Industry · Cement
Cement logistics: what a control tower should watch.
Cement is high-volume and low-value per tonne, so freight is a large share of delivered cost. Every hour at the packer and every empty kilometre shows up in margin.
What makes cement logistics different
- Freight is a large share of the delivered cost of cement, so cost per tonne is watched closely.
- Many trucks per day through packing plants, weighbridges and gates.
- Bagged and bulk dispatches with different vehicles and loading norms.
- Deliveries to depots, dealers and project sites, often in remote areas.
- Strong seasonality around construction activity and the monsoon.
What the control tower watches for cement
| Signal | Why it matters | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Gate and packer dwell | Throughput of the plant | Plant logistics |
| Load factor | Freight cost per tonne | Dispatch |
| Empty running | Paid kilometres with no load | Logistics head |
| ETA to depot and site | Customer promise and site readiness | Customer desk |
| Carrier score | Allocation of high-volume lanes | Procurement |
KPIs to agree on first
- Freight cost per tonne and per tonne-km
- Gate TAT
- Load factor
- Empty running
- OTIF to depots and dealers
Write each KPI down once, with its target, and compute it the same way for the plant, the 3PL and the carrier. See the logistics KPI dictionary.
How SCM for Manufacturers applies
SCM for Manufacturers runs the same record from indent to settlement for every industry: indent and placement SLA, eight gate stamps per truck, load plans by weight, height and crush rules, ETA and live temperature in transit, RDC intimation, batch-level stock with FEFO, secondary delivery, damage claims with photo proof and carrier scorecards. Read freight cost per ton and try the freight cost calculator.
Questions
What drives logistics cost in cement?
Freight per tonne, empty running, plant turnaround and detention. Because cement is low-value per tonne, small changes in these move margin.
How does a monsoon affect cement logistics?
Demand and road conditions both change. A network twin can test the monsoon week in advance so depots and lanes are planned.
See it on your own data. SCM for Manufacturers puts the plant gate, carriers, RDC stock, cold chain and OTIF on one control tower. Book a 30-minute working session with an engineer.