Innovative construction logistics

An urban development project the size of Stockholm Royal Seaport involves a large number of actors, (developers, contractors, transporters, material suppliers etc), having access to worksites. It also involves the transport of a large amount of building materials, mechanical equipment, and construction waste to and from construction sites.

A logistics review was carried out in 2011. This found that in addition to reduced environmental impact, the benefits of a logistics centre included increased quality of truck use and delivery management, reduced materials shortages, reduced waste and theft, and, crucially, a better and safer working environment for employees. The review also showed that well-organised logistics could also offer opportunities for developers to dramatically reduce production costs.

Purpose and goal

The purpose of the project is to develop a concept for a Construction Consolidation Centre that co-ordinates and optimises logistics assets in Stockholm Royal Seaport. The goal is to co-ordinate and co-load all truck journeys to and from construction sites.

Results and experiences

The facility consists of a moisture-protected indoor warehouse, a weather-protected outdoor warehouse, a waste facility, and a site office. In addition to the co-ordination of material deliveries, the centre also provides services such as joint shell protection, co-ordinated waste management, site information, co-loading, project phase co-ordination, and year-round street cleaning.

The chosen business model was for the City of Stockholm to own the facility, with an operator responsible for its operation. The operator was procured through a competitive dialogue, i.e. the procurement process began with an open inquiry for proposals on how the facility should be operated. The bids were then developed through a dialogue.

The Construction Consolidation Centre began operations in 2013 and since then has contributed to reducing the number of transports in the area by 30 to 40 per cent. The working environment also improved due to loading and unloading being organised. The centre reports statistics back to developers and contractors, which drive development in workplace logistics, waste management, and other areas. Co-ordination of waste management for each construction site reduces the number of transports to and from the co-ordinated waste management site where waste is co-loaded. Waste transports have been reduced by 50 per cent compared to conventional construction projects. Vehicles that handle building materials and waste use renewable fuels such as HVO100.

The Construction Consolidation Centre is funded by sign up fees and payment for work carried out. Revenue is generated from the City of Stockholm’s own activities, developers, and contractors. The business model is designed to share costs between developers and contractors to create incentives for participation in the Construction Consolidation Centre and to influence costs during the implementation of the project. The model also supports the management of building materials. One example is to increase co-loading by making the “taxi” load service is free of charge, but there is a cost to enter the construction site.

In the future, construction logistics centres may make it possible to carry out systematic recycling of new building materials that cannot be used in construction projects in Stockholm Royal Seaport. A development effort is ongoing.

Since 2013, the Construction Consolidation Centre has trained professionals and employees about sustainability. In 2020, a digital education platform for self-study was developed. Everyone on site needs to have an ID06 authorisation and the training is linked to ID06.

Innovations developed within the Construction Consolidation Centre

Gate and transport booking system

The Construction Consolidation Centre makes use of automatic gates that are installed at the entrances of all construction areas. The gates are monitored and can only be opened by authorised personnel. Construction transports can thus be directed to the right unloading sites at the right times. Using the gate system, it is also possible to the register the environmental class of vehicles that enter worksites.

Vehicle registration numbers are linked to the Swedish Transport Agency’s database, which in turn retrieves environmental data. Today, there are 25 gates throughout the area with this functionality.

Delivery containers for flexible delivery times outside of normal working hours

Off-peak deliveries, (deliveries outside normal working hours), are being made for warehouse operations throughout 2021. The idea is to reduce transports made in rush hour traffic and facilitate more flexible working hours for transport activities.

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