Lean Wood Engineering

Competence platform for value added wood processing

LWE facts

Cooperation between 15 Swedish partners a distributed network R&D programme. Competence platform coordinator is Lule University of Technology. 3 years, December 2006 December 2009 (project formulation nearly finished)
5,9 Million budget.

Co-funded by VINNOVA, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, participating companies and universities (1/3 each).

LWE will
Integrate R&D between technology and management, within three value chains: - Industrialised timber housing, - Industrial wood components, products and systems and - Furniture and interior solutions. Adapt and progress the theoretical understanding of the Lean Philosophy Perform research as: - value chain specific projects, e.g., efficiency and cost reduction in industrialised timber housing - disciplinary projects covering more than one value chain, e.g., functional sales in business development

LWE Partners

Participating companies
Flexator - Timber construction manufacturer IUC Sydpoolen - Industrial development company Lindbcks Bygg - Timber construction manufacturer Moelven Byggmodul - Timber construction manufacturer Moelven Treboda - Glulam manufacturer NCC - Construction company Norvag Byggsystem - Timber construction manufacturer SCA Timber - Saw mill company Setra - Saw mill company Trriket Furniture and interiors interest organisation Tyrns Technical consultant company Vasakronan- Real estate company

Academic partners

Lule University of Technology Linkping University of Technology Lund University, Faculty of Engineering

LWE project matrix

Development strategies for office furniture companies

Business development

Strategic assortment of wooden houses Logistics systems for prefabricated construction Architectural design Configuration systems Rule-based design Low-energy houses Installation coordination Faade systems

Marketing towards the D.I.Y. business Optimized assortment of sawmill products

Process development

Standardized design process (2 projects) Technical platforms & systems

Simulation of production economics

Product development

Column-and-beam systems

Industrialized timber housing

Industrialized wood manufacturing

Interior solutions

The theoretical core

LWE projects takes their theoretical viewpoints in: Lean Production/Lean Thinking and the transformation of this paradigm to timber housing construction, Prefabrication and modularization strategies of industrialised systems and components of timber Timber engineering dealing with structural engineering and reliability of timber systems

Industrialized housing as an example

The prefabrication strategy changes construction companies to process oriented manufacturers taking a larger control of the building process. Industrialized housing is an example with potential in application of lean principles due to the process orientation.

Limnologen, Vxj

Vllingby centrum

Kretsloppshuset, Ume

Industrialized housing

The present construction process is fine-tuned and gradually changed to achieve improvements
A larger office

Lean Thinking and Lean Construction

Two connected but different strategies and appropriate theories are possible

A client decides to initiate a project

Design

Construction production

Operation/usage

A product and whole process owner takes command of the process

Lean Thinking and Lean Production

Industrialized housing is the interface between construction and manufacturing

Lean LeanProduction Production

Lean LeanConstruction Construction

Lean LeanThinking Thinking

Timber element volume prefabrication as a project example

Lean tools development for TVE prefabrication

Lean principle Perceived Lean characteristics Volume V manufactures and assembles prefabricated volumes offered straight to the customer, often through long-term contracts with landlords. V controls the whole value stream which consists of long-term relations with subcontractors who are brought in-house, with assembly teams for on-site construction and with suppliers for a stable supply chain. V has a well developed, stable and continuous value stream which is continuously reviewed so that work can be improved upon. V offers a well known, high quality product with predefined characteristics. Client involvement is mainly limited to interior and faade design which allows for shorter lead times. V is continuously striving towards capturing more and new market shares. The stable value stream enables them to utilize transparency and to generate improvement programs.

Value

Value stream

Flow

Pull

Perfection

Factory production in need of standardized work flow Implementation of 5S