2019Case9Roadbridge

37 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2019 Case 9 – Roadbridge Roadbridge has been in operation since 1967, and is a Limerick-based global civil engineering contractor specialising in the internat ional del ivery of complete infrastructure projects across all sectors and for a broad range of clients and contract conditions. We have built our reputation on working col laborat ively wi th our cl ients , offering them a quality service and product with genuine added value. Roadbr idge i s a ful ly resourced contractor. We have the experience, capability and a proven track record in delivering major projects safely, on time, and within budget. We employ over 700 people worldwide and are known as a great employer. C O M P A N Y W E B S I T E OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND TO THE LEAN INITIATIVE As part of its continuous improvement programme, Roadbridge introduced the concept of Lean across the organisation through the “Our Lean Path” initiative. As part of this endeavour, we engaged wi th LBSPar tners and several programmes were undertaken through our Limerick Head Office as a starting point. This case study examines the analysis undertaken in our Estimating and Purchasing Departments that we felt could lead to less time wasted in the tendering and estimating process and make our entire process more efficient. It was discovered that the estimating process was being hampered by very manual processes, leading to a lot of time spent waiting for quotations to be received from suppl iers . Thi s information should be easily available through our “EVision” ERP System, which i s populated by the s i te administration staff across our projects. When the ERP was analysed, it was di scovered that the per t inent information from orders on projects was not being entered fully, and thus information was being lost that could otherwise provide a valuable resource to the estimating team. LEAN INITIATIVE UNDERTAKEN – LEAN THINKING, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES www.roadbridge.ie AUTHORS Peter Byrne In order to arrive at solutions to this problem, we decided to use the A3 Problem Solving Method for thi s undertaking. Current Condition As a starting point, we looked at the current conditions around a typical large tender being carried out at our Head Office. In conjunction with the estimators involved in the process, a round-table discussion took place, where we developed a process map of the programme. Next, that process map was converted into a form of value stream map so that it could be determined where the delays were coming into each tender. Then, from the value stream map of the process, we found that on a typical 88-day large tender process up to 23 days (i.e. 26% of the time) were spent waiting on information to be received from our supply chain in order to correctly price the project. This result came as a surprise to all involved, even the personnel closest to the process, as it highlighted just how much time was wasted. This result helped to develop a sense of urgency within the team to make a change. When investigating why the estimating team had not been using the ERP to source this information from our live projects, particularly for repetitive standard construction materials, it was discovered that the estimators were having issues logging onto the system initially, which led to the practice of using manual excel spreadsheets in isolation rather than a collective system. Those who were using the ERP complained that the information was neither accurate nor detailed enough, and thus they got into the habit of not using the system. At all times throughout this process, it was stressed to those involved that this analysis was going to be carried out in a blameless and collaborative fashion, which encouraged open and frank discourse. This was an interesting part of the process, as it was a major paradigm shift from our more traditional siloed approach to working. An analysis of the information being inputted was carried out so as to determine the extent of the issue within the ERP. During 2018, we conducted a Pareto Analysis on the numbers of order entries by item type. The item type is a pre- populated items library for the user to utilise to enter information in a standardised format. Once we had created the Pareto, we then determined the 80/20 rule to see where the largest numbers of orders were arising. COMPANY OVERVIEW Joe Gilmartin Figure 1. Large Tender High-Level Process Map