2020Case11SuirEngineering

Contents Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2020 45 Case 11 Quality – First Of Kind Wall As with all Suir projects, quality plays a key part in our process. On-site, the team has implemented a “First Of Kind (FOK)” Wall to enable staff to review client and Suir expectations around install standards. This FOK Wall is on route to the workplace and sets the expectations around install standards for the staff. The wall has become part of the induction process for Suir Engineering. Everyone, regardless of their position in the company, understands what is the site standard. Even though containment only covers 15% of the overall job, traditionally it accounts for over 70% of site snags. With over 80% containment now complete on-site, the benefits of the investment can be seen with little-to-no containment issues identified in walk-downs. Stores Set-Up & Workplace Organisation 5S has been implemented to a high level on site. This means walkways are clear and materials are segregated and clear- ly identified, thus reducing time lost looking for materials and making it easy to establish stock volumes. Just In Time Deliveries Just in Time (JIT) deliveries were planned and coordinated with ceiling install and floor finish dates for all modular wiring so it could be delivered directly to the relevant floor. As a result, Suir Engineering benefitted from a simplified and accelerated installation process, whilst the client received a flexible, future-proofed, and cost-effective installation. Due to the lack of laydown space on site, the team utilised staggered deliveries arranging bulk orders with agreed call-off dates with suppliers. Bulk ordering has minimised the number of requisitions from site and also improved buying power for the project. Suir Engineering has seen real tangible improvements since it began its Lean journey. These improvements had previously been small in scale and involved a limited number of individuals. The ability to implement multiple Lean construction ideas and teachings on a large-scale project was something that had not been previously realised until this project. The task of implementing Lean into a company is often referred to as a “Lean Journey”. This phrase was perhaps not fully understood by the Lean Team when they first set out to bring Lean into Suir Engineering. Lean is a journey with many highs and lows. It cannot be brought into an organisation overnight. To make meaningful change is more than just training staff in new rules and processes and expecting them to comply. Thanks to Suir Engineering’s investment in its people, and its high staff retention levels, most employees are now on their second or third site on which Lean initiatives have been implemented – they are now experienced Lean practitioners. Lean Initiative Improvements & Impact Figure 3. Downtime Tracking & Analyses Figure 4. First Of Kind (FOK) Wall Figure 5. 5S Workplace Organisation