2024 LCI Engineering Design Award Announcement

2024 LCI Engineering Design Award Announcement

The Lean Construction Institute is pleased to recognize the awardee of the second annual Engineering Design Award:

Merck B63A, Montgomery County, Pa

  • IPS – Integrated Project Services, LLC – EPCM
  • Merck – Project Owner

Key Partners

  • EAS
  • Keyplants
  • Butler/Span

Design Assist Partners

  • Herman Goldner Co.
  • Hatzel and Buehler
  • Oliver Fire protection
  • Frank V Radomski & Sons
  • Bonland Sheetmetal
  • Blair Park

The 63A project was initiated in December 2020 to provide a facility to house a multi-product syringe filling line that will deliver the safe, compliant, and reliable annual production of 70 million pre-filled syringes. The project will increase doses of vaccines by adding drug product capacity at the Merck PA manufacturing site. The vaccine produced helps protect individuals against diseases and related cancers. To achieve this goal, the project heavily utilized Lean tools, and developed a model termed ‘EPCM Integrator’ that would ensure meeting the project’s schedule and cost target.

This project’s success stemmed from embracing lean principles, which became a cornerstone of its approach. By utilizing lean tools and innovative methods, the design phase benefited significantly, leading to positive impacts throughout the subsequent stages of construction, start-up and commissioning. The project also fostered early engagement with trade partners through a design assist program, enabling an overlap between engineering and construction phases.

About the award –

The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Engineering Design Award recognizes delivering excellence in fit for use and engineering design while advancing the industry through collaborative Lean Project Delivery. The purpose of this award is to encourage Lean in Design and recognize the architects, engineers, designers, clients and constructors who work together to improve the design and construction process and produce design excellence in the built environment.

Submissions were scored by factor:

  • Generation of Value Fit for Use (50%)
  • How Lean tenets were used to achieve the final project (50%)
    • Respect for People
    • Optimize the Whole
    • Continuous Improvement
    • Removal of Waste
    • Process/Flow
    • Cost and Schedule Approach

We would like to acknowledge the 2024 LCI Design Award planning team for pioneering this award program.

LCI Design Award Planning Team Members and Engineering Design Award Jury Committee:

Planning team: Bernita Beikmann, HKS, Inc.; Robert Bostwick, Bostwick Design Partnership, Stan Chiu, HDR; Julie Dolan, SSOE; Lisa Hitchingham, SSOE; Romano Nickerson, Boulder Associates; Neelanjana Sen, Stantec; Andrea Sponsel, HKS, Inc.; Annmarie Thurnquist, Jacobs; Steve Wilson, HMC Architects

Jury facilitators: Julie Dolan, SSOE and Annmarie Thurnquist, Jacobs

Jury Committee: Eric Ahlstrom, Amgen; Rebecca Boyd, Jedson Engineering; John Davis, Georgia Pacific; Hal Plaag, Gresham Smith, Albert Schwarzkopf, Wood

LCI received many impressive submissions and would like to extend our appreciation to all those who submitted. Awardees will be recognized on Thursday, October 24th at the 2024 LCI Congress Award Ceremony in San Diego, CA!