LEAN CONSTRUCTION IN BUILDING WORKS: EVALUATION AND SUGGESTIONS

Lean construction is a management philosophy recurring to construction companies with the intention of reducing costs, obtaining productivity gains, and satisfying customer needs. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the application of the principles and practices of lean construction to construction companies in the Metropolitan Region of Recife. The best experiences were identified to suggest them for implementation in future works. The adopted methodology contemplated the accomplishment of a multiple case study, on three different companies, through interviews, direct observation, analysis of documentation, and of a questionnaire, developed by the authors, which stratifies the performance of the construction companies in q levels (A, B, C and D). The results indicated the performance in the application of the principles and practices of this philosophy in Company 01 of 87% (Level A), Company 02 of 57% (Level C), and Company 03 of 79% (Level B). The analysis of these results clarified at what stage is the advancement of this philosophy in the construction companies, where Company 01 presented a lean management system consolidated and ready to reap more benefits, Company 02 having difficulties in maintaining the philosophy, limiting itself to the use of practices isolated, and Company 03 presenting lean knowledge, but not yet stable. The main contributions of this work consisted in the definition of lean best practices for later applications, including value stream mapping and visual management.

Automated summary

The study evaluated the application of lean construction principles and practices in construction companies in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, with Company 01 showing a consolidated lean management system ready to reap more benefits, Company 02 having difficulties in maintaining the philosophy, and Company 03 possessing lean knowledge but not yet stable.