Data Driven Issue 04
45OF FREIGHT IS EITHER FLOWN IN OR, IN EUROPE, DRIVEN TO AND
TONNES
FROM THE TRACK ACROSS HALF A DOZEN TRUCKS.
FOCUS IN:
THE PRESSURE TO DELIVER
In Formula One, the race isn’t
restricted to 60 laps on a Sunday or
the mileage just on the track. The race
to get parts and people from A to B is
relentless. Tons of equipment make
their way by road, sea and air to up to
20 races a year, plus tests and special
events. Hundreds of people rely
on bookings and schedules so that
they’re always where they need to be.
And critical last minute car upgrades
need to get from the factory to the
circuit, signed-off, flown and through
customs against an ever ticking clock.
The pressure is on, literally, to deliver
and with so many items, movements
and destinations it requires militarylevels of planning, organization and
constant communication to ensure
that everything is where it should be
and nothing is late.
The task is enormous, and Lotus F1
Team has a Race Coordinator, at the
track, that ensures every crate and
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every person arrives and departs
each grand prix according to plan. It
is a huge logistical undertaking, but
one that has been made easier this
year by Avanade’s partnership with
an enhancement to the SharePoint
software. This enables cross
departmental communication, the
monitoring of freight after dispatch
using an AEI system, and deadlines
and directions to ensure nothing gets
left behind.
The number of last-minute upgrades
has increased in recent seasons
thanks, in part, to design, aero and
manufacturing increasing their
productivity supported by using
improved scheduling tools and work
flow software. This has put further
strain on the logistics personnel. To
remain competitive more and more
changes are made to the car over the
season, some of which can be very
last minute, adding more pressure
on people to deliver in a shorter
time frame. At every race there’s 45
tonnes of freight that’s either flown
in or, in Europe, driven to and from
the track across half a dozen trucks.
The bulk of the equipment is the
two race cars, but in addition to
that there are things like tires and
furniture which are essential but
less variable. Because they’re not
developed over the course of the
season the team can ship them to
the flyaways to save costs. However,
relentless progress mean there are
the last minute arrivals, new wings
and what-have-you, which are usually
sent out in someone’s suitcase on a
commercial flight. It’s not unusual for
an F1 mechanic or even a marketing
person – whoever is available – to
arrive at Heathrow with 20 bags
to check-in.
With all of that plus 70 team
members dispatched to each
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