| Summary: | This study looks at the physical logistics challenges facing the Independent Builders’ Merchants sector within the Construction Industry Supply Chain. Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, industry commentators have recently observed that the sector has previously accepted mediocrity in logistics because it has not understood how it can add value. The facet of on-site material flows at an exemplar Independent Builders Merchant is therefore taken as the research question to investigate whether current generic logistics techniques can be used to improve efficiency in this field.
‘Cross-docking’ is one such logistics technique which has been introduced in recent times in an attempt to move materials from inbound locations to outbound locations as quickly as possible. This short-term staging approach can be used to consolidate shipments from disparate sources and realise economies of scale in outbound transportation. In this research, system adherence, layout design and short term staging strategy are investigated to ascertain their applicability to addressing the losses in terms of time, transport costs, damage and, above all, customer satisfaction resulting from the lack of a fully formalised inbound supply chain process.
Keywords: Construction Supply Chain, Builders’ Merchants, Physical Logistics, Material Flows, Cross-Dock, Goods Inward, Goods Outward
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