A Subcontractor's Lean Journey: A Case Study on Ilyang

Yong-Woo Kim1, Jin Woo Jang2 & Glenn Ballard3

1Assistant Professor, Constr. Engr. and Mgmt. Program, Constr. Mgmt. and Wood Product Engrg. Department, 153 Baker Lab, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, 315/470-6839, FAX 315/470-6879, [email protected]
2Ph.D. Candidate, Constr. Engr. and Mgmt. Program, Constr. Mgmt. and Wood Product Engrg. Department, 153 Baker Lab, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, [email protected]
3Research Director, Project Production Systems Labouratory, University of California, Berkeley. [email protected]

Abstract

In most cases, owners of companies or general contractors initiate Lean implementation on construction projects. The value in this case study is that it presents a subcontractor successfully implementing Lean construction on its projects. The case study investigated its motivation for making a Lean transformation, the course of its Lean transformation, and the lessons learned through its Lean journey. The study used interviews with twentyfive key personnel, twelve site visits, and an analysis of twelve documents on twelve projects. Further, it shows that while subcontractors have difficulty initiating Lean implementation beyond their own firms due to their lack of influence, it is possible for them to affect this kind of change.

Keywords

Case study, Lean journey, subcontractor

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Reference

Kim, Y. , Jang, J. W. & Ballard, G. 2007. A Subcontractor's Lean Journey: A Case Study on Ilyang, 15th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , 135-140. doi.org/

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