IBS components are built with hooks for easy handling and
erection as shown in Figure 3. The lifting and installation of IBS
component units requires a high level of skill and careful safety
planning. The lifting points should be matched to the distribution
of the weight of the unit to ensure that the item will be lifted on a
level plane.

Design and build

The best practice tender award for IBS system is design and build.
The design-and-build method is able to control the whole project
flow, especially during the construction period, with less changes
in the design stage.
Under the IBS method, M&E drawings must be prepared in the
early stages. The process requires consultation with the client to
finalise the design. The effectiveness of the IBS drawing helps to
eliminate redundancy in conventional works, especially during the
superstructure stage.

Construction workers
Most of the developed countries are keen to reduce foreign workers input in their production of commodities. IBS implementation
can be part of the strategy of labour reduction and effective training to acquire local skills. Therefore, with the IBS implementation,
Malaysia has reduced the number of foreign workers by 4% in 2006
and is able to better educate the industry on the appropriate use of
IBS technology and systematic work to gain the same productivity
with better outcomes.

Concrete Engineering International October 2012 51

PRECAST CONCRETE

Figure 2 left: Typical IBS system

sequence of works.
Figure 3 right: Hooks of the IBS
components.
Figure 4 below: Typical mobile
model of precast manufacturing
plant.

Results
The end result of the content
analysis has proposed 11 criteria
for permanent and mobile precast manufacturing plants. The
significant difference between
permanent and mobile precast
manufacturing is the movability of
the precast manufacturing plant.
The main structure of permanent
precast manufacturing is a permanent building with full cover,

shaded or semi-shaded to provide protection from weather conditions, while mobile

precast manufacturing has a contrasting
physical structure as shown in Figure 4.
The detailed comparison of permanent and
mobile precast manufacturing is illustrated
in Table 2(4).

Conclusion

Table 2 The comparison of permanent and mobile precast manufacturing

Criteria

Permanent manufacturing

Mobile manufacturing

Annual project
Capital
Technology
Maintenance

RM100 million above (US$33m)

High
Prefabricated, semi-auto, automatic
High maintenance:
High electricity bill
Minimum 15 acres
Flexible size
Permanent
Protected from rain

RM10 million above (US$3m)

Low
Prefabricated
Low maintenance:
Low electricity bill
Can start with 5 acres
Flexible size
Mobile
Develop portable roofing to
protect the concrete
25 workers
Multi-tasking
Low payment
Half slab
Staircase
Beam
Column
Wall panel

Land capacity
Mould
Roof of IBS
Manufacturing
Manpower

Product

Crane

Concrete

Maximum 500 workers

Specific task
High payment
Hollowcore slab
Half slab
Staircase
Beam
Column
Wall panel
Permanent
At factory: 2530 tonnes
At site: 50260 tonnes
Required batching plant concrete

Source: Azman et al(4)

52 Concrete Engineering International October 2012

Permanent or mobile
At factory: 2530 tonnes
At site: 50260 tonnes
Outsource or set up a new
batching plant

Prefabrication has been successfully used in

the manufacture and construction of houses
and multi-storey industrial buildings.
The main parameters affecting the setting up of precast manufacturing factories
are: appropriate technology; capability of
transportation and erection of IBS components; best practice in design and build; and
skilled workers.
Appropriate technology is vital in accelerating the development of a country and
represents major factor in setting up precast
manufacturing.
In addition, this study presents an outlook
of 11 criteria for setting up precast manufacturing site plants, ie, permanent or mobile
manufacturing. The results have provided
an indication that the construction industry
must move towards new criteria.
The IBS technology must be affordable
and future research should be continued for
the benefit of the construction industry.
Further information:
More details on the IBS Score can be found at:
www.ibscentre.com.my

References
1. AZMAN, M.N.A., AHAMAD, M.S.S., MAJID, T.A.
and HANAFI, M.H. The Common Approach in OffSite Construction Industry. Australian Journal
of Basic and Applied Sciences, Vol.4, No.9,
pp.44784482, September 2010.
2. DEPARTMENT OF STANDARDS MALAYSIA,
MS 1064. Guide to Modular Coordination in
Buildings: Part 1: General Principles. Standards
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2001.
3. WARSZAWSKI, A. Industrialized and Automated
Building Systems. E & FN Spon, London, 1999.
4. AZMAN, M.N.A., AHAMAD, M.S.S., MAJID,
T.A. and HANAFI, M.H. Permanent and Mobile
Industrialised Building System Manufacturing
Plant Based on Malaysian Case Study.
Proceedings of the World Conference on
Information Technology, Antalya, Turkey,
Academic World Education & Research Center,
2011.