期刊名称：Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building
印刷版ISSN：1835-6354
电子版ISSN：1837-9133
出版年度：2004
卷号：4
期号：1
页码：35-44
语种：English
出版社：University of Technology, Sydney
摘要：Many studies concerning innovation have been carried out on building contractors, but very few have studied innovation among the suppliers of building materials. In Sweden the cost of building materials is approximately 40% of the total building costs. Some products also need more handeling than others, therefore not only cost but also productivity is affectedby the suppliers of building materials. This article focuses on innovation among building material suppliers which is found to be low. The suppliers are compared to other lines of business to show the level of their innovation processes. The article is based upon slightly over 800 companies of various sizes. Important findings are: A smaller proportion of the Building Material suppliers than of the Other Manufacturers offer new products, invest in R&D, machinery and marketing the introduction of products. The Building Material Suppliers have a greater proportion of their sales from older products and have older equipment than Other Manufacturers. The Building Material Suppliers have poorer production processes and they are not as good at finding new ides as the Other Manufacturers The study reveals barriers within the trade, where motivation seems to be of great importance.
关键词：innovation; processes; building material suppliers; new prodicts; development
