Granger hosted MLC learners on Friday 10/13/23, the group was introduced to the Granger construction team at the Ford Motor National Product Development Center a 92,000 sq. ft. reconstruction project in Allen Park, MI.
The tour included a summary of the project by Joann Kobacki, Project Manager and Chris Scharlach Lean Operations, and others on the team.
Below are a few highlights of what was learned.
- Lean construction is as valuable as Lean used in other environments; consider flow, pull, and waste.
- Joann reviewed how flow of work coordinates elements of moving through a project by staging areas of focus. She illustrated how entire floors and areas are mapped to create flow.
- Chris has been at this with Granger since 2015 and explained successes like learning to use LCI (Lean Construction Institutes) contributions for software such as Last Planner has been a big lift to organize the flow of project materials and people.
The Granger team was gracious in offering lunch to the 20 plus MLC attendees and a working discussion followed.
The MLC is grateful to Granger and to all those who attended. It's great to see what's working and not working on Lean journeys; we are all in this together.
We welcome more opportunities for member learning and sharing. Email events@michiganlean.org to discuss how you can partner with the MLC on Gemba Tours and more.