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The logistic technologies for effective and efficient 'order processing operations' in the areas of tracking, shipping, replenishment, dispatching and holding of inventory are deficient in the Nigerian construction industry, when compared to manufacturing and retailing sectors. This is confirmed to have a significant effect on the performance of the construction sector. This article assessed how order processing technology utilised by manufacturing and retail industries could improve the order processing logistics operations of the construction industry. Lagos State and the F.C.T. Abuja, Nigeria, were the selected geographical study areas, from which five manufacturing companies, five retailing companies and five construction projects were purposively selected. Mixed methods research strategy was used. The research instruments included an observation guide (quantitative) and semi-structured interviews (qualitative). The collected quantitative data was analysed, using descriptive analytical tools: frequencies and percentiles. The qualitative data was analysed, using the thematic method. The result revealed that 80% and 100% of the manufacturing and retailing industries, respectively, observed, adopted barcoding technology for order processing purposes. Only 40% of the observed construction project adopted barcoding technology for order processing in the following: 2.4% for receiving process; 0.9% for put-away process; 0.9% for shipping process (stock control); 1.2% for dispatching process; 0.6% for replenishment process, and 1.2% for tracking inventory (stock tracking). In addition, 100% and 80% of the manufacturing and retailing industries, respectively, observed, adopted Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for order processing purposes. Only 40% of the observed construction projects adopted RFID technology for order processing. It was also revealed that utilisation of the order processing technology could have the following benefits: managerial control in the construction industry; shorter processing time; easy way of tracking materials on site, and increased speed of work in the construction industries. The research concludes that effective utilisation of order processing technology in the logistics system could lead to full efficiency gains in the order processing aspect of the construction industry. It is recommended that the Federal Government of Nigeria should mandate all major construction project stakeholders to attend workshops on the use of recent technologies in the management of construction operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to investigate new technology for forecasting purposes in construction logistics is due to the fact that the forecasting ability (modern technology utilisation) of the Nigerian construction sector, in terms of logistics management, is relatively low when compared to manufacturing and retailing industries. This is affecting the performance of the construction sector. Moreover, the current logistics technologies used for forecasting operations in the Nigerian construction industry are relatively inefficient and insufficiently investigated to inspire new logistics technologies for the construction industry. Hence, this article investigated how forecasting logistics technologies could be utilised in manufacturing and retailing industries, in order to improve the forecasting processes of construction logistics. Lagos State and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, formed the selected geographical scope of the study, from which five manufacturing; five retailing companies, and five construction projects were purposely selected. A mixed methods research strategy were used. The research instruments included an observation guide (quantitative) and semi-structured interviews (qualitative). The collected quantitative data were analysed, using descriptive analytical tools: frequencies and percentiles. The qualitative data was analysed, using the thematic method. The results revealed that all the observed manufacturing industries (100%) adopted the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology for forecasting purposes in the following areas: material, demand, product, and production forecast. Of the observed companies in the manufacturing and retailing industries, 80% and 40%, respectively, adopted the Material Requirement Planning (MRP) technology for forecasting purposes. Only 20% (one project) of the observed construction projects adopted the MRP technology for forecasting in the following: 5% for demand forecast (demand control); 6.7% for material forecast (stock control), and 20% for product forecast (product output). It was also revealed that utilisation of the forecasting technology in construction could have the following benefits: proper resource planning; improved production scheduling; reduction in inventory; effective treatment of scheduling problems, and efficiency of the supply-chain system. Results showed that effective utilisation of forecasting technology in the logistics system of the construction industry could lead to full efficiency gains in forecasting logistics of the construction industry. It is recommended that the Nigerian construction industry should leverage on this, in order to create the best ways of handling the forecasting technology to improve the forecasting logistics systems of the construction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]