Construction and Building

Logistics in construction

On site, material that arrives early is as much a problem as material that arrives late. It takes up space, gets damaged, gets wet and blocks the work. Here the right delivery is the one that is on time and in the right order.

What makes it hard

• There is no storage on site. Material must arrive when it will be used; before and after both cost money.
• Work packages depend on each other. One late item pushes back every trade behind it.
• The cargo mix is very wide. From cement to glass façades, rebar to lifts — items needing entirely different handling sit in one project.
• Access is restricted. On urban sites, entry hours, vehicle size and crane position govern delivery.

How we set it up

The phased shipment plan is tied to the works programme. Each item’s arrival date is calculated backwards from the start of the activity that uses it.

For heavy and over-length cargo the vehicle type, lashing and unloading method are fixed in advance, and the crane and crew are coordinated to be ready at the same hour.

Site delivery coordination — entry windows, route restrictions and contact with the site manager — runs through a single point.

Practical notes

For imported items, customs time must be inside the works programme; most delays come not from transport but from clearance time nobody budgeted. For fragile items such as glass, tiles and cladding, breakage allowance and replacement orders are planned from the start.