Lean management framework for improving maintenance operation: development and application in the oil and gas industry

Abstract

Lean production theory and techniques have been widely applied in the manufacturing and construction sectors to improve process efficiency by reducing the waste and increasing the value in the value streams. Turnaround maintenance (TAM) is a periodic comprehensive maintenance programme, in which the operations present a unique work scope and context and are conducted following a unique maintenance process. A well-organised project management process is essential to improve the operation efficiency of TAM. Therefore, this study aims to develop a systematic lean management framework based on value stream mapping and structured analysis, evaluation, and validation, specific to the TAM operation efficiency in Oil and Gas industry. Finally, the proposed framework is verified through a case study by using 4D building information modelling taken from a real life environment. The framework provides structured guidance and empirical evidence for using lean for integrating improvement and evaluation in TAM project management.

Keywords:

• Turnaround maintenance
• lean management framework
• value stream mapping
• 4D BIM
• maintenance management

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wenchi Shou

Wenchi Shou, Ph.D., is a lecturer in the School of Built Environment at Western Sydney University. Her research interests are in value stream mapping, lean construction, Building Information Modelling, and simulation, exploring the application of digital lean to improve construction and operation performance across building, infrastructure, and oil and gas industries. As a Chief Investigator, she has obtained one Australian Research Council Linkage project.

Jun Wang

Jun Wang, Ph.D., is a Lecturer in Construction Management at Deakin University. His research interests focus mainly on leveraging emerging technologies, such as Building Information Modelling, Internet of Things, Linked Data and Blockchain, to improve construction and operation performance across the building, infrastructure, and oil and gas industries. As a Chief Investigator, he has been involved in two Australian Research Council funded projects.

Peng Wu

Peng Wu, Ph.D., is a Professor with the Department of Construction Management, Curtin University. His research areas include sustainable construction, lean production and construction, production and operations management, and life cycle assessment. In 2016, he received the Discovery Early Career Research Award from the Australian Research Council, which is a prestigious award to support excellent basic and applied research by early career researchers.

Xiangyu Wang

Xiangyu Wang, Ph.D., is a Professor with the Department of Construction Management, and Director with the Australasian Joint Research Centre for Building Information Modelling, Curtin University. He is an expert and leading researcher on automation in construction. He received 5 Linkage grants, 5 Discovery grants, and 1 Training Centre grant from Australia Research Council from 2013 to 2019. He is on the Board of Directors and country representatives of the International Society of Computing in Civil and Building Engineering (ISCCBE) and International Association of Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC), two most highly regarded academic societies in Automation in Construction.