organized chaos This is how most general contractors (GCs) would describe coordinating material deliveries on a busy job site.
Any project team that has used whiteboards, Outlook calendars, or spreadsheets knows from experience that these approaches often hit a roadblock, eventually due to insufficient adoption.
Lack of delivery visibility between drivers, retailers and site staff can make it unclear which deliveries will show up on site each day. Meanwhile, superintendents spend several hours a week managing delivery conflicts, eliminating their ability to focus on other project activities.
Assess workplace technologies through a data-centric lens
The above scenario is so common that some construction professionals believe that the complexity of coordinating deliveries is “impossible to fix” with “so many people trying to do so many things at once.”
However, GCs like it Constructors of axiomsa residential and commercial construction company with over 12 million square feet under construction in Canada and the UShave approached the problem from a technological and data-centric perspective.
They conducted a pilot project to quantitatively evaluate the delivery management system (DMS) of StruxHub. This system provides GCs with a platform for their trading partners to authorize deliveries and resources while avoiding logistical conflicts.
To objectively measure the impact of the DMS, Axiom Builders created an experiment in which they tested StruxHub’s DMS on two high-rise towers and compared its performance to that of a similarly sized three-tower control site. In both projects, Axiom Builders assigned a delivery coordinator to track the number of deliveries and coordination time. In parallel, they organized feedback sessions with project teams and qualitative interviews with business users.
An 83% reduction in coordination time
The main conclusion of the study is that a DMS significantly reduces the resources required to manage the deliveries of the entire site team.
The results showed that the coordination times of the pilot project and control per delivery were 3.3 and 19.3 minutes, respectively. The StruxHub DMS effectively reduced coordination time by an impressive 83%.
Additionally, with StruxHub’s DMS, pilot site superintendents reported that they were spending essentially zero time on deliverables, compared to 2-3 hours. per week, they generally spent on scheduling and mitigating conflicts.
One superintendent noted, “It’s much simpler to manage when everyone is on the same page. The best part is that the DMS allows the Supers to stay in the building and focus on construction.”
Improved accountability and profitability of business partners
Feedback from operations was equally positive.
A mechanic trade foreman noted, “Now, as long as I have my delivery booked in the system, I know I’m not going to get hit by other trades. This adds predictability to my business and saves me real dollars.”
The GC project team also noted the rapid adoption and impact of the DMS. Just a few weeks after implementation, site teams were transformed into regular StruxHub users who pre-booked all deliveries into the system. This has resulted in greater accountability between business partners and fewer conflicts and delays.
400% immediate ROI + long-term strategic value
In terms of financial savings, Axiom Builders estimates a return on investment (ROI) of up to 400% from direct time savings related to reduced coordination time alone.
Axiom Builders also sees long-term strategic benefits.
For example, they believe that implementing field technologies like StruxHub’s DMS, which improves the effectiveness of on-site operations, will help attract the most reliable business partners for future projects.
Do more with less
The initial success of the pilot study with a single delivery coordinator managing two high-rise towers has encouraged Axiom Builders to expand its pilot study by adding a third tower to the coordinator’s scope of work.
Because StruxHub’s DMS system enables remote site management, Axiom Builders believes it can leverage the technology for greater site efficiency with the same level of project resources.
How can you get started with a DMS and other workplace technologies?
As we’ve seen with the Axiom Builders approach, an effective way to evaluate new workplace technologies is to set up a controlled experiment in a project and then measure the results.
Companies like StruxHub can accompany you on this journey. Learn more about StruxHub’s DMS and its widest construction management platform.
