2018Case8KiernanStructuralSteelLimited

35 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2018 Case 8 – Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd. Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd. (KSSL) is a leading structural steel fabricator, based in Longford, supplying various types of structural steel solutions to clients across Ireland and the UK. The KSSL factory covers 13,000 sq.m. within a 5-acre site. Internally there are 26 overhead gantry cranes with three main production lines. KSSL run two manufacturing shifts in the factory. Our dedicated staff of over 180 are committed to providing clients with a high-quality service since 1989. KSSL services: • In-house structural steel frame design, including Value Engineering. • 3D Steel Frame Detailing using Tekla BIM Software. • Structural steel fabr icat ion and erection. • Safety netting, metal decking and shear stud welding. • Offsite intumescent fire protection painting. • Beam cambering and castellated beam manufacture. • SIN Beam manufacture and distribution. • Edge Protection Systems (EPS) – Irish Agent for Rapid EPS. • Temporary 1 Level car parking solutions. C O M P A N Y W E B S I T E OVERVIEW OF THE LEAN INITIATIVE As a f i rst-t ier suppl ier to i ts construction sector client base, KSSL recognised the importance of extending Lean project fulfilment upstream into the supply chain manufactur ing processes to ensure that maximum value is provided to the Client. Recent construction industry trends are seeing additional value-added (VA) provided in the extended supply chain such as our factory-applied fire-proof-coated structural steel. This would have been tradi t ional ly appl ied on the construct ion s i te wi th the aid of elevat ion equipment . To fur ther enhance the concept of additional VA and qual i ty-at-source; a strategic decision was made to launch our Lean journey to complement the concept of systematic value creation end-to-end throughout the extended project delivery supply chain. LEAN INITIATIVE UNDERTAKEN – LEAN THINKING, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES www.kssl.ie AUTHORS John Kiernan StruMIS Management System – Production Tracking KSSL had been using StruMIS software since the late 1990s. From then up until late 2015 the software was not being used to a fraction of its potential. It was only being used for steel stock and the day-to-day running of the saw and drill lines. Following a major Lean project review, two employees were sent over to StruMIS headquarters in England to get trained to become “super users”. From this training, improvement areas were identified that could make the application of StruMIS more efficient by further integrating all departments into an overall factory management system. This would provide accurate factory production tracking and process improvements. It was subsequently rolled-out across all departments within the factory, including pricing, purchasing, stock control, machine use, internal factory station points, and dispatch. This tied-in perfectly with our quality assurance CE marking requirements for material traceability as all certs for materials purchased are stored within StruMIS to match their purchase orders. The sections for machine use and internal station points within the factory can track the status of particular elements within a project. This daily update is sent to the various construction site managers after our daily morning whiteboard meeting. BACKGROUND TO THE LEAN INITIATIVE KSSL star ted Lean training and implement ing Lean procedures in October 2015 in a bid to become more efficient, reduce waste, and look for improvements in its manufactur ing processes to complement the Lean Construction concept of whole-chain end-to-end value optimisation. Our management team identified several opportunities to apply Lean Construction techniques to become a more efficient and safer company, as well as to gain a competitive edge. The KSSL production department was using a software called “StruMIS” for the day-to-day management of the saw and drill lines as well as for stock control. However, this was only using StruMIS to approx. 20% of i ts ful l potent ial to aid factory product ion management and tracking. KSSL management decided this software should be utilised fully and incorporated with our steel detailing “Tekla BIM” software. Whilst investigating value engineering cost saving solutions for clients, our engineering department came across a structural steel beam replacement solution which came in the form of a weight- saving innovative SIN Beam. COMPANY OVERVIEW Andy Brophy Figure 1. KSSL Site.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIzMTIxMw==