The historical development of logistics has evolved from military supply strategies to encompass comprehensive economic applications. In the stationary industry, lean methods and just-in-time (JIT) concepts have demonstrated the potential to significantly enhance productivity. The construction industry has also been utilising these methods in an adapted form for an extended period. Site managers are tasked with coordinating construction site processes, with logistics often perceived as a supporting function. The challenge of integrating upstream and downstream stages of the value chain therefore persists in the construction industry. Centralised logistics management is essential to establish the conditions for comprehensive supply chain management in the construction industry. Subsequently, construction consolidation centres offer promising potential for implementing an efficient JIT supply of construction projects. By avoiding unnecessary waiting times and search activities on construction sites, construction consolidation centres contribute to increasing productivity in the industry. Best practice examples, such as the pRED research centre in Basel and the logistics network in London, demonstrate that the central management of logistics services and the utilisation of construction consolidation centres can alleviate the burden on companies and reduce the environmental impact. Despite the positive effects, there are still challenges, such as high implementation costs and traditional ways of working, that need to be overcome. The findings indicate that contemporary logistics management strategies, encompassing logistics centres and sophisticated control and buffering of logistics processes, can facilitate the objectives of supply chain management and lean thinking. These strategies yield synergistic effects when combined with innovations such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), offering promising avenues for the further advancement of construction logistics.
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The historical development of logistics has evolved from military supply strategies to encompass comprehensive economic applications. In the stationary industry, lean methods and just-in-time (JIT) concepts have demonstrated the potential to significantly enhance productivity. The construction industry has also been utilising these methods in an adapted form for an extended period. Site managers are tasked with coordinating construction site processes, with logistics often perceived as a support...
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