THE IMPACTS OF LEAN IMPLEMENTATION REVEALED IN THE COURSE OF BUILDING A DIGITAL TWIN OF A CONSTRUCTION MANUFACTURING FACILITY

Abstract

Successful implementation of lean philosophy in various sectors has inspired many construction manufacturing companies to foster a lean culture and embark on open-ended lean transformation initiatives. This study presents the case of a panelized construction company that has embraced the lean philosophy over the past decade. Experiments undertaken during the process of building a digital twin of the company’s production facility to verify the logic underlying the developed model reveal an increase in productivity. Using the same productivity regression models to model framing operations in two different years, the simulation of combined productive and delay times results in an underestimation compared to actual production data from 2013 but an overestimation compared to actual production data from 2017. Moreover, prominent lean changes implemented over the years that are positively correlated with productivity improvement are identified. These include standardizing the design and manufacturing processes, minimizing waste (including Mura, Muda, and material waste), ensuring a continuous flow, balancing the production line, following a just-in-time approach for the delivery of materials and implementing the 5S program. The findings underscore the long-term benefits of adopting lean thinking in construction manufacturing.