Upholding lean work in steel construction

Lean working at Meco Metal is not something of recent years. It has been working on it for more than eight years, but that doesn't mean the work is done now. Meco Metal continues to take a continuous critical look at optimizing internal flow and processes. And that is bearing fruit. In the workshop you can almost eat off the floor, there is hardly any (residual) material and with the structurally short lead times it manages to surprise many a client. A working method that attracts attention and inspires fellow companies, schools and even new employees.

We too are somewhat surprised when we walk through Meco Metal's workshop. No dust and smoke, no dirt and oil and hardly any materials lying around, as is often customary at a steel construction company. No, the workshop - or workshop, as the men of Meco Metal like to call it - looks clean, tidy and fresh. "And that is certainly not a snapshot," assures us company manager Domien Driesen, who together with Remi Moonen has been involved from the very first moment in the implementation of the lean methodology in the company. "Order and tidiness is now in the DNA, also of our people. That took some crumbs in the beginning, also to convince everyone of the many advantages, but now we are all reaping the benefits."

Pleasant environment

Before the gentlemen committed to the company in 2017, Meco Metal was also a typical steel construction company with a packed workshop, a lot of downtime and relatively high labor turnover. "Although we started by picking the low-hanging fruit, we also knew at the time that the structure at the time did not fit the flow we wanted to create," says Driesen. "Thus, the entire layout was shaken up. That led to quite a bit of resistance at first, but it was soon discovered that working lean also means that employees' tasks actually become a lot more pleasant. That prevails in all the choices we make and even motivates potential candidates to choose our company. We too experience challenges in the labor market, but we find that people choose us precisely because we are a forerunner. There is peace, order and cleanliness in the workshop. That is appreciated."

Grip on planning

Working lean also requires a grip on planning and work preparation. After all, this prevents inefficiencies, unexpected stagnations and duplication of effort. "Planning stands or falls with how you have processes set up," according to Moonen. "We have ensured that we are flexible, including with staffing. For example, assemblers can weld and vice versa. In this way, we ensure that production continues even when employees are absent. Because we guarantee planning in this way, we can always fulfill our agreements with customers. They notice this not only in the quality and cleanliness of the product, but also in the delivery. We have really tight lead times, which is sometimes surprising. That trucks stay here because the assembly cannot keep up at the site." 

The lean methodology also generates interest from outside, Driesen notes. "We cooperate with surrounding schools that come to us to see what lean working in steel construction looks like in practice. We also provide internships and apprenticeship/work programs." Driesen invites (potential) customers to visit their workshop so they can experience for themselves how Meco Metal really makes a difference. "Fellow companies in the steel construction industry are also welcome." Both gentlemen are not sitting still. "After an extensive audit, we have just renewed our ISO 14001 environmental certification for another three years, and we are already looking at 2027/2028 and beyond. We try to look years ahead, making investments that will ensure even better flow and even shorter lead times."