Vienna, 16.04.2025 – Less waste, more value creation. This is LEAN Construction’s recipe for success. In the construction industry this means shorter project durations, more efficient processes, and optimised use of resources. PORR was quick to recognise this potential and has implemented LEAN Construction methods throughout the entire Group. The success of this approach can be seen in numerous projects in countries such as Austria, Germany and Romania.

The systematic avoidance of waste – whether it be wasted time, material or capacity – is at the heart of LEAN Construction. All of a project’s work steps are analysed in advance and together in order to optimise the use of resources. On the construction site itself, processes are continuously optimised in collaboration with all trades. This not only increases productivity, but also the plannability and sustainability of construction projects. The result is projects where all parties work together as equals and everyone always has the project goal in mind.

“The future of construction lies in the smart combination of LEAN methods with digitalisation, for example in the form of BIM”, says Strauss. “The time frames for construction projects are becoming ever tighter and the requirements for high-quality, sustainable construction methods and the use of digital data for smarter construction are becoming ever higher. We can achieve optimal outcomes for our clients with LEAN methods and we also happen to be international leaders in this field”.

Lean success stories

Using LEAN, PORR has implemented a logistics system centralised across trades for the first time for a production hall of a major carmaker in Germany in order to increase the value added by the tradespeople. A dedicated logistics team was set up to coordinate all material flows, manage the relief of the intake zones and ensure that the right quantity and type of material was delivered to the assembly site with pinpoint precision. This has resulted in cost savings of hundreds of thousands of euros.

LEAN was also used in projects for Wiener Netze, Austria’s largest combined network operator. As part of a multi-year collaboration to overhaul and expand the power grid, PORR relied on the expertise of its subsidiary pde Integrale Planung. After visualising the process and providing a four-week preview, PORR increased efficiency by coordinating and executing several construction sites in parallel, together with the client. These measures reduced the throughput time for setting up the construction site by 24% and cut downtime by 17%.

Significant efficiency gains were also achieved in Romania. On lot 4 of the Sibiu–Pitesti motorway, PORR optimised the project management by implementing Last Planner® System (LPS) methodology using LEAN methods. This led to a noticeable improvement in cooperation on the construction site: Optimisation opportunities could be identified more quickly and solutions found together. In addition, methods such as the Stage Gate process and Swim Lane diagrams were used. These had an impact on topographical surveys, for example – where the time to produce them fell by 20%.

source: PORR.