Top 7 Material Management Frustrations on a Construction Site

In a perfect world, you’ll always have the right material in the right place at the right time on a construction job. The real world isn’t quite that simple. Organizing your people, inventory, supply and distribution creates a lot of variables that need to be managed efficiently.

The reality is that managing material on a job site can be full of frustration and unexpected challenges. Because material management doesn’t always go as expected, it’s important to be aware of common roadblocks so that you can avoid them. The good news is that proper preparation can ultimately improve profitability on a job site.

We talked to construction contractors who shared their seven biggest frustrations – and solutions – when it comes to material management.

Delayed Materials 

Challenge: There’s nothing quite like arriving at a job site and not having the required materials. Delayed materials can affect the entire scheduling process and put productivity to a halt. 

Solution: Relying on a distribution representative for your planning and scheduling process can help save on time and money. They’ll track your materials and deliveries so that when your people get to your job site, they have the equipment needed to get the job done.

Outlying Materials 

Challenge: If materials are distant from a job site, contractors will have to leave the work-space to find them – resulting in time lost in the retrieval process.

Solution: A simple way to remove this barrier is by utilizing a job cart. These warehouses on wheels make sure that the correct materials are always accessible during a job.

Stolen Materials

Challenge: It’s something you hope will never happen, but unfortunately sometimes it does. In the event of stolen inventory, labor delays and material costs will rise.

Solution: Job carts, storage units, and job trailers can keep materials locked and secured. Since materials can be restocked daily, there is no need to keep a surplus of supplies on a job site.