Lean Philosophy and Methodology is applicable in Construction too and it is implemented successfully in England, U.S.A. and recently in Russia!
Lean in Construction in England particularly finds-one could say- a more positive ground as the government is strict on environmental protective policies which in combination with competition, press profit margins considerably and construction companies implement considerate construction programs.
Construction is an interesting sector where we faced quite of the usual ‘opposition’ at first to reverse to a wider adoption and adaptation of Lean to cover areas of productivity, sustainability and Health & Safety as well as Human Resource Development issues.
Our ‘lean journey’ started questioning the quantities of the recycling materials as recycling is being quite well followed by the construction companies in England. Why have so many materials to recycle?
And so, the first project in 2006 showed that actually a lot of the recycled material could have been reused or not ordered, saving the company thousands of pounds!
This Lean journey -under the branded NoWaste® methodology- developed by Greenfile Developments Ltd received the recognition it deserved when it was chosen as part of the official training for the construction companies working for the London Olympics 2012.
London Olympics 2012 were decided to be the greenest Olympics ever but also leaving a legacy concerning regional development, diversity and best practices.
With many challenges like workers from different backgrounds, language and professional experience, the need to maximise free work time for training in tight timetables and the surprise of those who learnt about teamwork and continuous improvement in construction for the first time we set out and prepared simple and easy to follow training programs for workers, supervisors and managers, linked them up with NVQ certifications and communications’ training and supported all those who wanted to make a difference!
A special mention and a great thank you for the support of Senior Management from all the construction companies which believed in the potential of their people and the opportunity to try a different concept.
Τhe result?
1600 workers were trained, contributing with new ideas which saved money from wrong orders and better materials’ management as well as from improved communications and Health & Safety practices which allowed better coordination and quality results on every aspect of the business!
The NoWaste® training program in its pilot phase (3 months) helped construction workers, supervisors and managers save £1.6Μ or €2.5Μ making the NoWaste® part of ‘London Olympic Legacy’
The photos are from our training workshops with workers, supervisors, managers and Senior Management, evaluating and enriching the program!