Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2021 53 Case 14 John Sisk & Son Ltd. (Sisk) is an innovative engineering and construction company employing over 1,800 people in Ireland, the UK, and Europe. Sisk has the track record, scale, and capacity to successfully undertake large, complex,multi-disciplinary programmes, and we are recognised by our global customers as world leaders in sustainability and safe delivery. Sisk is a progressive business and Ireland’s No. 1 ranked provider of construction services.Operating since 1859,we have built many iconic buildings and landmark pieces of infrastructure.Our continued success is due to: • Our ability to collaborate with customers and supply chain to provide technical and delivery solutions in an open and can-do way. • Safety, innovation, quality, efficiency, and value are integral to everything we do. We deliver projects in key sectors such as Data andTechnology, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences, Infrastructure,Transportation, Healthcare, Commercial, Residential, Retail, Industrial, Leisure, Education,Water, and Energy. This case study is based on a project undertaken as part of a Green Belt training course.To complete the course, we were required to identify and solve a problem using the tools and techniques we learned on the course.The problem selected entailed examining how to reduce the time it took to install precast concrete panels on a project the author was working on.The issue was the additional time it took to install the non-standard unbalanced panels.These nonstandard panels are unbalanced because of the uneven distribution of weight and the slinging arrangements were carried out on a trialand-error basis with constant adjustment of lifting gear. The project itself comprised a 472-bed apartment complex, configured in 5 blocks and constructed using a precast concrete frame.This precast frame uses three different types of panels: one with 2 lifting eyes, one with 3 lifting eyes, and one with 4 lifting eyes. The panels that presented the biggest challenge were the ones with 4 lifting eyes. Company Overview SISK johnsiskandson.com Overview & Background to the Lean Initiative Kevin Burke Author Define As part of a Green Belt training programme, a problem was identified that impacted the progress of the construction project and which didn’t have an obvious solution.We focussed on the main elements of the project and sought to identify a challenge that met these criteria. Many of the potential opportunities we determined were of the just do it sort,where we had the solution to hand but were not using it. We decided to look at the precast panel installation as a potential source of an improvement project because of the variation in time it took to install different panels. On a Gemba walk focused on the installation of the precast concrete panels, we discussed the challenges faced by the installation crew. Their biggest issue was how to determine the lifting chain lengths for the unbalanced panels due to their uneven weight distribution. The process they had been using was balancing the non-symmetric panels on a trial-and-error basis, with the chain lengths from the crane being adjusted until sufficiently balanced to enable the lifting of the panels into position. As a result, time was lost trying to figure out the best way to fit these panels.The daily quota required to meet the construction of the building’s frame was not being met and installation set-up times were identified as being a critical element of the process. The typical response to these challenges is to apply more pressure to the installation crew or add more people to the task. However, the Lean training taught us to analyse problems and to understand Lean Initiative Undertaken – Lean Thinking, Tools, Techniques Figure 1. The 4 Lifting Eye Unbalanced Panel During Lifting
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