Background
Mercury was appointed to deliver PAR11, a large-scale data centre facility in Paris with a capacity of 19.6 MW. The project required the coordination of multiple MEP trades across a complex build programme. Mercury partnered with VisiLean to digitise their production planning and bring lean principles into the day-to-day execution of the project.
Challenges
- Coordinating multiple MEP trades across overlapping work zones
- Managing design changes and material delivery flows in real time
- Limited cross-trade visibility leading to clashes and rework
- Manual reporting and fragmented planning tools causing delays in decision-making
Solution
VisiLean was deployed as the central production management platform, enabling:
Digital Last Planner System � Weekly work planning sessions moved from spreadsheets to VisiLean, giving every trade a shared view of commitments and constraints.
Lookahead Planning & Programme Management � 6-week lookahead plans were managed collaboratively, with constraints tracked and resolved before they caused delays.
Constraint Management � All blockers (design, materials, access, prerequisites) were logged, assigned owners, and tracked to resolution.
Live Reporting & Dashboards � Real-time dashboards via Power BI replaced manual weekly reports, giving leadership instant visibility into PPC, constraints, and programme health.
Collaboration & Transparency � All trades and subcontractors accessed the same live plan, eliminating information silos and improving coordination.
Outcomes & Impact
- Early completion: Practical completion achieved three months ahead of programme
- Planning reliability: PPC improved from 52% to 85-90%
- Reduced waiting time: Trade waiting reduced from 18% to less than 8%
- Reporting efficiency: Weekly reporting time reduced from 6 hours to zero with automated dashboards
- Programme agility: Rapid re-planning capability when design changes occurred
- Cost avoidance: Significant reduction in rework and idle crew costs
Key Learnings
- Real-time visibility into production status is essential for large-scale MEP coordination
- Digital Lean tools must be embedded into daily workflows, not used as a reporting afterthought
- Transparency across trades builds trust and reduces defensive scheduling
- Standardising the planning process across projects enables continuous improvement and knowledge transfer
Download Full Case Study
Fill in your details to download the complete “Delivering Lean Excellence on PAR11 with VisiLean: Mercury’s Digital Approach to Data Centre Construction” case study as a PDF.
