Improving Productivity of Road Surfacing operations with the help of Lean and Discrete Event Simulation techniques; a UK case study

Road surfacing is an important module in Highways Development and Maintenance sector. The resurfacing and rehabilitation of road pavements has become a costly requirement due to large number of private and commercial vehicles using the roads that cause pavements to disintegrate rapidly. The roadworks incur not only direct work costs, but also indirect costs from factors such as congestion, motor accidents, traffic disturbance and pollution. Maintenance activities on the roads usually cause delays and queuing. There is obviously a need for quick and cost effective maintenance that minimizes the occurrences and duration of these disruptions. This research investigates the role of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to enhance the productivity of the delivery of road surfacing operations through achieving higher production rates and minimum road closure times