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Application of lean principles in the construction industry

Application of lean principles in the construction industry

Over the years, the productivity in the construction industry around the world has been declining. Large construction projects such as railway networks, roads, structural engineering, and maintenance among others are usually affected by huge delays which translate to high-cost overruns (Francis, & Thomas, 2020). Such issues are usually caused by increased complexities in the construction industry. Waste has also been regarded as a huge challenge for many construction projects. The construction industry is plagued by waste issues such as overproducing more than what needed, idle time is waiting, processing excess inputs, excessive inventory and costs and finally wasted motion within activity.

Unused materials which cannot be recycled or idle workers on a construction site, the issues remain the same: an increase in costs and longer project durations (Mellado & Lou, 2020). In a world where the major concern is sustainability, modern construction projects have to be lean to cut down costs and increase efficiency (Rosli, et al., 2020). Lean construction principles can be incorporated into any project and ensure the organization acquires a competitive advantage. The major components of lean construction entail a set of clear objectives for the delivery process which maximize the performance throughout the project cycle. It is a critical component that can be implemented through the project design to its delivery.

For this study, the major focus would be the Turner construction company which is a leader in lean construction. The company relies on the lean approach and this seeks to eliminate waste through continuous improvement and managing people. Turner is a North American Construction company undertaking various projects in diverse markets. The company is known to undertake huge and complex projects and it is a market leader in technology adoption, and innovation in the construction industry. Turner Construction is one of the top companies which have incorporated lean principles to eradicate waste. The company heavily relies on the last planner system and it is critical to manage its more than 10,000 employees delivering 1500 projects every year. The company includes other technologies such as 3 and 4D BIM, visual management, value design and problem solving to handle projects and provide solutions in the construction industry.

For this study, the research would discuss the principles, methods, and implementation of lean construction and illustrate how it can be used to mitigate waste at the Turner Construction Company. The study will demonstrate the application of various lean practices such as the Last Planner System which is a key attribute of the lean construction approach (Turner Construction, 2022). This study will prove that the lean approach could enhance the construction management practices and then establish an ideal strategy to evaluate the process and highlight areas of improvement. The study will undertake a comprehensive literature review of lean applications in the construction industry and interview various players in the construction industry as a strategy to remain competitive.

References

Francis, A., & Thomas, A. (2020). Exploring the relationship between lean construction and environmental sustainability: A review of existing literature to decipher broader dimensions. Journal of cleaner production, 252, 119913.

Mellado, F., & Lou, E. C. (2020). Building information modelling, lean and sustainability: An integration framework to promote performance improvements in the construction industry. Sustainable cities and society, 61, 102355.

Rosli, M. F., Muhammad Tamyez, P. F., & Zahari, A. R. (2020). The effects of suitability and acceptability of lean principles in the flow of waste management on construction project performance. International Journal of Construction Management, 1-27.

Turner Construction. (2022). About Us | Turner Construction Company. Turnerconstruction.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022, from https://www.turnerconstruction.com/about-us.

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