LOKET (LOgistieke KETenregie voor binnenstedelijk bouwen)
The Netherlands faces a dual construction challenge: 100,000 new homes must be built each year, while CO₂ and NOx emissions must be significantly reduced. Construction logistics is a major bottleneck, especially in inner cities, where space is scarce and local residents are affected.
Many construction sites still use traditional management methods: whiteboards are still in use and data and information are often exchanged by telephone, email, and separate Excel files. This leads to delays, failure costs, and additional emissions. The solutions are there—such as construction hubs and sustainable logistics concepts—but large-scale implementation has yet to materialize. The main causes are a lack of chain management and insufficient digitization.
The LOKET project is investigating how digital technology can help to strengthen that management. The focus is on the use of digital twins — digital copies of construction projects that show what is happening in real time. By combining data from construction and logistics, planners can make better predictions, prevent disruptions, and work more sustainably. Together with partners from knowledge institutions, companies, and municipalities, three practical cases are being carried out in Den Bosch, Eindhoven, and Utrecht. Demonstrations are being developed in these cities in which digital twins are being tested for various forms of construction logistics control: from daily planning to strategic decision-making.
The project will deliver concrete knowledge and practical applications:
• Three demonstrators that show how digital twins contribute to more efficient construction logistics.
• A research report with insights, success factors, and recommendations for policy and practice.
• A scaling-up strategy that paves the way for widespread application in the sector.
The expected impact is significant: fewer delays, lower logistics costs, reduced CO₂ and NOx emissions, and a better living environment. In this way, the project contributes directly to climate goals and to the ambitions of the Topsector Logistics.
