2020Case15Modubuild

Contents Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2020 61 Case 15 valued input from the respective trade partners to ensure all milestones were achieved and look-ahead was accurately planned. From the LPS, a detailed schedule of design, procurement, and construction deliverables were developed. This ensured technical submittals were approved quickly and efficiently – to optimise decision-making, the client always returned tech sub-approvals within 48-hours or less – that design was completed, and materials procured on a JIT basis. The accuracy of the LPS enabled the procurement team to develop a tiered procurement schedule. With critical client input, procurement tiers were categorised based on lead time, critical importance to the project, and priority of requirements. For instance, cladding and roofing were long lead elements, with a 15-week lead time. In traditional on- site construction, this would have been detrimental to project delivery. However, by constructing off-site within a controlled environment, Modubuild could progress with all the internal packages on the project, thus ensuring that the 20-week schedule was optimised and progressed on a daily basis. By accurately scheduling procurement deliverables and using JIT, the team successfully reduced more common wastes, including excess inventory, transportation, and motion/material handling. The frontend planning and LPS process allowed the project team to slow down to speed up. Furthermore, by critically planning and prioritising product selection, design, and procurement, it allowed all stakeholders across the value chain to focus and prioritise their energies to the elements that were most important. Furthermore, it empowered key decision-makers to rapidly find effective solutions and progress complex issues. BIM Modelling and effective design management and execution were key factors in the successful delivery of this off-site 3D volumetric modular project. From the point of order through to project delivery, the entire design team, specialist trade partners, and the client were based at the single design office within Modubuild’s factory. This allowed for detailed and efficient collaboration throughout the lifecycle of the project, thus ensuring efficiency and tangible milestones were achieved throughout. Additionally, it ensured elements were designed at the place of construction, thus enabling a high level of right first time and further reducing wastes such as reworks and over-processing which enabling expedited completion of design and BIM completion. The evidence certainly suggests that collaboration had a significant and positive impact on the project – the importance of which cannot be overstated. Throughout, the client challenged Modubuild to deliver and respond with effective and SMART problem solving. This challenge empowered Modubuild and its team to be proactive and have solutions ready. By challenging Modubuild, the client forced the value stream into an efficient and highly-effective cycle of receiving questions, answering questions, and receiving approval. Essentially, challenging the value stream and its key stakeholders enabled a collaborative and integrated delivery of the project. Modubuild was very clear at the outset of the project that all submittals had to be reviewed by the client within 48 hours in order for the schedule to be maintained. This proved to be very successful as it greatly increased the efficiency of the procurement process in comparison to traditional build projects. From an end-user perspective, exceptionally sensitive From an end-user perspective, exceptionally sensitive and critical activities and operations would occur in the completed modular building. The primary function of a BSL3 laboratory building is for the propagation of life- saving vaccines against dangerous and highly infectious diseases and viruses. This meant that it was essential that quality of build and system installation were to exceptional quality levels – any breach or defect could potentially lead to catastrophic outcomes for the client and its employees. Furthermore, selection of building elements and components needed to be onerous but efficient, and not negatively impact the 20-week project schedule. The project schedule could not afford delay through reworks due to delayed approval of systems, or benchmarks, or quality of installation. As mentioned previously, the construction team operated proactively using the 3Cs which enabled efficient decision-making and progress. It was also important that the quality of construction met client requirements and was right first time, and so it was prudent that all elements were benchmarked and approved, and consistency was achieved. Therefore, the team and installation operatives strived for excellence. Having the client present at the gemba resulted in quality at source, therefore expediting construction to unparalleled speeds whilst achieving best-in-class quality across all elements of the project. As a facility-ready, plug-and-play, off-site constructed building that contained various and intricate electrical, HVAC, process, security, active fire protection, and BMS systems, it was essential that exceptional quality testing was completed. Modubuild and its team designed the project to ensure that all these systems were entirely installed in the off-site environment. This subsequently required that Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) be completed on all systems within the 20-week off-site construction programme, subsequently shortening the allowed installation time. Taking the construction and installation into the controlled off-site environment ensured right first time, reduced reworks, and allowed for pre-FATs to be completed sequentially and successfully – thus for final FATs to pass on the first effort each time. Finally, upon completion of all off-site works, the entire modular building was powered-up and put into fully operational mode. This allowed the client and others to carry out actual walk-throughs of the complete facility and assess any alterations or comment on any final quality topics prior Figure 4. Module Internal Finishes – completed off-site