The aviation industry faces unique challenges in delivering complex projects. Tight deadlines, operational continuity, and stakeholder coordination are just the tip of the iceberg. For optimising aviation projects, VisiLean organised an exclusive webinar about the benefits of Integrated Planning for Seamless Execution. This webinar features Industry leaders Sam Doble and Paramjit Lota.
Sam is the Operations Director-Head of Planning and Infrastructure at Mace. He has been supporting Heathrow Airport for over 14 years now. Paramjit is the Manager for Customer Success at VisiLean. He shares his extensive experience in supporting our clients, one of them being Mace for 3+ years in their journey of enabling efficiency on Heathrow projects.
In this blog, ‘VisiLean’s Role in Optimising Aviation Projects of Mace at Heathrow Airport’, a recap of the webinar, key takeaways and how this collaboration is transforming aviation project delivery are displayed.
Mace and VisiLean: A Partnership Built for Aviation Excellence
Mace has a long-standing 30+ years partnership with Heathrow Airport and has delivered over 400 projects. Heathrow Airport is renowned as the world’s busiest airport that handles over 80 million passengers annually. These projects can demand intensive planning at a month’s stretch to seamlessly execute a minimum two-hour job on site. As they’re executed within stringent timelines and budget, a minimal impact to the airport operations is a must! Mace relies on VisiLean’s digital platform to streamline planning, execution, and collaboration for all these projects simultaneously.
Sam Doble elaborated how Mace operates under Heathrow’s H7, a 5-year framework. Within this framework, Heathrow undertakes the planning, upgrading, and maintaining projects in the airport environment. While coordinating with the delivery partners, Mace executes the terminal security upgrades across all four terminals. VisiLean integrates with the Production Planning and Control System (PPCs) of Mace, creating a “single source of truth” for teams and suppliers. This alignment minimises manual processes, reduces errors, and ensures real-time visibility into project progress—a game-changer for Heathrow’s high-stakes environment.
Spotlight: The Heathrow Cargo Tunnel
A standout example of this collaboration is the Cargo Tunnel Project, a 1960s-era 870m bi-directional tunnel critical for freight, baggage, and airside vehicles. The upgrade involved asbestos removal, ventilation system overhauls, and installing advanced safety features—all while ensuring zero disruption to airport operations.
The tunnel’s legacy design posed significant hurdles: outdated layouts clashed with modern safety standards, and night shifts had to be meticulously coordinated with a minimal operational impact. The team relied on VisiLean’s PPC Review as well as Constraints Dashboards to gain a complete visibility on critical workflows, delayed status, approvals, thereby enabling rapid resource allocation for maintaining control.
The dashboards eliminated manual coordination, reduced variability, and ensured stakeholders—from planners to subcontractors, all operated from a single source of truth. This synergy allowed the team to modernise the tunnel’s infrastructure while meeting aviation safety mandates.
Key Takeaways from the Webinar
Tackling Aviation Construction Challenges
The session highlighted the intricate hurdles of aviation construction, such as coordinating multiple stakeholders, working within operational constraints of live airports, and managing tight deadlines. From baggage handling systems to terminal upgrades, every detail must be meticulously planned to avoid disruptions.
Collaborative Planning and Stakeholder Alignment as the Cornerstone
“In aviation projects, coordination isn’t just about schedules—it’s about aligning every stakeholder to deliver safely and efficiently in an environment where every minute counts.”
The Terminal security projects range from two to three years. They’re executed piece-by-piece in different phases without disrupting passenger flow. On the other hand, the Cargo Tunnel project can stretch a timeframe of two to six months as per its scope. On an average, the projects consume a year-long duration to be fully executed on site. No matter the size of the project, the quantum of the work from the planning to delivery will utilise time in abundance.
Sam and Paramjit emphasised the need for seamless coordination between on-site teams, remote stakeholders, and suppliers to align on project goals, timelines, and constraints. With standardised processes in the system, replicating workflows across projects with consistency became very easy.
Resource Allocation
With 21 live projects, balancing a workforce of 750+ who is on their toes during the night while 52+ during the day is deployed at the jobsite. This is done while keeping in mind that it is an airport first and a construction site later. A minimal inconvenience is practised for the passenger flow.
The VisiLean Advantage
Attendees discovered how VisiLean as a single source of truth unites the master plan with the production level plans. With lookahead planning process in place, teams flagged 20+ constraints across approvals, design, RAM’s, manpower, and more on weekly basis. This standard procedure of lookahead planning became a norm to make their work ready for execution on site.
Insights for Industry Leaders
From addressing approval gridlocks to tackling supplier coordination and leveraging technology to streamline workflows, the speakers provided a roadmap to ensure smooth execution of short-term, high-impact aviation projects without operational disruptions.
Measurable Benefits for Teams
Attendees learned how VisiLean drives tangible outcomes:
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- Planners, Construction Managers, and Suppliers saved 60% of their time with standardised processes on VisiLean
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- VisiLean’s platform enabled collaborative 4/6/8-week look-ahead planning, live progress tracking, and constraint management (e.g., permits, material approvals).
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- Ensuring seamless adoption across 20 active and 20+ completed portfolio of projects
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- Reduced manual errors by 30% for construction managers
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- A 50% reduction in non-value-added tasks and significant time savings for planners and managers.
Paramjit Lota underscored VisiLean’s role in fostering Lean practices:
“By digitising constraints and enabling live updates, teams focus on value-adding tasks, not administrative bottlenecks.”
Why you should watch the Webinar?
The synergy between aviation expertise of Mace Group and technological expertise of VisiLean offers a blueprint for success in high-stakes construction. Missed the live session? Don’t worry!
Access the full recording on VisiLean’s YouTube channel.
In this webinar, VisiLean enabled efficiency in the execution of Heathrow Airport Project with Mace. This makes it a must-watch for aviation construction professionals aiming to stay ahead in a competitive landscape. VisiLean’s Role in Optimising Aviation Projects of Mace at Heathrow Airport will help you learn how industry leaders are redefining project delivery through innovation and collaboration.
Discover actionable strategies, real-time tools, and proven methodologies that empower you to deliver high-stakes projects with ease and efficiency. By blending industry expertise with cutting-edge technology, VisiLean continues to empower construction professionals to build a better, more connected future. Watch the webinar today and unlock the potential of integrated planning!
