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Lean Construction Management for Pharmaceutical Summer Shutdown

On-Schedule Construction Site Management in a GMP-Regulated Pharmaceutical Environment

A pharmaceutical summer shutdown leaves little room for delays. At a pharmaceutical company’s Vienna site, numerous technical trades, renovation work, cleanroom areas, and approval steps had to be coordinated within a tightly defined shutdown window.

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Early identification of schedule risks

Clear responsibilities and binding deadlines

Transparent handover of critical areas

Project Overview

At A Glance

Customer

Pharmaceutical Company

Industry

Pharmaceutical / Biopharmaceutical

Location

Vienna, Austria

Project duration

January – August 2026

Services

Project, design, and construction management; on-site construction supervision; Lean Construction Management; trade and interface coordination; supplier management

Special features

Tight shutdown window; GMP-regulated environment; high degree of parallelization; ATEX areas; three-shift operation

Many Interests, One Common Goal

A summer shutdown isn’t a project you can simply work through according to plan. Every day, you have to reconcile technical requirements, deadlines, delivery times, and very different personalities—and ensure that, in the end, a common result emerges from many individual interests.

– Jürgen Hoffmann, Project Manager and On-Site Construction Supervisor, Manager of Industrial Engineering & Design at SpiraTec AG
The Challenge

Complex Interfaces Within a Tight Shutdown Window

The high degree of parallel work on HVAC/MSR, electrical, construction, cleanroom, flooring, and process engineering required continuous coordination. At the same time, GMP and plant requirements, ATEX zones, and last-minute changes had to be taken into account.

Critical ventilation commissioning, as well as pipe breaks and fluid leaks, were particularly challenging. Some of the work was carried out in three shifts, as well as at night and on weekends.

  • Direct on-site management with short decision-making paths
  • Lean Construction Management for a Time-Critical Pharmaceutical Shutdown
  • Room-based management of schedules and trade dependencies
  • Coordination of numerous technical and organizational interfaces
  • Structured room and handover inspections
  • GMP-compliant approval and handover coordination
  • Flexible management even outside of standard working hours
    Coordinate daily, resolve issues immediately

    It was crucial to synchronize the concurrently running trades on a room-by-room basis every day and to immediately document any deviations along with responsibilities, measures, and deadlines.

    – Elisabeth Muck, On-Site Construction Supervisor, Professional Consultant for Industrial Engineering & Design at SpiraTec AG
    Our Solution

    LCM transforms scheduling into operational construction site management

    SpiraTec consolidated the planned work at the room, trade, and daily levels and continuously coordinated it with the participating companies.

    In doing so, construction progress and scheduling were directly linked. This allowed deviations to be identified immediately and integrated into the ongoing schedule planning.

    • Daily construction site walkthroughs and room checks
    • LCM daily and weekly planning
    • Identification of dependencies and critical interfaces
    • Progress and supplier monitoring
    • Clear assignment of actions, responsible parties, and deadlines
    • Direct escalation and rapid decision-making

    Crucial to the project’s success was close, short-notice coordination at the project leadership level – between the client’s project management team and SpiraTec – to clarify issues, including their interfaces and consequences, and, based on that, to be able to make quick, fact-based decisions.

    – Client-Side Project Manager
    Project Highlights

    Transparency and Rapid Decision-Making for a Safe Restart

    Early identification of schedule risks

    Faster decision-making in the event of deviations

    Clear responsibilities and binding deadlines

    Structured resolution of outstanding issues

    Transparent handover of critical areas

    Support for a safe restart

    By combining on-site construction management with LCM, the client gained a transparent and robust overview of progress, open issues, and critical dependencies.

    Get in touch

    Does this challenge sound familiar to you?
    If so, please feel free to contact us, and we’ll work together to find a solution.

    Frank Schönel

    Industrial Engineering & Design

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