TY  - CONF
TI  - Lean in Action: BZI’s Innovation Process for Steel Erection
C1  - Osaka and Kyoto, Japan
C3  - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33)
SP  - 258
EP  - 269
PY  - 2025
DO  - 10.24928/2025/0289
AU  - Hoots, Adam
AU  - Nalder, Corinne
AU  - Jeffs, James
AU  - Clarke, Shima
AU  - Henry, Alex
AD  - PhD Candidate and Instructor, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA ahoots@clemson.edu, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0383-8437
AD  - Project Engineer, Clayco, Reno, NV, USA corienalder@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5302-6253
AD  - Project Executive, Building Zone Industries (BZI), Cedar City, UT, USA jamesjeffs@bzi.com, https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8933-4638
AD  - Professor and Interim Associate Dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Construction, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA shimac@clemson.edu, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4962-5089
AD  - Project Manager, Industrial Project Innovation (IPI), Greenville, SC, USA alex.henry@ipi.build, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1851-8866
ED  - Seppänen, Olli 
ED  - Koskela, Lauri 
ED  - Murata , Koichi 
AB  - The steel erection sector of the construction industry continues to wrestle with persistent challenges, including safety concerns, workforce inefficiencies, and hesitance toward adopting new practices. This study explores how Building Zone Industries (BZI) aligns Lean Construction principles with innovative solutions to overcome these constraints efficiently and effectively. This case study of BZI's innovation process highlights two examples of unique, innovative, and proprietary BZI tools: the Unilink and Wide Swivel Carriage, both custom-designed to address the specific needs of a mega industrial manufacturing plant. These technologies were conceived from direct communication in the field, brainstorming, and testing. Central to BZI’s approach is the culture of innovation which is focused on safety. Their core values drive the innovation process, which rapidly transitions ideas from conceptualization to deployment as examined in their innovation process. The findings highlight the role of collaborative leadership, workforce engagement, and iterative design in overcoming traditional barriers to Lean adoption. The study highlights the scalability of BZI’s methods offering a replicable framework for integrating Lean practices across the broader architecture, engineering, and construction sector. By advancing both theory and practice, this study provides actionable insights for driving innovation and efficiency in steel erection.
KW  - Lean Construction
KW  - Steel Erection Innovation
KW  - Waste Reduction
KW  - Continuous Improvement
KW  - Workflow Optimization
PB  - 
T2  - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33)
DA  - 2025/06/02
CY  - Osaka and Kyoto, Japan
L1  - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/2430/pdf
L2  - http://iglc.net/Papers/Details/2430
N1  - Export Date: 02 June 2025
DB  - IGLC.net
DP  - IGLC
LA  - English
ER  -