Lean Toolbox as a Catalyst for Value Chain Collaboration in the Construction Industry
The project aims to deliver higher quality and faster construction projects by fostering process-driven collaboration within the construction chain, both internally within the company and externally with construction partners. We focus on introducing and applying lean tools to streamline and improve processes. The primary focus is on enhancing the primary construction processes of (sub)contractors, with special attention to work preparation and execution.
The primary target group of the project consists of general contractors of residential and office buildings with 19 to 50 employees, typically those executing class 4 to 6 works. The secondary target group includes their subcontractors, often specialized niche professions executing works on behalf of the main contractor (roofing, exterior joinery, HVAC, electricity, facade cladding, plastering, painting, etc.). The tertiary target group includes suppliers of materials, software, and logistics services, who play a crucial role in the correct and timely transportation and delivery of materials or information to ensure smooth execution.
The expected added value of the knowledge is increased transparency and deeper collaboration between the target companies, leading to higher quality (through less waste, failure costs, and delivery points), time savings (by shortening the lead time during execution), and consequently cost reduction and increased profitability. We expect to reduce the failure cost percentage for the primary target group by 3.5% (relative to turnover) after 3 years and 16% after 5 years. Applied to a reach of 327 general contractors with a turnover of €2,060,100,000, this amounts to €72,100,000 after 3 years.
Additionally, we expect that in the longer term, the involvement and engagement of employees and construction partners will increase, leading to higher employee satisfaction, which will translate into higher productivity and profitability. It is expected that the primary target group will gain easy access to a diversified set of lean solutions (the lean toolbox) tailored to the type of collaboration (internal, external) and the involved links in the chain (site manager, project manager, executor, transporter, etc.) through a decision matrix.
To reach the target groups, we collaborate with sector branches Embuild Vlaanderen, BouwUnie, and Buildwise. Through a mix of knowledge sharing (making knowledge freely accessible), demonstration of knowledge, and application of knowledge (workshops), we expect that within the project duration, at least 20 companies will undertake company-specific actions. In the following 2 years, we expect the number of company-specific actions to increase to 60, thanks to the knowledge transfer from main contractors and construction traders to subcontractors.
