Ehsan Asnaashari - Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Alan Hurst - Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Andrew Knight - Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Saeid Shahrabi Farahani - YRC member, Islamic Azad University, Rudehen, Iran

Logistics is known in most industries as an important concept which potentially has a great impact on the cost of products. However, because of the specific nature of the construction sector, logistics is rarely applied to this industry even though it is believed that application of effective logistics management will lead to time and cost saving in construction projects (Strategic Forum for Construction (SFfC), 2005; Fairs, 2002). In Iran, although the construction industry receives considerable amounts of national and international investment, practitioners are often unaware of modern management concepts such as logistics management. As a result, there is a lack of productivity in Iranian construction projects. This study evaluates logistics knowledge among people who are managing and executing construction projects in Iran. It intends to identify problems that construction projects may be facing due to inattention to logistics management. To achieve the objectives of the study, getting help from skilled people who have experience in different fields of the construction industry is important. Interviews were conducted with construction practitioners in Iran to gather reliable information about the topic. Responses clarified that unawareness of logistics management by Iranian construction practitioners leads to problems in terms of material delivery, material handling on-site and transportation, which incur more cost and time to construction projects.

Construction, Iran, Logistics, Logistics Management