Smart Logistics Planning for Superintendents

5 ways to use logistics to keep prefab, modular builds on schedule

By Nick Fryer

Prefab and modular construction projects are finally getting the attention they deserve thanks to the sustainability and cost-efficiency advantages they offer. Even major airports are using prefab builds, but so much of the industry’s appeal depends on smooth assembly methods.

If materials take too long to arrive, timelines get extended, and the money that was meant to be saved by a quicker build is wasted on unused labor and machinery, not only does this result in irritated clients, but it can bloat business costs. In order to take advantage of the growth the prefab and modular market is experiencing, construction professionals need to pay just as much attention to logistics as they do to the builds themselves.

Lessons learned from poor logistics on modular sites
What most clients love about a prefab or modular project is the compressed timeline. It’s also what can make these projects so tricky for superintendents.

Pre-built items are designed to be installed promptly after delivery. If they arrive too soon, there’s the stress of finding places to store them. The expense of this alone can send clients into a tailspin. Conversely, delays on even one module can grind everything to a standstill. It’s why managing supply chain disruptions proactively is so important.

Pre-fab builds don’t have the luxury of adjusting timelines the way regular builds do. They’re too sequential for that. Items being delivered late, early or in the wrong order all have the potential to increase costs and slow the schedule.

With each hiccup, sites are left with idle cranes and labor and stacked storage or redelivery fees leaching from the bottom line. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but time and again, logistics planning has been proven to be one of the most vital and underutilized ways to ensure pre-fab projects hit their timeline goals.

Predictive analytics takes out the guesswork
“Predictive analytics” might sound like something that belongs in the tech world, but it’s a highly effective tool for addressing inefficient installation methods that have otherwise plagued modular construction. By drawing on past and present data, alongside AI and ML-powered algorithms, predictive analytics and smart logistics platforms take the guesswork out of keeping a build on schedule.

The following are five key ways in which superintendents can use smart technology to improve day-to-day logistics on a jobsite and hit timeline goals.

1. Detect potential bottlenecks
There’s nothing worse than going to great lengths to plan around a module delivery, only to arrive onsite and discover it’s been waylaid by bad roads or another blockage.

Predictive logistics platforms can be used to forecast potential bottlenecks based on historical and current traffic and weather data, as well as prior logistics data. This means fewer last-minute surprises on the jobsite and more opportunities for superintendents to prepare for and mitigate against disruptions.

2. Routing assistance
Once a potential delay has been flagged, the next step is usually a routing adjustment. That task alone can steal precious time from a superintendent’s day and require consulting with logistics partners, GPS data, etc. A smart transportation management system, however, cuts down that time significantly by providing insightful, data-driven routing information from a centralized dashboard.

These platforms can be used to optimize routes according to potential delays, other timing and scheduling issues or to reduce fuel usage. This helps superintendents ensure prefab and modular deliveries arrive on time and with minimal expense required so that projects stay on track in terms of both schedules and budgets.

3. Determine best delivery windows
With larger module deliveries, especially, figuring out the best delivery window can be a nightmare. It has to suit local road restrictions, scheduling onsite and the logistics partner all at once.

A TMS equipped with AI technology can offer suggestions on the best delivery windows according to these parameters and help ensure deliveries aren’t unnecessarily delayed simply because the delivery time was set for a bad traffic time or when the crew won’t be ready to unload.

4. Sync deliveries with jobsites
The job of keeping deliveries synced with onsite workflows has traditionally been handled through constant phone calls and messages. It’s stressful, and often by the time the call has been made or the message read, something’s already changed.

Real-time tracking with GPS and RFID tags, and a centralized TMS that processes that data, cuts out the need for back-and-forth communication. Instead, automated alerts are sent when deliveries are on route or near enough to warrant crews prepping unloading zones. This easy exchange of information helps superintendents synchronize jobsite activity with incoming deliveries and, in doing so, keep work on schedule.

5. Just-in-time delivery
Just-in-time delivery has been gaining popularity in construction due to its cost-saving benefits, but to operate as such, it requires technology that can assist with the aforementioned logistics tasks. Better routing, delivery window optimization and synchronization between building site workflows and logistics plans all help ensure JIT deliveries really do get there just in time.

Even one of these insights has the potential to save a build from delays. Cumulatively, the forecasting of predictive analytics is hugely powerful for keeping assemblies on track and projects on time. The technology takes the guesswork out of logistics planning by bringing together the disparate, more complex parts of the process and streamlining them.

The benefits of this aren’t just evident in the projects themselves but with happier customers and better relationships with delivery partners.

 

Prefab and modular builds currently make up a fraction of the construction industry, but as commercial projects face tighter budgets than ever, businesses have a chance to capitalize on the best parts of this building approach. Be it offices, airports or multifamily construction, there are plenty of opportunities to tap into.

Smart logistics is the secret weapon for those trying to stand out within the world of prefab and modular projects. It saves superintendents time and companies money, eases daily burdens, and ultimately allows projects to hit their timeline goals so that all the benefits of a pre-fab build are front and center.

Nick Fryer is vice president of marketing, Sheer Logistics.