Consolidation centre planning

Consolidation centre planning

A consolidation centre plan aids and enhances the delivery management process of a project, providing greater control and productivity for a construction site, it further enables lean construction initiatives, Just-In-Time deliveries and sustainable best practices.

The plan seeks to utilise consolidation centres for the storage and holding of key fixtures, materials and off-site build components until they are ready for site use and fitting. Bridgehead works with our clients to find the optimum solution for on-site activity and movement, and the use and implementation of consolidation plans can help enable modern methods of construction, increase on-site productivity and reduce waste.

The concept and purpose of a consolidation centre (CC) may appear new but is fundamentally parallel to that of Regional Distribution Centres, the key differences between the two being:

  • CCs are specifically located and geared to service the needs of large construction projects in city areas
  • CCs may place greater focus on added-value processing compared to Distribution Centres

Bridgehead incorporate consolidation centre planning into their wider logistics consultancy, working to ensure lean and responsible construction activity.

The 4 R’s

Using Consolidation Planning also supports initiatives being introduced across the sector as best practice. The Delivery and Servicing Plan, developed by the City of London, examines how major projects can utilise consolidation planning and their ability to work outside of the standard 7am-7pm model using the 4R’s:
Reduce
 Taking steps to minimise the number of delivery and servicing trips to a site, this may include consolidation of deliveries through procurement or use of a consolidation centre.  
Re-time
Ensuring deliveries take place outside peak hours (i.e. avoiding deliveries between 7am-7pm Monday to Friday) 
Revise Mode
Moving away from using petrol or diesel vehicles for deliveries, considering foot, cycle or zero emission delivery vehicles, and requiring a high level of vehicle and driver safety. 
Re-routing
Examining alternative routing measures to mitigate congestion within the local area.

What are the benefits?

Benefits of consolidation centre planning

  • Optimise productivity and reduce labour downtime
  • Eliminate ‘waste’ costs & minimise material waste
  • Minimise impact of site traffic and CO2 emissions
  • Improve quality control and audit trails
  • Demonstrate CSR & improve social relations
  • Increase agility and faster contingency responses
  • Drive greater efficiency through the supply chains
  • Demonstrate to all local stakeholders impacts and assessments have been carried out on delivery congestion management.
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