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Material Management: Construction Need-to-Knows

Construction Need-to-Knows for Material Management Success

Material management creates a process for planning, executing, controlling and overseeing all construction activities. Both in the field and in the office. After all, it’s the first step in ensuring that the right materials are available when needed, ordered and delivered at the right time for a reasonable cost.

Likewise, proper material management is a necessary component in improving productivity and cost efficiency. Consequently, construction materials and equipment often make up the bulk of the total cost for a construction project. As a result, this usually amounts to about 70 percent or more of the total cost. That’s why it’s important that they are managed in a way that increases productivity while reducing overall project costs.

Material Management Objectives

As a material manager, your objectives will include:

  • Efficient materials planning
  • Purchasing and receiving inventory
  • Storing and inventory control
  • Materials supply and distribution
  • Good supplier and customer relationship
  • Improved efficiency among the department

Good coordination between employees and departments is necessary to meet these objectives.

Materials Management Functions

As a materials manager, your day-to-day functions will include:

  • Planning for materials requirements
  • Purchasing materials
  • Inventory planning and control
  • Creating and maintaining the flow and supply of materials
  • Quality control of materials
  • Efficiency among the department

The functions of materials management are needed to fulfill your objectives.

Basic Strategies for Improving Construction Project Efficiency

Inventory Organization

Materials that are scattered around the job site or not clearly accounted for. As a result, this leads to a productivity slowdown on the construction site for crews that have to correct these problems. After all, not knowing the exact inventory of your materials or not knowing where they are can lead to over ordering. It’s important to have a system that keeps your materials in a convenient place and delivered on time.

Project Material Planning

Further, it’s important to plan and schedule the delivery of your project materials ahead of time. This way, if the construction crew knows they’ll need certain materials, they will be ordered and delivered on time. Likewise, this decreases the amount of time the crew will have to wait for materials and increases productivity on the site.

Project Material Purchasing

First, select the sources of supply. Second, finalize the terms of the purchase. Next, place purchase order. Then, input your payment and finally, evaluate the supplier and the purchase.

Shipment Planning and Storage

Bulk shipments of materials for different phases of the job, unplanned deliveries and material relocation can drain money and time. Especially when you have to find the items you moved or ordered a while ago. Thus, it’s smart to schedule the materials you’ll need shipped with a specific storage space. You should also be sure to ship materials according to the product manager’s schedule. This way, you’ll know what is being delivered, when and where.

Any significant effort in reducing material costs by management will improve the profitability of the company. As well as productivity and cost efficiency for any given construction project.

Concrete Supply Co. has the material management expertise to provide your construction project with the highest quality concrete products and services.

For more information, contact us on Concrete Supply Co.!

material manager
2019-02-28T19:38:03-04:00