The Rise Factor

Developers now go beyond the traditional reliance on tower cranes and material hoists. Comprehensive logistics planning considers crane reach, hoist placement, material flow, storage zones, and just-in-time deliveries to overcome the unique challenges of vertical construction. As Sudharshan KR, Chief Projects Officer, Mahindra Lifespace Developers, explains, “When building tall, we must plan logistics down to the smallest detail — from crane positioning to material movement paths — to ensure safe, efficient, and timely operations.”

Across India’s high-rise sites, advanced material handling equipment (MHE), forklifts, dual-hoist systems, and automated intralogistics solutions are transforming how builders manage the vertical race. This article explores how developers and equipment suppliers are collaborating to tackle these challenges with precision, safety, and speed.

Cranes, forklifts and advanced MHEs
For projects that are above 15 floors going up to 28 floors, as in Auriga, Concorde uses tower cranes, both external and self-climbing mast cranes, to lift heavy loads like steel, aluminium shuttering material, etc, shares Anil RG, Managing Director.

At Kalyani Developers’ flagship residential project LivingTree in Bagalur, spanning more than 2,500 units across multiple towers, tower cranes have been deployed to handle steel and aluminium formwork. “The formwork is customised to full apartment scale, with transfer cutouts designed at every slab level to ensure seamless vertical movement during shuttering and reinforcement activities,” says A Mohan Raju, MD & CEO, Kalyani Developers.

Positioning high-capacity tower cranes for optimal coverage and minimal repositioning helps maximise efficiency while minimising the environmental impact, Shivam Agarwal, VP -Strategic Growth, Sattva Group, tells us.

Concorde uses forklifts to lift and transport heavy materials and pallets. At Mahindra Lifespace Developers’ Kalyan site, forklifts efficiently lift palletised tile boxes and bulk materials to address labour shortages. Palletisation helps shift materials.

Beyond conventional cranes and forklifts, material handling inside warehouses and staging areas is evolving with the adoption of innovative intralogistics solutions. “At Jungheinrich, we offer a comprehensive range of material handling equipment (MHE) that includes electric pallet stackers, reach trucks, very narrow aisle (VNA) trucks, order pickers, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), all designed for seamless warehouse operations,” says Manojit Acharya, Managing Director India, Jungheinrich AG. “Our electric pallet stackers deliver high residual capacity even at maximum lift height, while our reach trucks offer unmatched compactness and lift heights of up to 14 meters, making them highly efficient in constrained spaces.”

He adds, “Jungheinrich’s lithium-ion battery technology ensures energy-efficient operations with two-shift availability on a single charge, significantly reducing operating costs. Our focus is on compact, high-performance equipment that enhances productivity while saving space, especially critical when material staging occurs within the tight confines of urban construction sites.”

Deploying hoists
The Sattva Group is behind Sattva LakeRidge (150 m/ 450 ft) Sattva Songbird (95 m/311 ft), Sattva Lumina (90 m/295 ft) and Sattva Image Tower, India’s first precast commercial tower (120 m/400 ft). Central to Sattva’s success is the strategic implementation of dual-hoist systems from project inception. “This approach features dedicated material hoist-ways exclusively for material transport, eliminating personnel-cargo conflicts, while separate personnel hoist-ways within integrated steel frameworks ensure efficient human transportation,” elaborates Agarwal. “Such separation facilitates uninterrupted vertical movement, dramatically reducing congestion and minimising labour fatigue.”

Concorde also uses separate material hoists and passenger hoists to transport workers and materials vertically.

At Kalyani Developers’ LivingTree, material hoists are used to transport finishing materials like tiles, electrical conduits, plumbing material and paints efficiently across all floors.

Equipment maintenance
Periodic inspections of tower cranes and hoists, including the condition of the rope, load tests and hydraulic overhauling are vital, says Raju. He recommends using only certified lifting and handling equipment and getting a certified third-party to calibrate machinery for operational precision and compliance.

Concorde practices the regular maintenance of material handling equipment through various checklists and work permits from its safety team, according to Anil.

Acharya highlights that Jungheinrich’s maintenance-free synchronous reluctance motors and lithium-ion batteries contribute to lower downtime and longer equipment life. “Our energy-efficient solutions provide customers with extended operational hours and minimal maintenance, which is critical in fast-paced, high-rise construction timelines.”

Operator management
Recruit experienced personnel to handle equipment and to train workers on equipment usage and safety protocols, Anil adds.

Periodically conducted operator training helps to ensure compliance with the latest safety protocols, agrees Raju. Further, managing operators by shifts ensures well-rested operators. Shifts should be no longer than eight hours. He also recommends regular toolbox talks for labour teams to reinforce site discipline and safe practices.

Just-in-time delivery
Just-in-time delivery brings materials onsite when needed, effectively reducing onsite crowding and reduced potential wait time, shares Nimish Ajmera, Director and Head of Design and Architecture, Ajmera Realty & Infra India, based on his experience of constructing Ajmera Manhattan.

Not only does just-in-time delivery avoid onsite clutter, it also helps optimise the utilisation of available storage, adds Sudharshan.

“Tools like BIM and scheduling software are key to coordinating deliveries and just-in-time material management, further optimising equipment use.”

Acharya further notes that advanced intralogistics solutions like order pickers with reach heights up to 11 meters and VNA trucks that can operate at heights up to 18 meters help optimise vertical storage within warehouses and staging areas, supporting the just-in-time philosophy by enabling faster retrieval and delivery of materials to the construction front.

Best practices
Accurate forecasts and schedules underlie just-in-time delivery. Accurately forecasting the requirement of materials helps avoid under-stocking and over-stocking. Close coordination with suppliers ensures timely deliveries. Scheduling deliveries in advance avoids delays as well as pileups. Scheduling night deliveries avoids disruptions and ensures timely material arrivals. One can stagger construction so that the space can be utilised to stack materials.

At Mahindra Lifespace Developers, efficient material handling in tall buildings is achieved by designating storage spaces on interim floors, reducing time and effort on lead and lifts, says Sudharshan.

The Sattva Group organises materials by floor to streamline dispatch and reduce floor-level handling, and optimise the continuity of workflows.

For the safety of everyone onsite, strict adherence to safe storage practices is necessary. At Concorde, safety and project heads conduct regular audits with respect to material storage and handling practices to prevent accidents, says Anil. “Meticulous planning ensures the proper utilisation of equipment for shifting materials. The elaborate use of CCTV and allotment of security at critical locations helps ensure the safety of material onsite. Using a container as a store helps in quick and safe shifting, if required at a later stage. Storing material on a podium-like structure designed to take loads helps.”

Earmark clearly designated storage zones within the site for different material categories, recommends Raju. He endorses the adoption of scalable systems that uphold the highest safety and quality standards throughout the project lifecycle.

Material options
Instead of opting for traditionally used heavier materials, Ajmera proposes shifting to lighter, tech-friendly options that assist the crane/hoist. “Mivan shuttering, for example, eliminates the need for [heavier] timber formwork, speeding up work and reducing lifting requirements. Besides, window frames are built more efficiently, integrated right into the concrete with Mivan shuttering for better alignment and waterproofing.” In tiling, using dry screed allows work to progress sooner, offering more flexibility in material deliveries when crane use is limited, adds Ajmera. “Reinforcement should be cleverly managed too – ordering steel in precut shapes minimises waste and leads to a tidier jobsite and when using couplers instead of overlapping bars, you lift a considerably smaller amount of steel.”

He suggests eliminating curing by water and using chemicals instead to save space and energy, and avoiding the creation of pools of stagnant water which invite mosquitoes (and, possibly, fines). “Using materials like PU or epoxy for staircases avoids the need for heavy stone or cement, again reducing the transport load.”

At the Sattva Group, every material decision – type, positioning, strength – is meticulously calibrated with critical factors including foundation load capacity, wind pressures and seismic considerations.

Site protection
Installing external safety barriers around the periphery of all towers prevents hazards during construction. Additionally, Sudharshan recommends mapping efficient site logistics around buildings to ensure smooth vehicle movement and the seamless transportation of goods.

“Ensuring safety through trained teams, proper rigging and protective measures, along with close supplier coordination, RFID tracking and multi-level loading bays, helps us ensure timely and accurate material delivery on every project.”

Handling materials gets more complex with vertical construction. But, evidently, investing in precise logistics can serve as a critical project differentiator.