Controls News 13
6
II
Main theme: Lean automation |
Processes
Courage for reality – the first step from
stress to lean
In the automation of Infrastructure facilities, eve-
ryone involved begins with an ideal, although they
all know that the opposite of this ideal tends to be
the rule. The ideal consists in the contractor knowing
what is required for subsequent operation and com-
municating these requirements 100% to a planner.
The planner in turn understands the contractor fully
and can work up full-scale specifications. The specifi-
cations are finally implemented precisely by service
providers and subcontractors. Thus the operator gets
what he needs.
Since the handover date is approaching imminently and
no one wants to admit to making a mistake, the work is
accepted despite the discrepancy between the installed
equipment and what was actually required – that is, so
long as there is no fatal error. The operator must then
live with the reality that has resulted from the whole
obscure process. Reality means not only the uncertain-
ties of the construction phase and experiences from the
operational phase, but also new user requirements and
legal specifications that mean changes are needed to
the technical installations of the property.
Lean means working on the assumption that many
important requirements are not clearly definable in
advance, and that there is nothing safer than con-
stant evolution. Those are the core elements of the
lean mentality. The adaptability of lean also fulfils
the requirement for maximum added value. This can
only be achieved if the user/operator has a system
that is fully tailored to his or her needs. No ready-
made standard solutions in building automation can
achieve this. Adjustments are always necessary dur-
ing implementation and operation. This adaptability
consists in correcting separately the effects of plan-
ning and bidding practices for each set of works in
the run phase. The «non-lean» approach would be to
overturn current practice and proclaim a better ideal
world of integrated global planning. Lean means ac-
cepting reality and working with it.
That is also typical of lean production. In «non-lean»
production, mistakes made by employees in manu-
facturing end in calls for better training and staff. Lean
means accepting that people always make mistakes,
and minimizing the opportunity for error systemati-
cally in the design and manufacturing process. Lean
automation means striving for the «perfect fit» of
automation for the people and requirements we en-
counter in practice. What it does not mean is being
content with «good fit» automation, and it means no
longer having to live with «basic fit» automation.
The effect on operators and owners when plans and implementation are done on the cheap:
operating costs rise and much follow-up work has to be done. In the USA this is called «penny wise and dollar stupid».
Making savings with cheap planning
Plan
Implement
Operate
Users
Operator
Owner
The effect of the
cheapest plan and
implementation
Life Cycle
Costs
I
black line:
development costs for
«
Cheap in Mind»
planning and handover
green line:
development costs for
«
Peace of Mind» plan-
ning and handover
Unrealistic, wishful thinking as the basis for current processes/standards:
The contractor knows
what the operator wants
and can communicate it
clearly
The planner
understands fully
and can draw up full
specifications
Project start
1.5–3
years later
The reality is constantly repressed and ignored:
Discrepancy
between
is/should be
The delivered facility
allows for basic opera-
tions. Users can move in
Integrator/
subcontractors
implement exactly
as intended
Ideal
functions for
operators/users
The contractor has only
a rough idea of require-
ments, can’t express them,
doesn’t have time
Integrator/subcon-
tractor minimizes
cost and performance.
Current costs are re-
duced, but subsequent
service costs are high.
The planner has
unclear instruc-
tions and cost
pressures and is
risk-averse
But the reality looks more like this: The contractor
is not fully aware of the operational requirements
even at the planning phase. What he does know, he
communicates only partially. The planner doesn’t
understand everything that is said and reasonable
efforts to clarify and document all the details are
not successful. After handover to the subcontrac-
tors/facility construction firm or integrator, the plan
is implemented at minimum cost.
Requirements
Operation
automation solution
Basic Fit
automation solution
Good Fit
Requirements
Operation
automation solution
Perfect Fit
Requirements
Operation
From
the factory
15–20
Years
