A method for reducing energy costs in the production of construction components

Abstract

This study addresses the issue of excessive energy consumption in the production of construction components. The focus of the research is the manufacturing process of window and door units. The objective is to identify excessive costs within the production processes of a construction company using lean manufacturing tools. The research methodology is based on lean manufacturing principles, specifically utilizing value stream mapping (VSM) to fully visualize the production process. The study has identified operations where losses occur due to excessive inventory, overprocessing, downtime, transportation losses, and defects. A methodology for value stream mapping of both the current and future states of the construction component manufacturing process has been developed. Practically, the value stream mapping of the construction component production process has been carried out, and maps of the current and future states of the value stream have been created. The analysis of the mapping results revealed a significant cycle time overrun at two stages of production – hole milling and glazing unit assembly. These two stages are the most time-consuming and energy-intensive within the process and require optimization. Based on the value stream mapping results, rational measures have been proposed to reduce losses at these production stages, decreasing the overall construction time from 9.845 seconds to 5.765 seconds (a 35-40% reduction) and reducing the number of operations from 19 to 17.