Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2021 33 Lean Initiative Improvements & Impact Case 8 was put in place where all installation crews were supplied with a mobile toolbox complete with only the required tools.Each toolbox was filled at the start of the week with the materials needed and sorted into separate compartments.This is a very good example of 5S being implemented. The operatives were happy with the new process as it made their job easier. They were supplied with the new toolboxes and thus didn’t have to carry their own heavy toolboxes around with them all day. They also didn’t have to walk to the central site store to collect materials. Summary Performing Gemba walks on a regular basis on this project offered some significant advantages such as: • Improving processes by identifying the problems, no matter how small and taking actions for achieving continuous improvement much faster. • It helped build a stable relationship with those who carry out the on-site activities and the management. • Processes were standardised accurately. • It encouraged collaboration within the project team. As stated above, OSA is becoming an increasingly essential part of construction today. On most Mercury projects, we are seeing Lean initiatives and improvements based around OSA. Advanced manufacturing firms routinely achieve productivity rates of 80%, whereas productivity rates can drop as low as 20% for on-site construction workers. At the end of Q1 of 2021,Mercury was producing 27 module types, using 51 different suppliers, on 27 projects across Europe. By the end of Q2,Mercury was producing 34 module types – an increase of 26% from Q1 – and 27 projects were implementing OSA – an increase of 17% fromQ1. Figure 3. ModuleTypes Some of the main measurable improvements Mercury has seen with the implementation of OSA include: • Reduction of on-site labour,which has had a direct impact on lowering Health & Safety risk, welfare costs, and motion and waiting wastes. • Improved Quality – Manufacturing modules in a controlled environment has resulted in a substantial reduction in defects and rework. • Productivity has improved by standardising work. Having a more comfortable and consistent working environment has also contributed to productivity gains. Some of the Lean tools Mercury has introduced in its own OSA facility, and encouraged its supply chain partners to adapt, are: • Value Stream Mapping –VSM highlights the module cycletime and wait-time between the production functions.With this Lean tool, Mercury’s OSA facilities have been able to identify waste within and between their processes.They are able to visually demonstrate the current state of their production line and then map out the future state, which highlights the opportunities for improvement. • Kanban –This is a visual production system in which a supply of parts is delivered to the production line as-needed, thus increasing efficiency. This Lean tool works by making sure that operatives have what they need,where they need it, and when they need it. • 5S –This is one of the first Lean tools Mercury encourages its OSA supply chain partners to implement.The 5S system is designed to improve efficiency through a systematic approach to organisation and cleanliness in the workplace. The system includes five fundamental guidelines that help improve workplace efficiency: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardise, and Sustain. Implementation of this method “cleans up” and organises the workplace,basically in its existing configuration. Figure 4. Advantages of Off-SiteAssembly (OSA)
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