Page 14 - IEC Insights Mar-Apr19

FEATURE

Lean practices have spread widely on the new way of doing things and • About 20 percent of efficiency is lost
through manufacturing plants in all generally reduce the amount of wasted waiting for materials or equipment.
industries, resulting, in part, in more work and wasted space on the floor. Some of that time is lost trying to
than a doubling of non-farm labor extract building materials jammed into
efficiency in some industries since the The construction industry is the opposite. overstocked and poorly organized
1960s. Today, studies estimate that only No two projects or project sites are exactly staging sites. More is lost waiting for a
about 12 percent of worker energy on a alike. Labor forces can shift significantly supervisor to interpret drawings or to
typical manufacturing floor is wasted. from one job to the next. Different projects direct the next step in a vague process.
may call for a different mix of suppliers More is lost shifting between multiple
The construction industry, on the other with different ordering requirements and tools to build assemblies that could
hand, has not been as quick to adopt different abilities to meet timely demands. have been built more efficiently offsite.
lean practices, and statistics there tell
a very different story. Various studies In short, introducing Lean practices • Another 20 percent is lost due to poor
estimate that 57 to 66 percent of labor into the construction environment is processes or poorly designed systems.
time on a typical construction site is non- challenging. Challenging, but far from
productive, and a whopping 10 percent impossible. The key to success is careful • Another 15 percent is lost by crowding
of construction materials are wasted. planning, targeted education and the workers into too tight an area or by
selection of tactical partners who know assigning them to work on spaces
The discrepancy is rooted in the how Lean processes work and are capable that aren’t ready for their work.
fundamental differences in manufacturing of supporting them, regardless of the
and construction operations. A variations inherent in construction jobs. • eFab™ is designed to help electrical
manufacturing floor is fixed. It is usually contractors minimize those
devoted to producing one or only a Becoming such a partner is the driving inefficiencies by providing a system
few different products. The labor force force behind eFab™, a creation of ABB that is relatively easy to use and easy
is relatively constant. All of that makes Installation Products, Inc., formerly to adapt to any site, significantly
it easier to streamline manufacturing Thomas & Betts. cutting the variables that can be
processes, introduce just-in-time parts inherent in construction projects and,
inventories, educate the workforce To understand how eFab™ or any other consequently, cutting into the learning
effective partner can help an operation curve that can be associated with
achieve Lean efficiencies, it’s important adapting to a Lean system. The system
to identify where the main causes of is built around prefabricated rough-in
inefficiency exist on a typical construction electrical assemblies, combined with
site. Studies performed by Clemson design help to streamline the process
Department of Construction Science and and just-in-time delivery to keep the
Management Professor Roger Liska found worksite clean and clutter-free.
that efficiency is lost on construction
sites due to three major faults: • In short, this is how it works:
Design. eFab™ engineers and
consultants can work with the
contractor to break plans into properly
configured prefab elements for the
walls, ceilings and floors. Assemblies
can also be configured online in
3D or chosen from a selection of
preassemblies. Ideally, workflows
are also mapped and shipments of
assemblies are planned to arrive in
small quantities as needed, according
to the work plan. For example, in a

12 Insights Magazine | March/April 2019 | www.ieci.org