John Sisk & Son, the Irish based international construction firm today announced it was investing €2.4 million to enhance productivity and expand its operations as part of a company-wide LeanTransform programme, which is supported by the government through Enterprise Ireland.

Productivity is at the heart of “Lean for Sisk” – continuous improvement, eliminating waste, and maximising the potential of digital technology as a productivity enabler. The productivity imperative comes into sharp focus in the context of current skills shortages, the Government’s Ireland 2040 programme and indeed the urgent need to build 40,000 homes per year. The construction industry simply needs a step-change in output.

Sisk continues to be recognised as the industry leader in Ireland in the implementation of lean thinking and principles and is driven to play its part in maximising the productivity of the construction industry – in addition to its own performance. Increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the industry will help ensure continued inward investment from high-tech multinationals, as well as supporting the delivery of infrastructure and housing at home. In addition, Sisk’s strategy of continued expansion in Europe requires its workforce to be versatile, client-centric and fully equipped to deliver real value in a rapidly evolving industry, continually pushing the boundaries in finding innovative solutions to the challenges that construction faces every day.

To this end, Sisk engaged with Enterprise Ireland (EI) to develop a tailored LeanTransform programme to be delivered over a two-year period. LeanTransform is an Enterprise Ireland-supported intensive business-wide training programme geared towards ensuring that all staff are skilled in applying Lean tools, techniques and thinking to all aspects of the business.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD said: “Today’s announcement by Sisk is welcome news for the construction industry. Increasing Ireland’s competitiveness and supporting economic growth is a priority for Government and enhancing the productivity of our homegrown indigenous companies through programmes such as LeanTransform delivers on this. Sisk is an excellent example of an industry-leading and innovative company and I would like to congratulate them for their continued commitment to supporting the growth and development of their teams, further leveraging Ireland’s positive reputation in the construction sector on a global scale.”

Tony Sheridan, Director of Performance and Quality, John Sisk & Son said: “We are always developing and improving our people and this LeanTransform initiative will support them in their journey, as part of our broader commitment to Quality, Digital Project Delivery, Planning and overall Project Performance. Productivity, respect, trust and open collaboration with all partners, supply chain and client alike, will be the key themes emerging from what we anticipate will be a further cultural shift across the organisation. We are determined that this culture change will become embedded in the industry as supply chain partners, clients and indeed competitors see the value of what they are doing.”

Joe O’Sullivan, Regional Director, John Sisk & Son said: “We are extremely grateful to Enterprise Ireland for its continued support. This will further support us in meeting the needs of our clients, developing our staff, and enhancing the Lean culture which is developing in our company and indeed in the industry. We have embraced the use of Lean tools and thinking to maximise our ability to collaborate with partners and our supply chain, and the implementation of every opportunity to enhance productivity through digital technology. In particular, the support and guidance received from Enterprise Ireland in the rigorous grant application process was invaluable.”

Dermot Reidy, Senior Development Advisor, Construction Services, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting indigenous Irish businesses to build scale and expand reach and we have worked closely with Sisk for many years as it has grown into a global leader. The LeanTransform programme was developed to support leading companies to enhance their productivity and to enable them to evolve with emerging technologies and trends. The focus of the programme, is to support Sisk’s expansion into European markets in high-tech construction and we will continue to support the company on their growth trajectory.”

Pictured above: Dermot Reidy, Enterprise Ireland, Owen Sisk and Joe O’Sullivan. both John Sisk & Son.