2018Case1JonesEngineeringGroup

13 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2018 different areas to find a vice to cut open their weld coupons, JEG took the following actions: • Issued an organiser box to each welder with a common set of equipment. • Set up mobile vices that could be moved locally and be easily attached to structural columns. Productivity gains were significant as there was now no need for the crew to leave the work area to find any of the required tooling. This project was a significant success via the adoption of Lean thinking and the use of Lean Construction techniques as the foundation for the improvements that took place. The goal of Lean is to add value to the customer. In this case, value meant delivering a world-class production facility within budget and on time, thus enabling the Client to begin production on time. At the end of the initial phase of this project JEG was not del iver ing value to the Cl ient . As noted ear l ier, productivity on site was a long way from acceptable, and significant change was required in order to del iver a productive environment. With the goal of delivering value once again to the Client, JEG re-grouped and re-organised for the new phase of the project. Critical to that re-organising was the implementation of Lean thinking, including the tools descr ibed above and key strategic investments in infrastructure and training. The results were significant, and Labour Earned Value and productivity substantial ly improved on site after the implementation of Lean Construction thinking and practices. The drivers for this change were the tools listed earlier and the change in worksite environment brought about by Lean thinking. Before people could engage with Lean, they needed to know what Lean was. The Client deserves a lot of credit here as it has been the main driver and pioneer of Lean Construction within Ireland. JEG Management quickly recognised the importance of training and development, and the company thus embarked on an ambitious training programme to give all staff members an understanding of Lean. The results of this training led to many initiatives being implemented that focused on adding value and removing waste. The training helped to identify the many types of waste that occur daily; and once a person begins to see the waste there is no way to “un-see” it. This in turn led to an overall change in attitude as to how JEG does business – waste was no longer acceptable. Part of the waste identification process meant engaging more with the work force. It was recognised that the people doing the daily tasks in the field were the experts in what they do, and they needed to be consulted to identify all waste. This enabled some traditional barriers to be broken down as people began to see it as a way to convey their frustrations to management regarding the issues they faced daily, as well as it being a way to remove some of the constraints they were facing and improve the quality of their working day. People want to do meaningful work and Lean thinking has a big part to play in making that happen. There were several formal processes set up to col lect this information from the workforce, including the JEG “Waste Walk” programme and “A Better Way” employee suggestion programme. Other benefits from Lean included a marked rise in the desire to constantly improve, plus the sharing of information regarding best practices and modern construction methods. Such was the appetite for this knowledge that JEG set up an internal magazine cal led “Lean Times” to share new information throughout the whole JEG Group, as well as with other interested parties within the construction sector. In summary, the project set out on a path to challenge the status quo and deliver change and innovation based on the foundations of Lean thinking and Lean Construction methods to establish a platform for delivery of a successful project and provide value for the Client. The project strategy and initiatives introduced by JEG are viewed as a model of success in team working and delivering best value. This project has produced a significant step-change in the way JEG construction projects now operate and in setting new standards for all existing and future projects. JEG’s objective is to instil Lean principles, practices, mindset, and behaviours across management, operations, and into del ivery to ultimately bring greater value to clients. Embedding this Lean culture will be achieved by working collaboratively with like- minded people in a team environment and with a shared vision of continuous improvement. This cornerstone of JEG’s business will drive new solutions and greater effectiveness, bringing expectations of better and more demonstrable results in all projects right across the Jones Engineering Group. Some key initiative outcomes include: • 8,683,279 man-hours worked on the project with a recordable incident rate of 0.16 (the sector norm is 3.4). • Punch-list items (“defects”) on each completed pipeline reduced from 11 to 0.15 following Lean improvements. • Performance Against Schedule increased from as low as 30% to 100% continually. • Over 20% improvement in Earned Value (productivity). • Improved collaboration and co-ordination. • Budget targets exceeded for second phase of the project. LEAN INITIATIVE IMPROVEMENTS & IMPACT