2020Case11SuirEngineering

Contents Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2020 43 Case 11 Company Overview Suir Engineering suireng.ie Overview & Background to the Lean Initiative Sean McHugh Author Established in Ireland in 1984, Suir Engineering is an Irish-based European provider of Mechanical & Electrical services to high profile clients in the data center, life science, manufacturing, commercial, and substation and renewables sectors. Suir Engineering has offices in Dublin, Waterford, Sweden, Denmark, London, and across the UK, directly employing over 1,000 highly skilled staff. Having recently celebrated 35 years in business, Suir Engineering has developed a reputation for delivering cost-effective solutions for its clients whilst ensuring an uncompromised approach to safety, quality, and project delivery. Suir Engineering is part of the EDF Energy Services group of companies. Since 2015, Suir Engineering has continuously increased its investment in its strategic and company-wide improvement initiative entitled “Suir Way”. Since April 2018, Suir has been rolling out new processes for managing the entire organisation. Suir Engineering has invested heavily in its employees by providing a significant amount of off-site and on-site training, and has developed its own purpose-built training centre at its Dublin location. Thanks to the company’s investment in its people, it is now seeing a transformation within the business: employees are using their new skills on projects of all sizes to remove the eight wastes; introduce JIT for site deliveries; run Kaizen events; value stream map processes; utilise look-ahead planning based on the LPS; apply 5S and Kanban systems to site stores; and develop standard work. These tools are being driven by Suir Engineering’s manage- ment system that promotes discussion, is data-driven, and ensures the correct and relevant information is channelled through the business, thus empowering everyone from the SLT, project managers, supervisors, and trades, to make informed decisions with all the necessary information. In the LCi Book of Cases 2018, Suir Engineering’s case discussed the improvements being made around how it man- aged materials and waste with the implementation of 5S and visual management. In the LCi Book of Cases 2019, Suir Engineering’s case discussed how it was developing its new on-site management system “The Suir Way” and how it was allowing the capture of information and for that information to flow smoothly throughout the organisation. This 2020 case illustrates the progression of Suir Engineer- ing’s Lean journey and showcases how employees did not simply show up for training, but have embraced the idea of Lean and the Suir Way. The organisation has gone from implementing small and isolated Lean ideas and projects to being able to implement big Lean ideas and utilise Lean tools on large scale and high-profile projects.