Industrialised, Integrated, Intelligent sustainable Construction - I3con

HANDBOOK 2 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
Six logistics examples that help meet the demand being placed on construction project teams
We have established that the purpose of construction project logistics is to maximise the freedom of
action of the teams involved in assembly work on site. This freedom of action means that installation
teams can focus on value-creating work, because constraints that cause construction productivity,
build quality, worker health, site safety and material waste issues and have been identified and
controlled.
Historically, construction project teams have competed against each other by providing the most value
for the least cost. However, modern project teams need to provide the most value for lowest cost, in
the least time and with the minimum of social and environmental impact. This can only be achieved
through correctly delivered construction project logistics.
Correctly delivered logistics will ensure that the production process is correctly designed, the
production infrastructure on site and external to the site is properly planned, procured and established,
and actual construction progress informs the supply of resources to the workface. This will include an
assessment of what is logistically possible within the constraints of the production environment that is
the construction site, and within the constraints of the geographical location in which the construction
site is situated. This will help ensure that the working space, materials, plant, tools, equipment and
workforce required for each assembly task are correctly delivered.
This means that logistics must be conducted as an integral part of, and not parallel to, all other
strategic and operational activities. As part of the integration of logistics with activities such as
design, planning, procurement and commercial management, the aim should be to ensure that the
following six integrated logistics principles are adopted by the whole project team.
Foresight
Logistic foresight is the ability to predict and manage critical logistics constraints to the construction
project team’s freedom of action. Construction professionals at all levels need to analyse the sequence
of future assembly activities and forecast the requirement for
� Personnel
� Materials
� Plant, tools and equipment
� Working space
� Access (in and out of specific working environment and the overall site)
� Construction support services such as canteen, welfare, storage and security
Visibility
Situational awareness of construction tasks is the first key element of logistics visibility because it
defines the real-time logistics mission and establishes priorities. A project team needs a clear, shared
understanding of each task, and also maintain a view that encompasses all the tasks being undertaken
on site.
In addition, the project team needs to have clear visibility of the seven pre-requisites required for each
assembly task – information, materials, workforce, plant and equipment, working space, connecting
works and external conditions. This visibility informs the project team about its ability to meet the
demands of the tasks.
Co-operation
Assembly works require a co-operative approach to logistics from strategic preparation to execution
on site. A pre-requisite for co-operation is the development of a shared understanding of what needs
to take place, how and when it needs to take place, together with the timely, accurate exchange of
relevant information.
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