Fundamentals of Lean Construction
Many of us have likely heard the quote – “Give me six hours to chop down a tree 🌳, and I will spend the first four ⏲ sharpening the ax.”
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO)'s President and Executive Director, Mark Niehaus, summarized C.D. Smith's sharpening of the ax for MSO's historic wall move saying, "The way it was done was so thoughtfully put together that the risk of the actual move was very low. We had a week set aside for the move and we moved the entire wall in, I think it was six hours."
Here's how this concept applies to the fundamentals of lean. 👇
By using lean principles to sharpen our metaphorical ax, we can effectively and efficiently execute a construction project, deliver it on time, within budget and minimize waste and rework.
Whether you are an astute practitioner of lean or early on in your journey, lean planning is a philosophy that can be applied to managing any organization or project.
Fundamentally, the lean ideal is to give customers, both internal and external, precisely what they need when they need it to accomplish their purpose with no waste.
Customers can be both upstream or downstream, external or internal or end users.
It’s a good idea to consider managing the whole client, not just the next step in a process.
By taking a holistic view of what we need to deliver and to whom, we can ensure that we precisely provide the right deliverable to keep a project flowing.
While construction is not a continuously moving assembly line, and every construction project is unique based on location and specifications, flow is typically critical to the success of a project.
When a project experiences a blockage in flow, it can result in waste.
In its basic form, waste is anything associated with a cost, whether monetary, material, time or even stress.
If the goal is to give customers exactly what they need when they need it to accomplish their purpose, there should be no waste.
Lean Construction | Building the World's Tallest Mass Timber Hybrid
from Beneath the Hard Hat® on 11.02.2022
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Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Project Details from Beneath the Hard Hat®
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About C.D. Smith
C.D. Smith Construction is an industry leader in safely providing the highest quality commercial construction services. Utilizing an integrated approach and self-performing trade services combined with technical expertise, our team serves as a solutions provider throughout all phases of a project, from planning through construction. With veteran leadership and a dedication to our employees and clients, we proudly place our name on projects of all sizes across the United States.
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Beneath the Hard Hat®, our company press and blog, offers an intimate look at the people and stories that make C.D. Smith Construction. With the latest industry news and project updates, we share insights on the superior spaces we are safely delivering year-round. Our team of technical experts provides useful tips and topics to help plan your next commercial project.
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Historic buildings give communities character, a sense of place and a connection to the past. Landmark renovations give owners a sense of pride in preserving a building’s history while adding modern amenities.
Mass timber offers several cost-competitive advantages and long-term benefits. Columns, beams and panels on average weigh 1/5th the weight of concrete and steel materials, reducing shipping costs and requiring a smaller workforce to install. With prefabricated panels delivered directly to jobsites, construction time can be reduced by approximately 25 percent, saving owners even more time and money. Furthermore, wood structures have a biophilic effect on people, increasing occupants’ overall health and wellness and give long-term value to the design.
Our self-perform capabilities are a direct result of our talented team members' skilled trade career paths in the communities in which we live and work.
