Messer Construction’s Lean Adventure
September 21st, 2005 by Hal[Notes from LCI's 7th Annual Lean Construction Congress]
Messer hires people for a long term career.
Messer Construction Co started lean as a way to reduce the stress on their project managers. They started with three pilot projects. Two were quite successful, the other wasn't. The difference was project management. After three projects they rolled it out to the company. They did three 1/2-day training sessions. It included a course on reliable promising. They wrapped up the details of lean construction with a seminar on embracing uncertainty and mastery.
They supported the rollout by asking everyone to attend each others' sessions.
Lean construction is a very good communications tool.
Messer's Process Today:
- They preplan the job to decide how many reverse phase schedules (RPS).
- Have a kickoff at the beginning of each RPS where they introduce subcontractor foremen to lean construction. They do this one week before their first RPS. They have a 45 minute standard agenda.
- Messer introduces the team to a nomenclature for the building, e.g. "Area A, Level 2″
- They include a mock meeting in their intro.
- They use preprinted post-it notes for the task on the RPS. They have a different color for each subcontractor in the session.
- They are using SureTrack for the planning tool. Beginning to use visualization tools. Measurements and schedules are posted on the wall.
The trick with doing lean well is to engage the craft workforce in the planning.
Advanced Lean at Messer:
- Last Planner
- Increased Visualization
- Daily Huddle Meetings
- System Improvement Event
- Visual Workplace (5S)
They are using contests for visualization ideas. They payoff with a reserved parking space pass! They have time each month for doing system improvement events now that they aren't spending time figuring out how to get back on schedule. Their biggest struggle is keeping their construction projects clean on a daily basis.
Key Learnings
- Pre Meetings
- Different RPS is ok
- Visualization is great
- More you do, the better it is
- Support continual improvement
Lean is cultural shift not a process you do for a job here or there. It needs to become a core fundamental. Messer is now looking at how they can bring it to the backoffice.
Key Points
- Saw a systemized implementation
- The commitment demonstrated by jumping in
- High relatedness
- Cultural shift
- Tools are about improving communications
- Great hands on
- Continual improvement
- Orientation for the subcontractors
- Lean is down to the nuts and bolts level
Burning Questions
- How did you drive a cultural shift? From the top-down only?
- How successful have you been getting the design community involved in LPS?
- Would it work better getting the owner to take on risk?
- How do you attack reasons for plan failure?
- What is the mix of contract delivery style?
- Have you explored incentive programs for subcontractors and craftsmen?
- How do you deal with non performers on a job?
Steve's Final Comments
Implementation was from the top-down then we added champions. We then started telling stories to share successes and learning. We can't put up with non performers. If a foremen isn't playing our game we will ask the subcontractor to switch him out. On our CM work we tell the subs they will be using LPS and what it means. LPS works fairly well with the design community. He's learned that he has to walk designers through the process.
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