Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - August 2008 - (Page 47) added at least 50 kilometers to the trip, but it saved time, bureaucracy and money. We had to cut down quite a few trees, which in Germany is a big deal. You don’t want to know what they cost us to replace.” The huge chemical plant pieces had to pass under some of Germany’s most powerful high-voltage lines (380 KV) where the minimum security distance is five meters. “A little too much humidity, and we would have run the risk of an explosive electrical arc that would have been a major problem,” says Scerra. To avoid areas with the most obstacles, BDP simply built temporary bypass roads out of aluminum panels across farmers’ fields. “We had to deal with scores of public and private parties along the route to coordinate the moves, get permits and permissions and satisfy all the parties that felt they were impacted by the passage of the trailers,” says Scerra. “Collaboration has to be face to face, not via telephone or email. You are dealing with government agencies and local authorities who have to be motivated to help you get the job done.” Quinn’s Carey agrees. “We found out very quickly that there is no substitute for sitting down with the people who have to give you permission,” he says. “There is no technology or short-cut that is better than face-to-face collaboration.” Manufacturing Delays The eight towers being built in China were to be delivered in two lots: four in November 2007 and four in January 2008. The towers had been routed to come through the Aken port where the river was always deep, but this route would require crossing two rail lines for which the Deutsche Bahn would only grant a two-hour window over a weekend to shut down the rail traffic. The application had to be made 28 weeks in advance and BDP obtained the railroad windows based on this schedule, along with a few backup windows just in case. Unfortunately, the fabrication of the towers was delayed in China well past the November and January arrival dates, so BDP kept on applying for additional crossing windows in hopes that the towers would soon arrive. After the 13th extension, the Deutsche Bahn would grant no more windows because of its own construction and increased traffic needs. When the towers finally arrived in March—two months late—BDP had two choices. It could wait 28 weeks for more railroad windows to open up, or BDP could ship the towers down river to the jetty of Pfuetzhal where two of the three rail lines could be bypassed. “The water level was high enough to navigate because of winter rain,” says Scerra. “The water was almost too high. We under-passed a bridge by two centimeters of clearance by adding 300 tons of ballast to lower the level of the barge.” The final, and most challenging obstacle for all 11 pieces was the inter-city, highspeed train line that bordered the industrial site. There was no rail crossing or anyway to bypass this line. BDP would again have to apply to the Deutsche Bahn for a special permit to perform any lifting or any work over the lines. And again, the Deutsche on site,” says Scerra, who adds that this concept had never been tried before in Germany. It is a good thing that BDP did not attempt to lift the pieces across the express train line. A major storm hit the area just at the time the lift would have taken place. With the bridge in place, the storm did not impede trucking the pieces over the tracks. “The wind was at our backs, so it actually helped push the trailers up the bridge ramp,” says Scerra. Project Success The main reactors could be delivered in March, a full month ahead of schedule, much to the delight of Carey and his team at Quinn, and much to the credit of the newly formed logistics company. The final pieces of the project, the eight towers from Shanghai, were delivered to the Leuna site in May 2008. Not only was part of the project finished ahead of schedule, but it also came in on budget, says Kizilagac. “I was home only five nights over the length of the entire project,” says BDP’s Kizilagac, who says that project logistics is unlike more conventional transportation work in one major respect: there is much more risk. “While our customer approved the temporary bridge concept, it was up to us to have it approved by all of the parties to include the railroads and local government agencies,” says Kizilagac. “The risk was entirely on us to get the bridge approved and built.” As the project logistics leader, BDP also took the risk of not exceeding a maximum cost that was agreed to in the proposal to Quinn. “We optimized every part of the plan, including transportation, routing, engineering, permits, and so on,” says Scerra, “but we knew quite a few things could and would go wrong. We figured on the worstcase scenario to meet deadlines and avoid penalties. If the costs were higher, we would assume the risk of any cost overrun. “Luck can play an important part in project logistics, and in our case, there was more good luck than misfortune,” says Scerra. “I think it is also true that the better you plan and execute, the more luck you have.” To access this article online, visit The Digital Edition at www.SupplyChainBrain.com. “There was more good luck than misfortune, but the better you plan, the more luck you have.” — Emanuel Scerra of BDP Project Logistics Bahn would only grant a few two-hour windows over a weekend to shut down the rail traffic, and the application had to be made 28 weeks in advance. Backup times had to be separated by at least one week. With such a small window to lift 11 huge pieces over the lines, the final obstacle seemed insurmountable. Rather than deal with these high-risk windows, BDP’s Kizilagac came up with the idea of building a temporary bridge across the rail line, so the pieces could be driven over the line when they were ready to move. Two crossing windows would still be needed from the railroad when the bridge’s main section was placed over the line and when it was removed, but these could be done at any time. Weather was not a big factor, and there was no need for a heavy lift crane. “We were able to deliver the pieces exactly when the customer needed them Resource Link BDP International, www.bdpinternational.com www.SupplyChainBrain.com GLOBAL LOGISTICS & SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIES 47 http://www.SupplyChainBrain.com http://www.bdpinternational.com http://www.SupplyChainBrain.com
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