by Wojciech Brożyna – MD of Aluprof UK
Value Management of any project is key to delivering product on time, in the right place, and importantly at agreed costs. Value Management goes beyond ‘Value Engineering’ and should be adopted by all companies who seek to provide professional services in today’s construction market.
Value Engineering seeks to reduce cost often by removing unnecessary physical material in a project in a move to reduce costs of material and therefore reduce the cost of the project. Value Engineering is commonly seen as a secondary operation undertaken when costs need to be reduced on a quoted project for various reasons. Of late, the term seems to have taken on a negative connotation suggesting just a reduction in material content, not always for the good of the project as a whole.
Value Management on the other hand has wider reaching remit and whist it encompasses Value Engineering at the outset, it is the complete ‘value chain’ that is explored in adopting Value Management principles.
At the outset Value Management looks at every process from order through to completion. In the facade industry the principles of Value Management have been adopted by Aluprof in the UK to deliver competitive installations in conjunction with their extensive network of fabricators and installers.
To begin with, an overview of the complete project programme is needed, with each of the processes and deadlines for completion itemised. It is at this stage that options are discussed. One of the obvious choices is that of the system to be used for the facade; as with other high end systems companies, Aluprof offer their systems in various designs to meet the exact needs of the building. An example of this can be seen in Aluprof’s popular MB-50 Curtain Wall system, far from being a single system there are many options to choose from, these include various insulation levels, capping options or structural arrangements, each choice represents a cost or a cost saving. It’s a little like specifying options on a new car taking the base model of choice as a starting point. A further consideration is the optimisation of aluminium profile cutting. To reduce wastage on fabrication, profiles can be extruded to special lengths which offer high levels of cutting optimisation which in turn reduces material waste, which reduces costs. These are just some of the important issues that are reviewed in the Value Management process which ensures that the completed project performs exactly as specified and perfectly meets with the clients expectations.
Utilising BIM to its fullest extent will always ensure that complications are discussed and cleared at very early stages, this again saves cost further down the supply chain. Utilising BIM reduces the quantity of detail installation drawings that need to be completed which compliment the BIM model. Aluprof offer a wide range of BIM models which are constantly being revised to offer as much data as can be easily incorporated into a current BIM project.
With a large systems company such as Aluprof, working on the Value Management of a project at the very early stages, options such as choice of fabrication location can be explored to offer the best value and quality. An example of this could be complex details within a unitised project where a local fabricator could produce all the standard units and where complex, say curved units, are manufactured competitively elsewhere where specialist equipment is available. The key to any programmes would be to add value, not in cost terms, but in quality and time performance. As we are all too aware, time delays on site carry significant costs for both main contractor and consequently sub-contractor.
To ensure that any installation meets exacting site requirements, new profiles can form part of the Value Management process. New profiles could offer not just a better detail, but new profiles can reduce the time taken to install on site. At the extreme end of Value Management is the option of developing an entirely new system to meet a projects requirement. The experience within the technical team at Aluprof makes this option entirely possible, it has been done before.
Installation ‘Value Management’ could mean that on site teams are chosen with installers who are fully experienced in the exact systems being installed, possibly by making up new teams with highly experienced site agents who know the systems being used very well as they have worked on extensive installations using the same systems.
These are but a few of the ‘Value Management’ principles that are explored by Aluprof on any project that they become involved with by specification. As expected it is an iterative process and one that offers both value for the client and sustainable manufacture for Aluprof and its network of UK fabricators and installers.
Aluprof systems are increasingly being specified on a wide range of residential and commercial projects across the UK. All systems are designed, fabricated and installed by selected, specially trained companies to ensure each fabricated product meets the Aluprof exacting standards. Further information is available on the company website at www.aluprof.eu and specialist advice is available directly from Aluprof UK offices on 0161 941 4005.