Metal Construction News, January 2021

circle 10 on reader service card team works together and how well that team ultimately works with customers Leaders in lean manufacturing at TBM Consulting Group Inc Morrisville N C founded in 1991 have assisted in optimizing industrial processes including those in the metal building system arena TBM has led improvement engagements to optimize systems and add value at companies that have had no exposure to lean principles as well as those in inherently lean industries Traditional command and control management systems often fail to sustain improvement initiatives says Bob Brennan managing director private equity practice at TBM This is evidenced by how frequent changes no matter how brilliant at most organizations fall back to the prior state In contrast a daily management system based on transparency communication frequent management reviews and responsive countermeasures sustains changes and performance gains which can take the business to the next level Brennan cites the case of one metal building company that employed lean principles to achieve a 78 improvement in engineering lead time This was accomplished by implementing a new process to better manage projects and hold all areas accountable throughout design review and fabrication They broke up engineering assignments into small medium and large project cells so they offered different lead times Brennan says But mostly they started one building and finished it before moving to the next one This allowed blueprints to go to the shop floor with all of the information needed Reducing rework and back tracking proved effective in keeping schedules and costs on target Brennan also recommends the use of SQDC boards that keep staff focused on Safety Quality Delivery and Cost metrics He recalls a case in which TBM helped the Carlisle Companies to implement a consistent operating method across all of its factories When companies display performance metrics in each work area those metrics displayed on the boards align with the overall business and corporate goals he says During daily facility walkthroughs plant managers review performance in each department and work cell noting areas that require action The system instilled accountability and ownership for daily decisions and forced crossfunctional cooperation One metal building company according to Brennan had difficulty completing request for qualifications documents by the typically unbendable submission dates By working with the engineering cells and through implementation of SQDC metrics we were able to help them cut lead times in half and achieve delivery deadlines he says Brennan further explains that one of the most challenging issues theyve faced with metal building manufacturing firm clients has been the long term institutionalization of bad habits For one firm this was clear in their manufacturing consolidation process he says They spent many labor hours looking for finding and in some cases remaking components When it came to shipment day they often missed the deadline because they could not find all of the components When they went to a one building configuration they consolidated activities and became more productive They were ultimately able to start a building on Monday and put it on trucks or rail by the end of the week It was a big move forward Building a Better Business Metal building system manufacturers and the firms who supply them with everything from paint to bolts can benefit from exploring their internal processes By implementing lean principles companies can find a ladder to take them up the rungs of continuous improvement and make a difference for their firms future Tony Bouquot is the general manager of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association MBMA To learn more go to www mbma com