"Logistics is not primarily interested in speed. What is important is the right balance between space, benefits and resources. This system will change logistics on the construction site. Needs take centre stage. We develop a system design together with the user and are in close contact with them." — Yvette Körber, CEO
Be it the implementation of Roche research center, the construction of Clara Tower in Basel or the construction of hospital buildings in St. Gallen and bathing during ongoing operations: Since Amberg Loglay introduced its software for optimizing construction site processes in 2015, the company has become an integral part of the construction industry. Innovation as DNA — for CEO Yvette Körber, the company's philosophy is at the core of success. “We are rethinking the construction site and exploiting more potential. Timely, logistically, qualitatively, ecologically and financially for everyone involved,” she explains. In doing so, the company is recognizing that the customer is also part of the innovation. “Because only when you move towards the future together will there be change.”
Rethinking logistics
Amberg Loglay sees efficient logistics as the linchpin of the construction site of thefuture. The company's software uses data analytics to efficiently plan and optimise logistics for the entire construction process. The result is modern and seamless construction site logistics. This is because a key problem in the construction industry today is that systemic shortcomings cost a lot of time and money. ‘Although the order books are full, profitability is falling behind expectations. This potential can be exploited through innovation andoptimisation,’ says Yvette Körber.
As an experienced logistics specialist, Yvette Körber knows what she's talking about. In addition to her corporate experience at Siemens, she held management positions in various companies associated with the construction industry, including Bauknecht and Zeppelin Baumaschinen. Körber also co-founded Loglay AG. In 2015, she took over management of Amberg Loglay with Sven-Erik Jacobsen. They developed a new, fresh look at the industry, the market and construction logistics as the key to optimization.
“It is the logical consequence that companies optimize themselves. But this culture does not allow the entire system to change.”
— Yvette Korber
But why is the construction industry so inefficient? “This is mainly due to an outdated work culture, specifically the transfer of responsibility,” she explains. On the construction site, responsibility is pushed top-down onto the entrepreneur as the last link in the chain. The focus is heavily on costs rather than on an overall view of costs, time and quality. This results in a system of supplements, lost time and additional costs. Yvette Körber: “It is the logical consequence that companies only optimize themselves. But this culture does not allow the entire system to change.” This is exactly where Amberg Loglay comes in. This is because process optimization offers benefits to all parties involved, including higher margins. “We are striving for this cultural change.”
“The fragmentation of the industry is one of the major tasks that concerns us.”
Orchestrator on the construction site
In order to optimize the workflow on the construction site, the company focuses on the collection and analysis of data and information as well as the derivation of insights. This digital data management is at the heart of Amberg Loglay's software. “Data brings transparency and standardization to construction projects. “The more data that can be collected, structured, converted into insights and used, the more economically the project can be realised,” says Körber.
Digitalisation offers new opportunities for the industry. But it also harbours a major challenge: Not every construction company is digitised to the same level. "Fragmentation is one of the major challenges we are currently facing" ,explains Yvette Körber. From large companies that have completed the digital transformation to small tradesmen's businesses that are still a long way off, these different starting points have an impact on productivity on the construction site.
Construction sites them selves are basically companies that are created overnight for a common task. Within a very short space of time, employees, departments and standards are thrown together from different companies that do not have the same systems or speak the same language. Amberg Loglay's aim is to act as an ‘orchestrator on the construction site’ at precisely this interface in order to create compatibility. ‘And this is achieved through efficient, orchestrated logistics,’ says Yvette Körber.
The art of logistics lies between planning and implementation
The fascination for precise and coordinated processes shapes Körber's life. “Not only in the industry, but also our everyday lives,” she laughs. From everyday physical movements to organization in private life, everything is a question of logistics. “It is the link between planning and implementation, between thinking ahead and doing,” she explains. This is another reason why it is important for her to work not only strategically but also operationally on the construction site. “Building a building doesn't just start from a desk. Every construction site has its own dynamics, you have to feel them. You can have the best software solution — if you don't define the atmosphere right from the start and bring in discipline, you can't work properly.”
Manager, specialist planner, logistics expert and industry insider — Yvette Körber combines many roles. And where can she be found when she is not on the construction site? “Behind a good and interesting book,” she reveals and winks: “Nonfiction, of course.”
