# Blockchain and Information Integration: Applications in New Zealand's Prefabrication Supply Chain
## 2 Literature Review
### Prefabrication in New Zealand  
Different synonyms are interchangeably used for defining prefabrication technology, such as off-site fabrication, off-site manufacturing, off-site construction, pre-assembly and prefabrication [33]. All these synonyms are attributed to the process of constructing a portion/component/structure of a larger structure or a building remotely [34].  
There is a critical necessity for employing innovation in lieu of traditional construction approaches in New Zealand since a significant housing shortage is observable in the country [35; 36]. Moreover, due to New Zealand's geographical isolation along with high material/human resource costs, the supply of affordable homes is insufficient [37]. Despite the resilience of New Zealand's construction industry in adopting innovations, the present utilisation of prefabrication, which is considered an innovative approach of construction in New Zealand, is relatively low [4].  
Prefabrication delivers several practical benefits, including improved recycling of wastes, decreased on-site efforts, improved quality control and enhanced health and safety measures [9; 38]. However, utilising prefabrication methods in New Zealand hinges on industry experts' perception of prefabrication and their collaboration techniques within the prefabrication supply chain [3]. Close-knit stakeholders' relationships in New Zealand's construction industry address the interrelated nature of the perceptions/challenges that affect the market's demand and hinder the expansion of prefabrication [37].  
The prefabrication sub-sector of New Zealand's construction industry has more complexities in comparison with traditional construction [5]. In the prefabrication supply chain, information integration can be more intricate since the number of stakeholders involved in prefabrication projects is higher. The multiplicity of stakeholders imposes a hefty challenge on the construction partners to share their knowledge or information quicker and with higher accuracy [39]. Besides, obtaining statutory approvals (e.g., resource or engineeringconsents) is difficult in prefabrication projects, owing to the multiplicity of workplaces and complicated inspection procedures [1]. Additionally, quality-related matters such as rewards and defects in prefabrication projects typically stem from inefficient information sharing or collaboration amongst the supply chain allies [40]. These complexities can adversely impact the development of supply chain integration within this sub-sector. Trust is another issue in prefabrication. Most contradictions and trust-related disputes arise from poor transparent information exchange [41]. The absence of trust in prefabrication hinders future interactions, negatively impacts stakeholders' relationships and weakens stakeholders' viewpoints on adopting innovations [21; 42].  
Most of the impediments to the uptake and effective use of prefabrication technology in New Zealand's construction industry can be addressed using advanced information-based technologies [43]. For instance, blockchain technology could be helpful for creating information integration and therefore supply chain integration within this sub-sector. Blockchain has the potential to directly address the issues related to transparency of information sharing, traceability of products' provenance and security of information-sharing platforms used for stakeholders' communications.