Messer Construction — On a Lean Transformation
November 12th, 2006 by HalMesser Construction started their journey six years ago with dissatisfactions with their own variable performance on their jobs. They wanted to move from wishful thinking to reliable completions. They had a lack of consistency within regions, not just across the 8 offices in 4 states. In addition, they decided that long term success depended on operational excellence and close relationships with their clients. Finally, they needed to grow their own leaders. They pursued lean construction to address all four issues.
They started the lean initiative with the voice of the customer. They followed that by implementing LPS on every project. There were no exceptions. They expanded LPS to include all subs and suppliers. Eventually, they piloted advanced lean tools including standardized work, 1st run studies, visual workplace (5S), daily huddles, system improvement events (kaizen workshops) and visual notifications.
One of the most exciting aspects of Messer's lean transformation is how they did it. They started with their executives then worked their way through the organization. Six years later, project managers and superintendents confidently run their projects on a lean basis using LPS.
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