DETROIT, Michigan, October 12, 2023 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, announced today that three of its Lean project delivery experts will present at the 25th annual Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Congress. The event takes place October 24 – 27 at the Huntington Place convention center along the Detroit International Riverfront.
Driving Lean Tools to a New Paradigm
On Wednesday, October 25th at 11:15 AM (EST), SSOE’s Louise Schlatter, NCARB, Principal and Master Architect based in Toledo, Ohio, will present “Driving Lean Tools to a New Paradigm.” In this session, participants will learn how to leverage the power of Set-Based Design and Lean thinking to innovate with owners rather than allowing the owner’s business model to “drive the vehicle.”
Schlatter will advise on setting owner-defined critical business accomplishments as Conditions of Satisfaction, identifying the sequence of key decision points using pull planning (including supply chain issues), and using set-based design to map the road—ensuring the right design items are developed and locked in at the right time.
Schlatter has more than 40 years of design experience that includes groundbreaking work with manufacturing and R&D campuses that started with her successfully leading the first Gold LEED certified building in Ohio. Her extensive knowledge of the built environment—gained working on innovative projects in the automotive, alternative energy, chemical, food, glass, high-tech manufacturing, higher education, and consumer products markets—helps her resolve project challenges, develop complex technical solutions, and mentor project teams along the way.
Winning the Race to Chip Production
On Thursday, October 26th at 10:45 AM (EST), SSOE’s Alyson Dinca, PMP, CSI, CDT, Senior Project Manager based in Huntsville, Alabama, and Joey Kragt, PMP, Senior Project Manager based in Portland, Oregon, will join Hoffman Construction’s Adam Tarr, Industry Innovation Specialist, to present “Winning the Race to Chip
Production Via Integrated Design, Assembly, and Installation (Manufacturing Ecosystem).” Their session will explore the commoditization of standardized, repeatable design scopes that create efficiencies of scale and eliminate waste through the use of Lean principles, tools, and processes—including 5S, Heijunka, Andon, Kanban, Continuous Flow, Kaizen, and Value Stream Mapping.
Leaning in at All Levels
In the weeks leading up to the LCI Congress, SSOE’s Julie Dolan, Lean Practice Leader and Client Success Manager, served as one of two jury facilitators for LCI’s Engineering Design Award. The purpose of this award, as well as LCI’s Design Award, is to encourage Lean in Design and recognize the architects, engineers, designers, clients, and constructors who work together to improve the design and construction process and produce design excellence in the built environment. Dolan, an LCI-approved instructor / facilitator, has led several industry events with owners, trade, and construction partners and is a core team member of the LCI Ohio Valley and National Lean Champion Communities of Practice.
SSOE was instrumental in the development of LCI’s Engineering Design Award, which will be presented for the very first time at this year’s event in Detroit on Thursday, October 26th. Different from LCI’s Design Award, which exemplifies Lean projects with an emphasis on architectural design, the Engineering Design Award celebrates projects that provide “excellence in fit-for-purpose” designs with a focus on providing value to the owner, aiming to drive Lean processes into manufacturing facilities, and supporting exceptional engineering designs.
SSOE is a proud sponsor of this year’s LCI Congress, which brings together owners, members of the design community, general contractors, trade partners, and other Lean professionals to collaborate, network, learn, and share both success stories and challenges. An LCI member since 2015, SSOE leverages Lean tools and strategies with the goal of defining and delivering a collective vision of success on projects by eliminating waste, compressing schedules, lowering costs, and improving satisfaction.
Employees from various levels of the firm’s organization will be in attendance—including SSOE President Catherine Myers, PE, who has served on the LCI Board of Directors since 2022—to gain insight on how to bring additional value to their clients on projects through their full range of delivery solutions.
About LCI
LCI is a member-based organization whose mission is to lead the building industry in transforming its practices and culture through Lean thinking, tools, and technology. They envision a healthy and thriving building industry delivering outstanding project outcomes every time for everyone. Their plans include developing research products to help companies implement Lean production more effectively, learning programs to help answer the “why” and “how” of Lean implementation, and unique national and regional activities to promote Lean learning and networking across the industry. For more information or to register to attend LCI Congress, click here.
