好色先生TV

Pssst 鈥� want to cut traffic congestion, carbon emissions and get 拢3bn for free? No, this is not a spam email message promising untold wealth but the central tenet of a report published today by the Strategic Forum. Prepared by the Construction Products Association, it鈥檚 called Improving Construction Logistics and it concludes that the construction industry is throwing away 拢3bn every year thanks to poor logistics.

The amount of waste highlighted in the report makes depressing reading. It says that 10% of a skilled workers鈥� time is spent either finding materials and equipment or waiting for them to turn up. On top of this, many construction lorries are travelling around part-loaded or empty. Excessive vehicle movements increase congestion and carbon emissions 鈥� a fact that has prompted Transport for London to fund an initiative to improve construction logistics in the capital (see 鈥淭he logistics expert鈥�, overleaf). Materials that arrive on site too early get damaged, which either affects the quality of the finished product or results in materials having to be thrown away. Health and safety performance is also affected, as workers are moving goods around site unnecessarily and excessive vehicle journeys inevitably add to accident figures. None of this exactly promotes construction as a green or safety-conscious industry.

The main reason that nothing is being done about this problem is the construction industry鈥檚 fragmented nature 鈥� there is no obvious point of responsibility for improving the situation. The conservative nature of the industry doesn鈥檛 help, either. 鈥淭raditionally the industry has been prepared to accept this waste whereas other sectors have done something about it,鈥� says John Brooks, an associate director of Mace, which is supplying logistics services at Heathrow鈥檚 Terminal 5. 鈥淲e have got into this cycle of perpetually over-ordering materials and we don鈥檛 seem to care what happens further up the supply chain.鈥�

A lack of trust in the supply chain is another reason why there is so much waste. 鈥淲e get people ringing up on a Monday morning saying they need the materials the next day, then we find out they鈥檙e still sitting around three weeks later and have got damaged,鈥� says Michael Ankers, chief executive of the Construction Product Association. 鈥淢anufacturers have got to give complete assurances that the materials will be available when needed, particularly if they鈥檙e given plenty of notice.鈥�

On a more positive note, the report suggests ways of tackling the problem. The key strategy is planning in advance 鈥� at the design stage. The report recommends that designers prepare a process map that shows the flow of materials. Phil Holden, managing director of architect Pascall + Watson, says the influence that design can have on logistics was brought home to him on a satellite pier at Stansted airport. To illustrate his point he gives the example of the pier鈥檚 cladding modules, which were supplied by E E cladding specialist Schmidlin and were trucked in from Switzerland. The optimum width for transporting the cladding modules was 1.8 m, but the optimum size for speedy erection was 2.5 m. Holden says: 鈥淲e had to do a complex calculation as the choice was between more lorries and faster erection, or slower erection but with fewer lorries.鈥� In the end wider modules were chosen, which might seem bizarre, but in the context of the logistics of the whole project it was the most efficient solution.

The report also recommends that main contractors draw up a logistics plan at the beginning of a project. The main contractor would consult with specialist contractors and product manufacturers and would then draw up a bill of materials needed for the project. Product manufacturers would have advance notice of what was needed and could help streamline project logistics.

This approach is already being used by Bovis Lend Lease. Gavin Heaphy, pre-construction director for the company鈥檚 strategic clients group, says: 鈥淲e get involved at the very early stages of projects to put together a strategy for the project delivery. By the time we get to site we have a very well-formulated plan in terms of design, logistics and how we interface with trade contractors.鈥� He adds that early involvement of trade contractors is crucial.

Ultimately, however, saving that 拢3bn a year will only be possible if the entire industry moves forward. A key barrier to progress is the fact that there is virtually no published evidence of the savings that can be made from good logistics. 鈥淭here is very little understanding of the costs of logistics in the industry, as there are very few case studies to demonstrate the savings,鈥� says Mike Eberlin, the commercial director of Castle Cement. 鈥淲e are still on the starting blocks.鈥� Perhaps, after the Strategic Forum鈥檚 report, the industry will finally move into full stride.