2019Case15SuirEngineering

Since 2015, Sui r Engineer ing has continuously increased its investment in i ts strategic and company-wide improvement initiative entitled “Suir Way” (see Figure 1). In 2015, Suir par tnered wi th Lean Construct ion Ireland (LCi) to sponsor and organise an LCi Community Event entitled “Lean as Ideology & The Ability to Change”. In 2016, a number of employees were suppor ted on higher educat ion programmes to Black Bel t level competency in Lean management . Between 2017 and early 2018, Suir secured approval to undertake a “Lean Transform” project suppor ted by Enterprise Ireland. Since April 2018, Suir has been rolling out a new process for managing the entire organisation. Thi s has necess i tated a s igni f icant amount of both off-site and on-site training, and the company is now seeing some large step-change improvements on how we manage our projects. This case study presents an overview of this new management system and some of the benefits realised as a result. Figure 1. Suir Engineering’s Lean Journey to date The construct ion sector has significant productivity issues, with several reports identifying substantial non-value-add (NVA) or “waste” in its processes. Suir Engineering, along with the wider construct ion sector, i s current ly facing the chal lenge of del ivering projects on ever-tighter schedules and budgets. Clients, who themselves are increasingly familiar with Lean thinking and pract ices , are demanding that their contractors follow suit in the pursuit of waste reduction. Whilst concerns about the levels of waste in construction are nothing new, the destructive impact of the recent prolonged recession has made it clear that, even as the economy recovers and construction activity increases, business as usual can no longer be accepted in construction. Lean Construction offers opportunities that allow companies to thrive in any economic conditions, and Suir Engineering has made a strategic commi tment to the adopt ion and implementation of Lean thinking and practices internally and on its capital projects. 58 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2019 Case 15 – Suir Engineering Established in Ireland in 1984, Suir Engineer ing i s a Mechanical & Electrical services provider and part of EDF Energy Services group of companies. Suir Engineering has offices in Dubl in, Water ford, Denmark, London and across the UK. Sui r Engineer ing has 1000 di rect ly employed staff. C O M P A N Y W E B S I T E OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND TO THE LEAN INITIATIVE Build-up to Rollout of the Suir Way In 2017, Suir Engineering Senior Management recognised that our way of working needed to be improved in order for the company to grow. We realised the need for change and to enhance the company performance. Direct Labour accounts for 42% of our cost base and we needed to improve on and become more efficient with this cost. Quality resources across the sector were difficult to find and thus we needed to change our methods, optimise our internal expertise, and grow from within through learning across the business. Where Lean tools were adopted on other projects , outcomes were quant i f iably improved. The Suir Way would ensure the company had more robust systems, aligned processes, and personnel equipped with the right tools and skills to deliver future growth. If we didn’t change, we would fall behind our competitors. This case study broadly details the main elements of our initiative to create and roll out the Suir Way. Lean Management System • Visual controls – daily measurement boards, at all levels of the organisation. • Standard accountability – built into our visual boards. • Leader Standard Work – including senior management conducting Gemba Walks to monitor the health of the management system. Lean Tools • 5S. • KPIs. • Mapping – processes and value streams. • Standard Work. • PDCA. • A3 Reports. • Pull Planning using Last Planner® System. www.suireng.ie AUTHOR Andrew Norris COMPANY OVERVIEW LEAN INITIATIVE UNDERTAKEN – LEAN THINKING, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES