Interview with a construction logistics expert

Completing major projects on schedule, within budget and to the specified quality: With the best team and the right tools and methods, that’s not just a special challenge, it’s also achievable. And results in a wealth of experience and exciting stories.

Terminal 3 is taking shape in the south of Frankfurt airport on the site of a former US military base. Sebastian Kins, project manager at g² – Part of Drees & Sommer, is responsible for the construction logistics of this major project. It is his job to ensure that the construction site is set up optimally and everything runs smoothly. We talked to him about his work on ‘T3’, as he and his colleagues call their project.

Sebastian, the team works on this huge construction site. The dimensions are enormous. How do you move around?

Sebastian Kins: "We have cars to cover the huge distances on the site. It takes about 20 minutes to drive once around the construction site – the site roads have a total length of nearly 8 kilometers! We use the cars to drive from the site containers to inspections or to supervise contractors working on site. And more recently we also have bicycles, which are perfect for short distances – and environmentally friendly."

Numerous material deliveries arrive at the site every day. People commute here to work and then back home. Vehicles drive in and out. How do you handle the volume of traffic?

SK: "Access to the site is controlled using an online notification program. During the fitout phase, we expect about 400 – 500 deliveries per day, so we will have to widen the site entrances and exits. We are planning a temporary and consolidation storage facility outside the construction site from the end of 2020. Material consignments will be assembled there and then distributed on site by shuttle vehicles. During the peak phase, we expect to have some 4,500 workers on site for all subprojects, the core area with the main building and the piers. We are currently building a parking lot for the construction site workers, and will have about 1,500 spaces available by the end of the year."

A major construction site also means cranes as far as the eye can see! Crane permits are a big issue at the airport. Why is that?

SK: "All cranes have to be approved by German Air Traffic Control. They must not be a source of interference for aircraft radar systems. As we have 84 rotating tower cranes for all subprojects, it is very important to ensure they are properly coordinated."

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