2018Case13SuirEngineering

52 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2018 the case that stores are relatively disorganised, untidy, and laid-out with little scrutiny over the potential wastes of motion or waiting. This was the norm with the stores on this project until improvement initiatives were undertaken. Because the stores were so disorganised, historically an electrician might opt to make the trip to the stores himself instead of sending the more cost-effective yet inexperienced apprentice. To eliminate the continuation of this practice it was deemed that the stores should be so clearly laid-out that the right equipment could be located in a much shorter timeframe. In order to redesign the stores, a combination of quantitative and qualitative research was undertaken to ascertain the most frequently required equipment. Then, by combining these efforts with 5S, a lot of wasted time was extracted from any given trip to the stores. To address the problems, the following actions were taken: • The storeman was given basic education on 5S and Continuous Improvement. • The most frequently required items were moved to the front of the stores. • Items that fell into a certain category of works were stored together. • Shelving was labelled to reflect the appropriate category. • Items were separated into containers and labelled by type and size. • A large 2D drawing was created on CAD software to show the layout of the stores, clearly showing where everything is stored. • A cleaning regime for the stores and work area was created, including the use of shadow board cleaning stations. • A storeman completed an inventory list to track materials levels and prevent shortages. Figure 2. 5S in stores – organised materials in a sensible way and labelled. Figure 3. 5S in stores – reduce time looking for materials. Quality Reward Scheme Another action taken as part of this Lean project was the investment in a “Lean Quality Reward Scheme”. As research has shown, a higher quality installation from the beginning can lead to a significant reduction in snags, rework, and associated overheads. With this in mind, a relatively small quantity of resources was put towards communicating the benefits of quality across the project tradesmen. With the money allocated to the endeavour, a selection of tools and work equipment were purchased, and the scheme worked as follows: 1.When a member of supervisory staff witnessed exemplary high-quality work from a tradesman, they gave that person a ticket (with 5, 10, or 15 points written on it). 2.The tradesperson could save up these tickets to put towards a reward. 3.Towards the completion of the project these tickets were exchanged for tools. Suir Engineering has developed and rewarded Lean thinking from the ground up. Using the TIMWOODS template for identifying waste, we encourage constant feedback on any waste identified on the project; and to further promote quality, the following were introduced: • Visual SOPs (standard operating procedures) – these were placed where the work was being carried out. • Quality Walks – we went to actively look for examples of good and bad quality. • Recognition of good quality work at toolbox talks. • Once a month quality demonstrations were held in the workshop. LEAN INITIATIVE IMPROVEMENTS & IMPACT Waste Identification and Elimination Although the posters are educational, it has been shown in other cases that practical changes on site are far more effective than the use of posters. With continuous advocacy for the Lean journey, more supervi sors and tradesmen fel t empowered to highlight problems and suggest improvement ideas to management. As noted earlier, the amount of time spent travelling over and back to the stores equated to a project cost of € 7,989.91. This does not even take into consideration the opportunity cost of this waste to the project. By reducing these 285.35 man-hours, the project schedule was easier to adhere to. After taking the cost of the equipment into consideration, the creation of the on-site work-shop and stores have saved the project a conservative € 1,726.96. The use of standardised battery-powered equipment resulted in a financial saving for the project of € 2,339.00. The overall success of the waste walk system has been profound. Along with the financial benefits, the effect it has had on the cultural side of the Lean journey is highly evident. The fact that the project management team are avidly supporting the employees to make positive change, as well as “putting their money where their mouth is”, conveys a good message that is in line with the overall goals of the organisation. 5S & Visual Management From qualitative feedback received from the tradesmen and supervisors, there have been striking improvements regarding the stores. Individual members of staff have reported saving half the time in finding equipment in the stores. It is difficult to truly measure how much t ime has been saved by completing this work, but even with the conservative estimate of just 5 minutes saved per man per day, the following savings were recognised: • Number of days cumulatively worked by all tradesmen = 1,910 days. • 1,910*5 mins per day = 9,550 mins = 159 hours. • 159 hours* € 28 per hour = € 4,452 saved from the project. Implementing Visual Management and 5S has had many