Takt production provides a schedule for material deliveries on a construction site – order processing automation is developed in cooperation

Industrial construction’s process-centric way of working, based on takt production, takes material delivery requirements to the next level: deliveries must be completed as expected so that production on the site is not disturbed. Indeed, the transformation of the working methods brought along by takt production requires the digital management of material flows, in which orders to be delivered to the site are managed in the site’s logistics system, with fully digital processing of orders to suppliers. This automates current manual work and facilitates site and supplier operations.

In practice, takt production entails more, smaller-batch deliveries to construction sites to a reasonable extent and construction materials are no longer stored on the site. Delivery reliability and the management of changes and non-conformities play an increasingly important role in successful site operations. Furthermore, a detailed parts list for each work package is created in the site’s logistics system. The list can be used in the automation of emissions data calculation or for maintenance, indicating the materials and products which the building is made of.

The construction site of the Asemanmäki parking hall is a pioneer

In YIT’s Asemanmäki parking hall project, orders for ready-mixed concrete from Rudus were made digitally using Carinafour’s and Platform of Trust’s solutions.

“For years, YIT has had good cooperation with Carinafour in the development of material flow management in takt production projects. Digitalisation is not a value in itself; instead, it must serve as a tool for tackling tangible supply chain challenges with a site-oriented approach. Our view is that, in the future, site orders must be made by means other than phone or email and for this purpose, Platform of Trust introduces a shared solution for the industry,” says Siru Rinne, Director, PMO Development at YIT.

“We have used the CALS system to direct the supply chains of individual items in the project industry for a longer period of time already and it has been possible to prove the benefits achieved. In Asemanmäki, it has been great to take part in the development of frame and concrete mass material flows with YIT, Betset, Rudus and PoT. It is definitely so that the idea of materials data management shared by the entire network creates a significant amount of value also in casts and prefabricated element frames,” says Carinafour’s owner Ari Viitanen.     

The Asemanmäki parking hall, to be built during 2022, is one of YIT’s industrial construction projects that uses an advanced digital takt production system. Digital order processing was a good experience for the concrete supplier, Rudus.

“Our experience of digital order processing in the Asemanmäki project was extremely positive. In practice, site orders were channelled directly into our order processing system and the main tangible benefit was reduced manual work in the processing of orders. This also reduced human errors and digitalisation introduces transparency into process development. For years, we have developed digital solutions for our customers and cooperation with YIT was a great opportunity and a natural continuation to our development activities, creating added value,” says Mika Moisander, Development Director at Rudus.

Platform of Trust, used in the Asemanmäki parking hall project, is a data exchange platform, on which different parties can develop their services. Its operation is bi-directional, in line with the principles of the modern platform economy, which makes it possible for each party to both use and enrich the data on the platform.  

“Platform of Trust acts as a kind of interpreter between the systems of parties ‘speaking different languages’ and ensures that the entity operates seamlessly and can be controlled according to the end users’ needs. The digitalisation of order processing in connection with Carinafour’s CALS system was one of our first use cases in industrial construction. We are of course actively developing the functionality of our platform and from this point of view, it was interesting to test the automation of material document delivery in the Asemanmäki project,” comments Pekka Aalto, Sales Director at Platform of Trust, a company promotion digitalisation in the construction industry. 

Industrial construction in a nutshell

Industrial construction refers to a process-oriented (takt production), standardised way of building, where part of the work traditionally done on construction sites is outsourced to factories and in which the operating model is constantly improved on the basis of data collected from different construction parties. The site’s digital materials management system is an important part of industrial construction.

“In the Asemanmäki project, we learnt a lot more about how it all must work together and what is the best way for each party to create added value for the project. Open joint development is a key aspect in promoting digitalisation in our industry,” notes Siru Rinne and Ari, Mika and Pekka agree.

YIT’s objective is to expand the digital management of material flows in takt production projects and to further develop a solution, together with material and technology suppliers, to make the related benefits available to all parties.

Takt time production improves quality, saves time and helps the environment

YIT Homes are completed in a controlled manner, even ahead of schedule