Driving speed to market
As today’s life sciences companies are innovating and growing at record speed, the facilities needed to support that growth are complex, have intense demands on flexibility and rigorous quality requirements. At the same time, these projects are driven by intense speed to market demands.
We asked our experts “How does Lean scheduling create value for life sciences clients?” Their answers offer opportunities from the earliest planning through execution.
Jay Pendergrass
Vice President,
Director of Supply Chain Management & Equipment
“From the supply chain perspective, the first significant opportunity to help our clients achieve aggressive schedule demands is to ensure the earliest possible engagement of the suppliers and vendors. Early collaboration creates partnerships that align the team’s mindset about the project schedule. This Lean approach puts the end goal at the forefront and gets everyone on the same page in terms of solutions-oriented thinking and innovative ideas that can offer schedule improvements right from day 1.
It’s also about having the right team members on board – which is driven by understanding client priorities. When a life sciences client is involved, getting to market as fast as possible is always a key driver. As part of our prequalification process, and continuing through the project, it’s critical to keep our finger on the pulse of our suppliers’ capacity and capabilities. Risk mapping the supply chain allows us to know what equipment and materials the trades are buying, as well as from whom and where, so the team can plan around any delays before they impact our clients’ speed to market.”
With more than 25 years focused on supply chain in the construction industry, Jay leads Gilbane’s Supply Chain team’s enterprise-wide strategy for procurement of equipment and materials, and creating cost savings and operational efficiencies for projects and clients. Jay is a board member for the Houston chapter of the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) and participates in the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), the Construction Industry Institute (CII), and Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)4.
Rich Arndt
Project Executive
“Lean scheduling ensures communication that aligns the team on the right places to add value! Going through the pull planning steps brings to light unanticipated outcomes and client-specific considerations. For example, our team recently worked with a biotechnology research client to advance their schedule. The pull planning process resulted in an opportunity to expedite the schedule up to a month; however, the client ultimately realized that even if the facility was ready early, their staff wouldn’t be able to occupy the facility. This allowed us to re-focus the priorities, avoiding additional costs of the potential schedule improvements and instead the client was able to direct those dollars into other critical priority areas.”
A 14-year construction veteran, Rich recently completed the renovation of existing lab space into automation and cell culture labs for a biotechnology research client.
Jack Rems
Preconstruction Manager
“One of the priority focuses of our lean scheduling approach on life sciences projects is to identify mitigation strategies for long lead times for critical equipment. To mitigate those lead times, we can work with the engineer to provide biddable specifications, often well before subcontractors are on board. Recently, our team was able to direct purchase air handling units to ensure our cell and gene therapy project in New Jersey would complete on time. On this project, the team direct purchased air handling units, two months ahead of the construction documents. With the order placed 10 weeks before the subcontractor could have purchased traditionally, the units arrived on site three months earlier, ensuring no schedule impacts would result from procurement delays.”
With over 12 years of construction experience, Jack has guided numerous life sciences clients through estimating, scheduling, and purchasing to achieve their speed to market objectives.
David Williams
Project Executive
“The Lean scheduling approach on a new 185,000 SF biosciences facility for long-term, high volume clinical manufacturing has kept our team on track to deliver the project within the 19-month schedule. From day one, the approach drove a focus on collaboration and prioritized the schedule based on the design development. For example, the team understood that the design team needed to finalize the HVAC design but that meant that other aspects of the design needed to wait, and yet, construction activities needed to begin. The Gilbane team collaborated closely with the trades to completely coordinate mechanical systems, piping, and ductwork in a design-assist approach to the point where materials could be procured – prior to having plumbing or process piping designs. Working this way, the team did everything possible to accommodate all trades where design was in process, ensuring the space would be available to fit in, while allowing the design team to stay focused on finalizing the critical path HVAC.”
David is a 26-year construction veteran overseeing the construction of a confidential CDMO’s new cGMP production facility for high volume clinical manufacturing.
Stay tuned for more Life Sciences Insights
Upcoming topics will include:
- Aligning construction safety with life sciences industry safety commitments
- Innovative solutions to accommodate rapidly changing facility needs
- Delivering the highest quality to clients
To learn more about our experience, including laboratory spaces, clean rooms, cGMP manufacturing and pilot plants, click here to visit our website or click here to contact our specialists!
