Projektet ELEVATE syftar till att möjliggöra en effektiv elektrifiering av byggtransporter genom att utveckla planeringsmetoder, datadelning och samverkan mellan aktörer på systemnivå. Byggtransporter står för 10–15 % av transportsektorns utsläpp i Sverige och utgör cirka hälften av de urbana godstransporterna. Trots att elektrifiering är tekniskt möjlig på grund av korta körsträckor och låga hastigheter, försvåras omställningen av låg digitalisering, brist på samordning, temporära byggmiljöer och otillräcklig planering för elinfrastruktur som stöttar byggverksamheten. Projektet adresserar dessa utmaningar genom att kartlägga aktörer, planeringslogiker och databehov, samt utveckla modeller för rutt- och laddplanering.

ELEVATE fokuserar på att skapa förståelse för bygglogistiksystemets komplexitet och identifiera vilka data som behöver delas, hur datadelning kan automatiseras och vilka planeringsverktyg som krävs. Projektet involverar ett brett konsortium av kommuner, byggföretag, transportörer, elnäts- och fordonsleverantörer samt forskare från Linköpings universitet. Målet är att skapa förutsättningar för ett större huvudprojekt och ett framtida EU-konsortium. Projektet bidrar till flera mål i Agenda 2030, inklusive hållbar industri, klimatåtgärder och hållbara städer, genom att minska utsläpp, trängsel och buller från byggtransporter.  

Det långsiktiga målet med ELEVATE är att hjälpa och påskynda övergången till elektrifierade byggtransporter i samhället.

The ELEVATE project aims to enable efficient electrification of construction transport by developing planning methods, data sharing, and stakeholder collaboration at a system level. Construction transport accounts for 10–15% of Sweden’s transport sector emissions and nearly half of urban freight. Although electrification is technically feasible due to short distances and low speeds, the transition is hindered by low digitalization, fragmented coordination, temporary construction environments, and insufficient planning for charging infrastructure. The project addresses these challenges by mapping stakeholders, planning logics, and data needs, and by developing models for route and charging optimization.

ELEVATE focuses on understanding the complexity of the construction logistics system, identifying necessary data flows, exploring automation of data sharing, and defining the planning tools required. The project involves a broad consortium of municipalities, construction firms, transport operators, energy and vehicle providers, and researchers from Linköping University. The goal is to lay the foundation for a larger main project and a future EU consortium. ELEVATE contributes to several UN Agenda 2030 goals, including sustainable industry, climate action, and sustainable cities, by reducing emissions, congestion, and noise from construction transport. 

The long-term goal of ELEVATE is to support and accelerate the transition to electrified construction transport in society.

In complex projects, such as hospital constructions, there are large interdependencies betweenthe actors involved, especially relating to the flow of materials and resources. As new hospitalbuildings are often built on existing blocks and campuses, ongoing hospital operations may hinderlogistics and construction operations and vice versa. To handle these issues, it has becomeincreasingly common to implement construction logistics setups (CLSs). The purpose of thepaper is to analyse how the centrality of the CLS in the project organization affects the coordinationand conflict level in complex construction project management using a power dependencylens. The study is based on case studies of six hospital projects in the Nordic countries.Based on a cross-case analysis it is identified that: 1) from a logistics management perspectivewe identify three different foci of the CLS; i) security for hospital patients and staff, ii) on-sitematerial flow coordination, and iii) flow coordination to and from site, and 2) from a projectmanagement perspective the main findings point towards the importance of centrality of theCLS in the project management organisation in order to ensure enough power to mandateenforcement of coordination.

Purpose The construction industry shows an increased interest in how to manage logistics within construction projects. Often construction logistics is outsourced to a logistics service provider (LSP). However, construction logistics is normally approached either as a strategic decision or as an operational issue and rarely as a tactical concern. The purpose of this study is to explore how to organize the logistics outsourcing decision at strategic, tactical and operational levels.

Design/methodology/approach This study is performed as a single-case study within a construction corporation, containing (amongst others) a building contractor (BC) and a construction equipment rental company (CERC) offering logistics services.

Findings The study shows that to procure construction logistics service successfully, BCs need logistics capabilities at strategic and tactical levels to maintain an alignment between the use of logistics services and operational characteristics. Simultaneously, CERC’s need to design their service offerings to correspond to the needs of the BC.

Research limitations/implications This study builds on a single-case study of a Swedish construction corporation. Further research is needed to better understand current logistics outsourcing and development practices and how these can be improved to foster better logistics management at the project level.

Practical implications BCs find suggestions of different logistics organization structures and suitable outsourcing arrangements. CERCs and LSPs can use the findings to understand their customers’ needs and adapt service offerings.

Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first studies of how two companies within a corporation can work together to develop construction logistics service offerings.

Sweden is at EU bottom of circular soil and rock masses. The purpose of this study is to capture the relationship between the overall system and subsystems of circular soil and rock masses to identify barriers to establishing efficient circular soil and rock material flows. The main hinders are lateness of action, legislation, and lack of information sharing. This together creates a relational mess between the subsystems, leading to a lack of understanding of how to act. The relations must be clarified before public procurement will have its intended impact to increase circularity and decrease transport emissions.

Purpose: Lately, mass logistics centres (MLCs) have emerged to increase transport efficiency in soil and rock (mass) material transports and pave the way for circular mass flows. However, where to locate these MLCs has received limited attention and is often done in an ad hoc manner. The purpose of this study is thus to determine the best location for an MLC in a fully centralized system (i.e., a system where all materials are sent to and from an MLC).

Design/methodology: To determine the best possible location for MLCs we propose a mixed-integer optimization model. We test and validate the model using real data from a railway infrastructure project. Parts of the input data are prepared using QGIS.

Findings: The study finds that the developed model is a suitable tool for locating MLCs. However, an MLC in a fully centralized system is unsuitable to improve transport efficiency.

Research limitations/implications: This model is based on one railway infrastructure project. It disregards suppliers in the material flow and limits MLCs so that they hold no inventory of material. As such, future studies should validate the model against other projects.

Practical implications: Contractors, developers, and municipalities can find support in the model on how to locate MLCs from a transport efficiency perspective.

Social implications: This study is an important step in analysing the potential of MLCs as a tool for reducing the negative impact of mass transports.

Originality: This is one of the first in-depth studies of MLC localization from a transport efficiency perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into how supply chain management canbe taught using megagames as a pedagogical motor. This study has had a longitudinalaction research approach to student centred learning as it builds on a previous paper onintroducing a theme of cross-functional decision-making through combining lectures,case assignment, and computer-based tools. Combining case work and the megagame hasled to activity independence and room for new reflections. What can be seen is thatexchanging the computer-based tool for a megagame has allowed students a deeperunderstanding of not only decision-making, but also decision-formulation.

Purpose

The understanding of how to develop or expand logistics service offerings to the construction industry has received limited attention in the research community. The purpose of this study is to investigate how construction equipment rental companies (CERCs) can approach the challenge of expanding their service offerings to include construction logistics services.

Design/methodology/approach

The study builds on a descriptive case study to analyse how a CERC has approached developing logistics services for construction through the lens of New Service Development literature.

Findings

The study shows that the CERC’s ongoing transition from a construction equipment supplier to a logistics service provider requires both back-end and front-end service development. The New Service Development process extends into sales and delivery of solutions where the company’s established customer-base in the construction industry can be beneficial.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to the Swedish construction context and further studies are needed to generalize the findings. Future studies should investigate how well service offerings match the contractor’s needs.

Practical implications

The study can be used by contractors and prospective logistics service providers for developing logistics services.

Original/value

The study contributes to construction logistics literature by addressing how construction logistics services can be developed by adopting a New Service Development approach.

Third-party logistics (TPL) arrangements are becoming a regular occurrence in urban construction projects. The industry is, however, still apprehensive regarding the effects that TPL arrangements bring. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate the effects that can be realised when employing a logistics arrangement in construction, including possible benefits, concerns, and effects on cost elements. The purpose is fulfilled through a case study of a large construction project in Sweden that has employed a TPL arrangement. Results show that there are positive effects to achieve in terms of logistics performance and project performance, but that the main challenge to achieve these effects is to include all supply chain actors to reach a higher level of SCM maturity. This inclusion can be achieved through a better dialogue amongst supply chain actors to create an understanding for why TPL is employed and why policies and regulations needs to be followed.

Purpose

Lately, mass logistics centres (MLCs) have emerged to increase transport efficiency in soil and rock (mass) material transports. However, the impact of these MLCs has received limited attention. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of MLCs to increase transport efficiency in terms of number of transports, distance travelled, transport work, and emissions.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose is fulfilled through a scenario analysis of an MLC and its effect on distance travelled, transport work, fuel consumption, and emissions as well as the traditional measure of number of transports. 

Findings

The study finds that the traditional transport efficiency measure “number of transports” is insufficient in describing transport efficiency in MLCs and similar logistics setups. A logistics centre will lead to more transports but with the correct setup, transport work, distance travelled, fuel consumption and emissions can be reduced.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to one MLC in Sweden. Future research should investigate other MLCs and go deeper into how MLCs should be designed to increase transport efficiency.

Practical implications

Contractors and municipalities can find support on how to evaluate the transport efficiency effects an MLC has.

Social implications

This study is an important step in analysing the potential of MLCs as a tool for reducing the negative impact of mass transports. 

Originality

This is one of the first in-depth studies of how MLCs affect mass transport flows from a transport efficiency perspective. 

Purpose – The construction industry is reluctant to utilize construction logistics centres (CLC). To understand why, the purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of drivers and challenges of CLC utilization.

Design/methodology/approach – Adopting an activity-based cost methodology, nine construction projects’ CLC utilization in a Swedish urban development project is analyzed for a time period of three years (2013–2016).

Findings – There is a difference between drivers and challenges for implementing and utilizing CLCs, which are often implemented to reduce third-party disturbances. The drivers to utilize a CLC, however, stem from achieving efficient logistics. The authors identify two different utilization strategies; the CLC is used either for just-in-time (JIT) deliveries or as a consolidation point.

Research limitations/implications – The study shows that construction logistics is to some extent repeating some mistakes of its big brother, city logistics. The study hypothesizes that there are differences between CLC implementation and utilization drivers and challenges that are often overlooked, which can explain the lack of CLC utilization.

Practical implications – The study shows that it is crucial for construction projects to develop and formulate a logistics strategy for how to utilize the setup, i.e. deciding whether to use the setup as aconsolidation point leading to fewer deliveries and more materials on-site, or as JIT, leading to more deliveriesbut fewer materials on-site.

Social implications – CLCs can reduce environmental impact and third-party disturbances. However, tomake this come true, acceptance among the users is needed. The study provides understanding of drivers and barriers for CLC implementation and utilization that can increase acceptance among users (i.e. construction projects).

Originality/value – The current study is one of the first studies to analyze CLC utilization.