High logistics standards are crucial to profitability and reputation in the construction industry.

Project success relies on the daily transport of essential materials to and from site. If this is not conducted on schedule and to customer requirements, the effect on project completion can be significant.

But is the construction industry actually failing when it comes to logistics?

A big challenge for the industry

A recent study, conducted by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in conjunction with TomTom Telematics, revealed 41 per cent of UK construction firms say transport-related delays regularly impact on projects. A further 19 per cent say projects are always hit by transport-related delays.

Despite this, logistics systems appear to be in need of modernisation. Of those surveyed, 24 per cent still use paper to manage and record daily deliveries and a further 10 per cent use a whiteboard. Only 20 per cent use dedicated software to manage delivery schedules.

Not only does this leave a potentially heavy administrative burden on staff, but it also leaves systems open to a greater possibility of human error.

Technology at the heart of more efficient processes

Modern telematics systems are designed to help address this problem by integrating fleet management functionality with software such as routing and scheduling or workflow management. This allows firms to benefit from more dynamic scheduling processes, which use up-to-date traffic data and journey times to adjust schedules and send the most appropriate driver to each job.

As a result, customers can be kept up to date with order progress and expectations managed in the case of delays. Automatic email or text notifications can be sent to customers notifying them of any changes to schedule as they happen.

Construction firms are also able to manage transport more efficiently, optimising the loads carried by individual vehicles in order to eliminate unnecessary journeys and reduce cost.

A future based on M2M processes will help the industry to reduce human error and relieve the administrative burden on all staff, helping operational efficiency to hit new heights.