Do Your Material Deliveries Suck? How to avoid problems

Have you been waiting for an important package to be delivered only to find it was delayed because it was delivered to the wrong address, or it arrived when you were out so it was sent back to the warehouse? Sometimes when the parcel arrives it’s been damaged – unfortunately, you only notice after the mailman has left and you have to go through the process of sending the item back and waiting for the replacement. Then I’m sure we’ve all received something that wasn’t the correct size or didn’t look like the picture. Disappointment, plus the inconvenience of having to sort the problem out!

Construction is dependent on equipment and materials which are delivered from a wide variety of suppliers and contractors. Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan.
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Often materials arrive on a project site when no one is expecting them and there are no plans in place for where the material should be offloaded or how it will be unloaded. Sometimes these materials are delivered after-hours when there is no one to receive them. Consequently, this often results in the item being offloaded in the incorrect location and I’ve even had cases of projects accepting materials that were not meant for them. This results in double handling since the items have to be moved again, and the cost of this can be significant if a special crane or truck is required. When deliveries can’t be offloaded the truck may return to the depot with the item and it may take several days to reschedule the delivery – possibly delaying the project. When trucks can’t be offloaded there are often additional demurrage costs to be paid while the truck stands idle. In the haste to offload the item, sometimes, other operations are stopped so a crane and team can help – often causing frustrations and impacting progress.

Are you prepared for the delivery?
When deliveries of material are expected:

• Ensure employees know where the materials should be placed.
• That the area where they will be offloaded is suitable, for example:
  • It may need to be leveled (some large items of equipment or buildings can be damaged if they are not stored in a level position).
  • Ensure the ground is firm enough to support both the item of equipment and the crane offloading it.
  • The area should be well-drained to enable the area to be accessed even after rain.
  • Check the delivery vehicle can access the area, and modify the entrance roads if required.
• (If required) have packers or bearers available to place under the item so it doesn’t sit directly on the ground, and also to enable lifting equipment to be removed from under the load.
• Ensure the required special slings and spreader beams are available for heavy loads, and that lifting studies have been approved and the crane is of sufficient capacity.
• Check weather conditions, (since rain may make parts of the site impassable or high winds prevent cranes from operating) and if necessary delay the transport of large items.
• If the item of equipment is being placed directly in its final position check the area is ready – for instance concrete structures should have all the quality checks completed to verify the concrete has reached the required strength, the structure has been constructed in the correct position and height, and all holding down bolts are in their correct positions and the right size. There will be nothing worse than having a major item of equipment suspended from a crane when you discover the item doesn’t fit due to an error with the concrete construction!

Checking deliveries
The person receiving and checking the material being delivered should be both competent and reliable. This person should:

• Verify the item delivered is the same item as written on the consignment note.
• Verify the quantity and note and report discrepancies – all too often .....Continue Reading......

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