Organising logistics and transport activities in construction

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse how different ways of organising transport and logistics activities in construction impact on efficiency. The paper scrutinises three particular transport and logistics configurations: the de-centralised coordinated configuration, the on-site coordinated configuration and the supply network coordinated configuration. Design/methodology/approach Three configurations are derived from the literature and from case studies. The efficiency of the three configurations is analysed on three levels of analysis: the construction site, the supply chain, and across supply chains and construction sites. Findings The paper concludes that there are possibilities to enhance efficiency on all three levels of analysis by widening the scope of coordination beyond the individual construction site. Practical implications The analysis points to efficiency potentials in applying the supply network coordinated configuration, although this configuration puts high demands on collaboration amongst the actors involved. Originality/value The paper provides illustration, and explanation, of the efficiency potentials involved in the three configurations.

Effects of employing third-party logistics arrangements in construction projects

“…Currently, most construction TPL arrangements are employed in urban areas (Jann e and Fredriksson 2019), as these areas are often dense and limited through their available infrastructure (Dablanc 2007). Construction transports thus put additional strain on the transport system (Dablanc 2007), meaning that deliveries to and from construction sites need to be coordinated and managed in a way that reduces their impact on the transport system (Dubois, Hulth en, and Sundquist 2019). This has been a strong driver for employing TPL in construction (Jann e and Fredriksson 2019).…”

“…the 'Iron Triangle' (Atkinson 1999;Chipulu et al 2019). However, balancing project performance in the 'Iron Triangle' is dependent on wellfunctioning construction logistics that ensures that materials and resources are delivered to, and retrieved from, site when needed (Dubois, Hulth en, and Sundquist 2019;Ying, Tookey, and Seadon 2018). If materials and resources are not at site when needed, this will affect the progress of the construction project negatively and have further repercussions on subsequent construction activities (Dubois and Gadde 2002).…”

Blockchain in construction logistics: state-of-art, constructability, and the advent of a new digital business model in Sweden

“…Sweden is experiencing urbanization, as is the rest of Europe. This intensified activity and its associated complex processes, may result in issues such as delayed deliveries, complicated supply chain coordination, and low productivity and efficiency (Dubois et al, 2017). To ameliorate such issues and facilitate all associated logistics services, one state-of-art business practice is the employment of independent third-party logistics consultant firms, which assist in coordinating and handling complex, recurrent and conflicting flows consisting of deliveries of materials, arrival of incoming goods, and other sub-systems.…”

Construction Logistics in a City Development Setting

“…With the increase in urbanization however, the problem of construction logistics management becomes more tangible as more and more projects are built and supplied within dense urban areas. This adds additional strain on the UTS (Browne, 2015), as well as disturbances to surrounding areas (Dubois et al, 2019). This has in turn led to more cities, developers, and contractors seeing the need for better construction logistics management (Dubois et al, 2019), both on site and during transports (Ghanem et al, 2018).…”