The construction sector in emerging economies frequently faces workflow variability, excessive material handling, waiting time, rework, and poor coordination among crews. This study evaluates the applicability of Lean Construction tools in three construction processes in Paraguay: exposed-brick masonry elevation, reinforced-concrete pile fabrication, and concrete pillar casting. A multiple-case study approach was adopted, combining field observations, time measurements, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), lean improvement proposals, and discrete-event simulation in Arena®. Current-state process maps were developed to identify value-added (VA) and non-value-added (NVA) activities. Future-state scenarios were then modeled by incorporating low-tech lean tools such as 5S, Poka-Yoke, the Last Planner System, line balancing, and sectorization. Results showed reductions in total process time from 1878 to 1719 min in Project 1, from 73 to 49 days in Project 2, and from 19 to 12 days in Project 3. The corresponding improvement rates were 8.45%, 32.87%, and 36.84%, respectively. The findings suggest that Lean Construction tools, when adapted to the specific waste patterns of each site, can support process stabilization and reduce NVA time in resource-constrained construction environments. The study contributes applied evidence from Paraguay and illustrates the value of combining VSM and simulation as decision-support tools before wider implementation.

Keywords

Lean Construction, Value Stream Mapping, Discrete-event simulation, Process improvement, Construction productivity.