White Papers Case Study: Project Logistics (Manufacturing Facilities & Heavy Cargo Transport)

Key Concepts

Project Logistics

Project logistics is a specialized logistics service for transporting large-scale materials and equipment required for industrial projects such as factories, plants, power plants, ports, and energy facilities. It includes transportation planning, route surveys, cargo handling, storage, customs clearance, regulatory compliance, inland transportation, and site delivery coordination.

Project Cargo

Project cargo refers to cargo that is difficult to transport through standard containerized or scheduled transportation due to its size, weight, volume, or handling requirements. It may require bulk vessels, barges, charter aircraft, special trailers, or multimodal transportation.

Heavy Cargo

Heavy cargo refers to cargo that is too large or heavy to be handled by conventional transportation methods. In project logistics, heavy cargo may include large tanks, industrial equipment, plant modules, and other oversized facilities.

Super-Heavy Cargo

Super-heavy cargo refers to extremely large or heavy cargo that requires special equipment, route approval, civil works, obstacle removal, and engineering review. The white paper notes that cargo weighing hundreds of tons or measuring tens of meters in length may be categorized as super-heavy or specialty cargo.

Route Survey

A route survey is the process of identifying and evaluating the best route from origin to destination before transporting project cargo. It considers road width, curve angles, bridge load capacity, traffic congestion, topographical obstacles, accessibility, and safety conditions.

SPMT, Self-Propelled Modular Transporter

An SPMT is a modular trailer used for transporting large and heavy cargo on land. It consists of multiple connected wheel modules and can be adjusted according to the size and shape of the cargo. In project logistics, SPMTs are essential for precise movement of very heavy cargo.

Self-Propelled Barge

A self-propelled barge is a barge that can move using its own power. Unlike conventional barges that require tugboats, self-propelled barges can sail independently and are often used to transport large cargo.

Bulk Ocean Transportation

Bulk ocean transportation is a shipping method used for cargo that cannot be easily loaded into standard containers. In project logistics, large equipment, heavy cargo, tanks, and plant materials may be shipped as bulk cargo.

River Barge

A river barge is a vessel used to transport cargo through rivers or inland waterways. It can connect ocean transportation with inland transportation when project cargo must move from a seaport to an inland project site.

Transshipment

Transshipment is the process of transferring cargo from one transportation mode or vessel to another. In project logistics, transshipment can involve moving cargo from a bulk carrier to a river barge, or from a river barge to a truck or special trailer.

Customs Clearance and Licensing

Customs clearance and licensing involve preparing documents, approvals, tax exemptions, import regulations, and local permits before cargo moves across borders. For project logistics, this process often requires close coordination among the client, logistics provider, local banks, customs authorities, and government agencies.

SOP, Standard Operating Process

SOP stands for Standard Operating Process. In project logistics, SOPs help standardize activities, R&D, organizational workflows, and project execution processes while reflecting local conditions and customer-specific requirements.

GCC, Global Control Center

The Global Control Center is Samsung SDS’ 24-hour monitoring organization that tracks logistics operations, detects risks, manages abnormal situations, and responds to emergencies based on predefined scenarios. In project logistics, GCC supports end-to-end visibility and proactive risk management.

Project Logistics, Explained Through Key Questions

• Q1.

  What is project logistics?

  Project logistics is a specialized logistics service for transporting materials and equipment required for large-scale industrial projects. It is used for projects such as factory construction, plant construction, port development, power plant construction, and oil or gas facility development. Because the cargo is often oversized, overweight, or difficult to standardize, project logistics requires route planning, special transportation equipment, customs clearance, permits, inland transportation, and installation coordination.

• Q2.

  How is project logistics different from general cargo transportation?

  General cargo is usually transported in standardized containers or scheduled routes, while project cargo often requires bulk ocean transportation, charter transportation, barges, special trailers, or irregular transportation routes. The key performance indicators are also different. General cargo focuses mainly on cost efficiency, while project logistics must consider cost efficiency, lead time, reliability, cargo safety, and project schedule compliance.

• Q3.

  Why is project logistics difficult?

  Project logistics is difficult because it requires advanced execution capability, special equipment, engineering expertise, and a strong local partner network. Oversized or heavy cargo may require route surveys, obstacle removal, road closures, bridge load checks, customs and licensing preparation, insurance surveys, and abnormal cost management. These requirements create high entry barriers for logistics companies without sufficient project experience.

• Q4.

  What is the typical project logistics execution process?

  The project logistics execution process generally includes a local logistics environment survey, route survey, optimal transportation plan, international transportation, customs clearance, inland transportation, and installation at the destination. Because project logistics is complex and high-risk, the entire process can take from one year to two or three years, depending on the project scale and cargo conditions.

• Q5.

  What were the key challenges in the manufacturing facilities transport case?

  In the manufacturing facilities case, Company S needed to transport production facilities and raw materials for an EV battery copper foil plant in Malaysia within a short project schedule. The cargo included about 60 large liquid tanks and other equipment, with the tanks alone weighing more than 500 tons. Samsung SDS had to consider port limitations, unloading conditions, lowbed trailer capacity, dangerous goods classes, port storage fees, inland haulage schedules, and local government coordination.

• Q6.

  How did Samsung SDS reduce risks in the manufacturing facilities case?

  Samsung SDS reduced risks by conducting a pre-analysis of transportation restrictions and categorizing cargo into tanks, drums, and raw materials. The team checked packing list dimensions, port unloading conditions, lowbed capacity, haulage schedules, storage fees, and dangerous goods requirements. It also coordinated with local government agencies, closed a 13-kilometer road, cut nearby power, removed trees, road signs, wires, and electric poles, and restored the area after transport.

• Q7.

  What were the key challenges in the heavy cargo transport case?

  In the heavy cargo case, Company E needed to transport oversized cargo from China and Belgium to Debrecen, Hungary for a secondary battery cathode material plant. The project involved approximately 9,077 CBM of cargo and required bulk ocean transportation, river barge transportation, and inland trucking. Key heavy cargo included a 107-ton COLD BOX and a 132-ton LOX TANK, both requiring special route planning and transshipment management.

• Q8.

  Why is route survey important in heavy cargo inland transportation?

  Route survey is important because heavy cargo cannot safely move through regular roads without checking obstacles and infrastructure limits. In the heavy cargo case, Samsung SDS surveyed the final 300-kilometer inland section to Debrecen and identified more than 45 obstacles across 10 types, including traffic lights, power poles, and roadbeds. The team secured approvals, planned temporary removals, arranged civil works, and prepared traffic control to keep transportation on schedule.

• Q9.

  Why are project management and monitoring important in project logistics?

  Project management and monitoring are important because project logistics often has a tight schedule and any cargo damage, delay, or transport failure can affect the entire construction or production timeline. Samsung SDS assigns skilled personnel on site, manages progress closely, and monitors operations through headquarters and the Global Control Center. The GCC operates 24 hours a day and responds to emergencies based on predefined scenarios to reduce disruptions and delays.