Moura Et Al. 2014 - Line of Balance Is It A Synthesis of Lean Production Principles As Applied To Site Programming of Works
Moura Et Al. 2014 - Line of Balance Is It A Synthesis of Lean Production Principles As Applied To Site Programming of Works
Moura Et Al. 2014 - Line of Balance Is It A Synthesis of Lean Production Principles As Applied To Site Programming of Works
Works?
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Rafael de Sousa Leal Martins Moura, Jos Mrcio Feitosa Monteiro and Luiz Fernando Mhlmann
Heineck
continuous improvement (Womack and Jones, 1996). More precisely these principles
are called value, value stream, flow, pull and perfection, respectively.
Lean Construction assumes a process model consisting of material and
information flows, from raw inputs to finished products, encompassing activities like
transportation, waiting, processing and inspection. Waiting, inspection and
transportation are activities that do not add value to the final product (Formoso,
2001). Effectively, processing activities that add value are those that meet the needs
of internal and external customers.
For the successful application of Lean Philosophy to construction sites, it is
necessary to adopt a new system of work planning to systematically organize all
departments within a construction company that contribute to production. Moreover
planning, according to Mendes Jnior (1999), is a tool that helps operatives to address
their work and therefore should be understood and used by them.
Losso and Arajo (1995) maintain that there are several methods of planning and
control for civil construction, among which stand out simple techniques, such as the
Bar Charts or Gantt Charts up to PERT/CPM Networks that might be appropriate for
complex jobs. However, when project is repetitive in nature, the technique most
appropriate for planning and control is Line of Balance, by taking advantage of
continuity of work (Mendes Jnior, 1999).
In simple terms, Line of Balance graphically represents the activities of a process
sequenced over time, considering the repetitive nature of the activities of a building.
Through this tool site managers can better visualize the execution sequence of
activities, which may result in improvement of productivity and quality of
construction.
Recognizing the influence of the philosophy of Lean Construction in building
industry, this paper aims to analyze their major principles and discuss if they can be
taken into consideration by the graphical outcomes of a Line of Balance schedule of
works.
NEW PHILOSOPHY OF PRODUCTION AND LINE OF BALANCE
PRINCIPLES OF LEAN CONSTRUCTION
The concept of Lean Construction emerged in 1992 as a counterpoint to conventional
production philosophies. One of its early milestones was the publication of a
technical report containing the bases of this new philosophy adapted to construction
produced by Lauri Koskela (1992).
After this report, other authors started to enhance the philosophy as Ballard and
Howell (1996) who stated that Lean Construction has at least two focuses of
distinction from conventional construction management: waste reduction and better
management, highlighting information system processes, along with production
processes.
Heineck et al. (2009) summarized Koskela principles reducing then to 3 major
focus of attention as management outcomes goes: cycle, flow and coordination. The
first reflects the reduction of lot size by transforming activities in repetitive cycles.
The second states that Lean practices should reflect on operations that do not stop
while being carried out and that have a more continuous sequence. The third principle
states that coordination activities should be enhanced in order to overcome the
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potential chaotic building environment. In practice, coordination will benefit from site
planning and programming at the strategic, tactical and operational levels.
Consensus among many authors indicates that Lean Construction philosophy has
as its main focus creation of value for clients, improving operations in small steps and
continually aiming to reduce, waste, whether of time, equipment or money.
LINE-OF-BALANCE
Pacheco and Heineck (2008) point out that there are three different views on the
initial development of line of balance scheduling ideas. One version dates creation in
1942 by the United States Navy followed suit by applications made by the National
Housing Agency in the United Kingdom towards programming repetitive house
buildings in the 50 (Suhail and Neale 1994) 1. Another version by Turban (1968 apud
Lutz and Hijazi, 1993) 2, attributes the creation of Line of Balance to a direct outcome
of previously developed Goodyear Assembly Line at the beginning of the 40. A third
version is proposed by O'Brien (1969) 3. He said, citing another author (Kane), that
line of balance emerged in 1951 as the creation of the Naval Special Projects Office,
taking its final shape in 1962 (Navy Office of Naval Material, 1962) 4. In Brazil the
line-of-balance technique has been used since 1981 (Macedo, 1981), became common
in construction sites by 1990s as reported in research works like (Heineck and Peixe,
1990; Losso and Araujo, 1995; Heineck, 1996; Coelho, Vargas and Heineck, 1996).
Junqueira (2006) argues that this tool can indicate the sequence of activities
through various repeating units of work (floors, apartments, single family homes,
miles of road and miles of pipelines, for example). Through the adoption of this
concept it follows that activities durations will define production rates. Greater
production rates can be obtained by reducing cycle time or employing multiple crews
to perform de same job in different construction units.
Line of Balance suggests that all activities are to be performed with one single
rate, making it a completely parallel programming, where there is no wasted time
between the end of one activity and the beginning of another (Mendes Jnior and
Heineck, 1998).
The essence of balancing allows to define how many units (rooms, apartments and
floors) will be completed in a given time what brings the following benefits: the reuse
of building gangs in different operations, the best teams schedule, uninterrupted
work for a team (what improves productivity), minimization of inventories of work in
process, better definition of tasks and visual management (Junqueira, 2006).
The idea of work packages displayed on Line Balance allows to identify some
details of the progress of work, such as the activity to be performed (what); the team
that perform such work (who), the place of execution of the activity e.g. (apartment or
floor (where) and the moment in time the activity is performed (when). Finally, it is
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Suhail, Saad A.; Neale, Richard H. (1994). CPM/LOB: New Methodology to Integrate CPM and
Line of Balance. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, v. 120, n.3, p. 667-684,
September 1994.
Lutz, James D.; Hijazi, A. (1993). Planning repetitive construction: Current practice. Construction
Management and Economics, n. 11, p. 99-110
OBrien, J.J. (1969). Scheduling handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc, p. 246-255.
Navy Office of Naval Material, Line-of-balance technology, NAVEXOS, p.1853.
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Rafael de Sousa Leal Martins Moura, Jos Mrcio Feitosa Monteiro and Luiz Fernando Mhlmann
Heineck
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Rafa
ael de Sousa Leal Martins Moura,
M
Jos M
Mrcio Feitosa Monteiro an
nd Luiz Fernanndo Mhlmann
Hein
neck
Figure 3:
3 PDCA cyycles to imprrove repetittive work
PRO
ODUCTION LEVELING
L
Production levveling is obttained by reeducing cycle time, wh
hat brings sm
maller activ
vities
duraation at eacch repeatin
ng unit. Thiis is what is shown in Figure 44. It has alll the
actiivities goingg on throug
ghout most of the projject duratio
on, which ccauses a greeater
stabbilization inn the conssumption oof resourcees, as it is the casee with parrallel
proggramming with
w low prroduction raates (all acttivities undeer the samee low takt tiime)
(Pinnheiro, 20099).
F
Figure 4: Reesource leveling due too the paralleelism of actiivities (Pinhheiro, 2009)).
PUL
LL PRODUCT
TION
Visuualizing acttivities to be
b performeed in a given
n space and
d time makees it is posssible
to inndicate whiich activitiees shall be ppulled by their successo
or ones. Thee use of kan
nban
is tthe answer of Lean Construction
C
n to pull prroduction: line of ballance allow
ws to
undderstand how
w kanban works
w
on a building site.
s
Figure 5 shows oone predeceessor
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activity being pulled by its successor. Pull production allows the minimization of
inventory, once the process is viewed as a whole, knowing the exact moment that
resources will be used.
Figure 6: Production rate indicated by the line of balance slope (Pinheiro, 2009).
SYNCHRONY
The sequence of activities in a line-of-balance enables the choice of how best to avoid
overlapping of activities. Knowing the rate and sequence of activities for each
operator, is possible to establish synchrony and identify any delaying activity
(bottleneck). Figure 7 shows the combination of three production rates for
interdependent activities: the best way of combining them is through a common rate
of progress, avoiding their occurrence at the same time in every repetitive production
unit.
Ohno (1988) says that synchronization in production is obtained by establishing a
single production rate. This production rate should be extended to the external supply
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Rafael de Sousa Leal Martins Moura, Jos Mrcio Feitosa Monteiro and Luiz Fernando Mhlmann
Heineck
of materials. Although the author refers to the automobile industry, this concept might
be used in the construction industry.
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INVENTORY MINIMIZATION
Line of balance can view inventory by an arrow that indicates when materials should
be supplied to each repetitive unit of work. This makes it possible to quantify the
partial consumption of inputs. It also provides a clear evaluation for the total amount
of material stocks that might be needed, what can illustrate the just in time advantages.
Just in time can be made clear by diminishing arrows indicating when materials
should be provided for each unit of work.
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Rafael de Sousa Leal Martins Moura, Jos Mrcio Feitosa Monteiro and Luiz Fernando Mhlmann
Heineck
CYCLE TIME
For Alvarez and Antunes (2001) the duration of a cycle is obtained by the time period
between the repetitions of the same activity in two different production units. The
cycle time is easily detected in a line of balance. Once it is detected, increased
rhythms of work can be obtained by reduced cycle times.
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words "upward trend" and "downward trend", graphically exposes these Lean
Production concepts that are used in Line of Balance.
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Rafael de Sousa Leal Martins Moura, Jos Mrcio Feitosa Monteiro and Luiz Fernando Mhlmann
Heineck
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