Centre for Infrastructure and Construction Industry Development

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EMPOWERING SMALLER CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES
Mohan Kumaraswamy ? ? ? Christopher Miller
Motiar Rahman ??? Thomas Ng ? ? ? Ekambaram
Palaneeswaran Joseph Ugwu

• Centre for Infrastructure and Construction
  Industry Development
• The University of Hong Kong

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Overview

• Small Medium Construction Enterprises (SCEs) do
  most of the actual work, but receive least
  attention.
• SCEs have little time or resources
• Most Industry initiatives target LCEs
• Paper tells Tale of two Initiatives
• (1) Top-down Three-party initiative - for SCEs
  in Wales
• (2) Bottom-up broad-based initiative - for SMCs
  in Hong Kong (Presentation focuses on this
  project called SMILE-SMC)

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SMILE-SMC
Strategic Management with Information Leveraged
Excellence (SMILE) F O R Small and Medium
Contractors (SMCs)
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Why SCEs (incldg. SMCs)?

• In UK SMEs employ 62 of workforce
• Value of sub-contrcated work can be 90 (even 100
  !)
• So Industry is at the mercy SCEs (and not just
  vice versa!)
• They contribute significantly to the good, bad
  and ugly in industry!

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Large Nos. of SMCs
Source CSD, HKSAR December 2003
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SMILE-SMC was funded by SME Development Fund of
Trade Industry Dept. and Faculties of
Engineering Architecture, HKU

• and SUPPORTED by
• 17 Partner Contractors (PCs)
• Other Collaborators Supporters
• Assns. of bigger and smaller contractors in
  HK incldg. EM assns.
• Five overseas Universities/ RD Centers
• in Australia, Singapore and UK

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SMILE-SMC Main Objectives

• Identify information knowledge gaps,
  co-ordination barriers, etc.
• Identify, consolidate and develop
• good practices, critical success factors,
  appropriate benchmarks etc.
• Develop
• framework innovative tools
• SMC-friendly web-based strategic information
  knowledge manager
• to improve performance increase competitiveness

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What was done

• Conducted relevant Research Investigations
• Pilot Needs Analysis with PCs
• Questionnaire Survey in the industry
• Workflow Analysis with PCs
• Two focused surveys on
• Process Improvement Information Library
• Discussed, consolidated and refined
• Information and ideas
• at regular full Team Meetings
• Formulated the SMILE-SMC System and collected
  feedback from
• - five Workshops
• - partners supporters
• overseas advisors
• other seminars fora

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Potential Users and Uses of SMILE-SMC System
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Some Open-to-All benefits

• Search business partners from among SMILE-SMC
  members
• Browse News Events
• News Alert, e-Bulletin, etc.
• Some Downloads
• Self-Learning Package
• Search
• within SMILE-SMC and the Internet
• Browse Wanted Available Zones
• to obtain and market resources
• Browse Information Library general parts
• Present and up-coming tenders
• Recently awarded contracts
• One-stop source of other useful information

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Some Membership benefits (1)

• Publicize company information track record
  highlights in Member Zone
• to attract potential business partners
• Own up to five user accounts
• to access specific services for members
• Advertise/ post messages in Wanted Available
  Zones, to obtain and market
• Resources, and initiate business Partnerships
• Participate in Discussion Forum
• to voice out your concerns
• exchange/ share views and ideas

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Some Membership benefits (2)

• Access to special information developed by
  SMILE-SMC Team
• SMC-friendly formats on how to apply for
  excavation permits reporting accidents
  Flowcharts, Pointers, etc.
• Consolidated information on Demolition, MPF,
  Noise Permit, Insurance, Contractor Registration,
  etc.
• SPECIAL DOWNLOADS - for above and following
• Valuable services for Performance Improvement
• Strategic Knowledge Management
• Electronic Information Exchange
• Benchmarking
• Target ???

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Membership Services Availability

• SMILE-SMC was launched on 01 March 2006
• trial run free usage for 10 months i.e. to 31
  Dec. 06
• through initial trial membership
• Initial trial membership
• FREE and All are welcome
• See http//smile.hku.hk/
• Some services will not be available during trial
  membership period
• But will be available to full members later

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The Welsh Connection

• Identifies need for Innovations and their
  diffusion for SCE improvements
• Innovation take-up depends on Supply Chain
  relationships between LCEs and SCEs
• Technology Transfer Networks are best to learn
  from each other, exchange experiences diffuse
  technology
• Recommends to set up an Organisation to be a
  project knowledge broker to drive innovation
  through industry
• Uni. of Glamorgan Conceptual Framework for
  Innovation Management in Welsh SCEs- (a)
  Umbrella body with Govt., Research Instns. and
  Industry (b) Education Training (c) Fora
  Conduits (Networks Knowledge brokers) as
  above

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CONCLUSION Useful to combine the Top-down
approach in Wales with the Bottom-up approaches
in Hong Kong For more info. on the Welsh
initiative, email Dr. Chris Miller at
cjmiller_at_glam.ac.uk

• For more on SMILE-SMC see http//smile.hku.hk/
• or email smilesmc_at_hku.hk
• Centre for Infrastructure and Construction
  Industry Development