Precast Products Sdn Bhd bears the distinction of being a pioneer in the manufacturing of prestressed Hollow Core Slabs

in Malaysia which is under KUB Malaysia Berhad.Production began in 1984 and together with other technologically advanced precast concrete components, they have been well placed to meet the needs of the construction industry. After a restructuring of the company in 2003, Precast Products is in an even better position to serve the industry. Their combination of value-engineering and competitiveness ensures quality, while at the same time, cost-effectiveness is achieved. Using Precast products for the construction is categorised as product of Industrialised Building System (IBS).

Moving on,Engineering and Society is concerned with the interface between engineering and the wider social, environmental and political contexts in which it is situated . Hence its focussed both on the impact of engineering solutions on society and the impact of society on the success of engineering solutions.Based on the discussion with Mr Nasir Hisham and Mr Mahmud Abang at their factory,it was found that the market demand for IBS(Indutrialised Building System) is yet to exceed the conventional way of construction,in situ. .The immediate advantage of IBS is discounts on levy charges for contractors.However this is of course in the contractor's point of view - which would have plenty of advantages. Strong points for the users is that they can just stop worrying as most components are manufactured in the factory, the quality, or rather high quality can be consistent and maintained as the working environment in a factory is easier to control. The wall surfaces, the soffit surfaces and so on can be controlled right to the millimetres in dimensions, hence improved and consistent quality. Moreover,IBS allows projects to be completed faster than conventional systems - due to the introduction of pre-fabricated components to replace on-site works. Assuming there is a massive amount of quantity - economies of scale-wise, IBS systems will result in cheaper total construction costs, and buyers can benefit if the savings are transferred to them as there is no need of scaffoldings set up .

However,ironically despite all the advantages way above the conventional construction.,still the demand for IBS amongst its users in Malaysia is not yet impressing.The impact of society has very strong influential on IBS success. IBS is yet toproduce itss spark bringing it forefront above the conventional construction.Its believed that in 2014,IBS will be more well-recognised and emphasized in Malaysia as CIDB has taken the role to to stimulate sustainable growth, reform and improve the construction sector for effective delivery and the industrys enhanced role in the countrys economy. Sustainability means meeting the current needs of our society in ways that enable future generations to meet their own needs.Three aspects of sustainabilties will be discussed namely economic wise,socially and environmental.Sustainabilty in terms of economy neglecting the possible factors caused conventional construction to outshine the IBS construction is that through IBS ,the profit is gain much faster as it takes a very short period of construction.Conventional construction sometimes get delay due to bad weather causing the work to be stopped.Futhermore,reduction of levy charges on thousands of foreign workers brought to carry out conventional construction can inhibit our Malaysian Ringgit currency flowout as through IBS only a few expertise workers are needed to install the components of precast concrete. With Malaysian governments emphasis on reduction of reliance on foreign labour, and the ability of IBS to deliver to this goal is well documented. However, for this to succeed there is the need to develop a detailed training and dissemination strategy for promoting IBS and preparing the workforce for that. Environmental Sustainability through Precast Production involves zero wastage as the exact amount of components required in the right dimension is produced in accordance to the design requirement.Thus,cutting low the budget for site clearance which sometimes even contributes to the major expanses of construction.Besides,most of the waste can be recycled or reuse back with little or no modifications.For instances,the steel rods can be selled through open tenders.

Societal Sustainability recognises the need to move towards sustainable development. Construction has an important role to play within the sustainable development agenda, not only because of its contribution to the national economy, but also because the built environment has a major impact on the quality of all of our lives, our comfort and security, our health and wellbeing and our productivity. Constructing, maintaining and upgrading our built environment have a potentially significant environmental impact. Construction is a major consumer of nonrenewable resources and a massive producer of waste, and the operation of buildings is responsible for around half of the total CO2 emissions. The challenge for the construction industry, therefore, is to deliver economic buildings that maintain or enhance our quality of life, while at the same time reducing the impact of the social, economic and environmental burdens which it places on us. Sustainable Construction aims to apply this principle to the construction industry by providing ways of buildings that use less virgin material and less energy, cause less pollution and less waste but still provide the benefits that construction projects have brought us throughout history. Sustainability is of increasing importance to the efficient, effective & responsible operation of business. Industrial Revolution is a process of social and economic change for human society to transform from pre-industrial to a new industrial country. Industrialization in construction industry is part of a process in change and improvement management. All in all,I personally believe that IBS is a very good Industrial Revolution in Malaysia which can benefit us in term of economic and environmental.However the Societal Mentality in Malaysia need a change so that we are able to value IBS Industry and give it more priority compared to the Conventional Construction .And,,definitely it starts from us as the future Civil Engineers and Consumer of Tomorrow to value and be able to make a better and promising choice.