Saint-Gobain Optimizes its Logistics Across Companies With OPHEO

French industrial group Saint-Gobain has restructured the logistics of its subsidiaries Isover, Rigips and Saint-Gobain Weber in Germany, drastically reducing the number of customer trips while maintaining the same delivery frequency. All tours with joint drop-off locations are now planned and invoiced centrally by Saint-Gobain Weber using the transport management and telematics system OPHEO. Saint-Gobain Weber had already been using this solution developed by initions AG previously. For this project, further features were added to the software.

The optimization project called “LEAD” leads to substantial relief at Isover, Rigips and Saint-Gobain Weber as well as the joint customers. “We could noticeably optimize the number of ramp contacts as well as truck utilization and therefore also CO2 emissions,” Thomas Muschalla summarizes, who is responsible for logistics at Saint-Gobain Weber GmbH. In addition, customers benefit from one central contact person for orders placed with the three suppliers. “By following the principle of “one order, one delivery, one invoice”, Saint-Gobain now offers a clear customer advantage,” Muschalla states.

LEAD will be used for supplying home improvement (DIY) stores. In addition, in some regions, deliveries to construction sites and to Isover and Weber building materials retailers are also dispatched by Saint-Gobain Weber logistics. Around 180 trucks from freight forwarders are on the road daily. For their mission, they have been equipped with telematics solution OPHEO Mobile. This system ensures end-to-end order management, error-free communication between the drivers and the dispatching department, and reliable tracking of the entire fleet.

Only full loads and tours without customer overlaps are still scheduled independently at Isover, Rigips and Saint-Gobain Weber. The special challenges of the project included the creation of the interfaces between OPHEO and the three merchandise management systems as well as the integration of the completely different tariff models.

While Saint-Gobain Weber works with an AS400 solution for ERP, Isover and Rigips use SAP-LE. Orders entered in the respective systems are flagged if there is a customer overlap and are automatically transferred to OPHEO. In OPHEO, orders are available for joint tour creation and billing. After all, OPHEO not only takes care of scheduling, but also handles automatic settlement with the participating carriers.

As part of the LEAD project, all three subsidiaries had applied for the central logistics. Saint-Gobain Weber secured the contract on account of the transport management system it was already using at the time. “OPHEO alone could meet the high requirements for the project”, Muschalla recalls. He himself has already been working with OPHEO since 2008. Ever since, the company has been engaged in a continuous improvement process together with initions AG. “We are in very good hands with initions and our wishes are implemented very quickly,” confirms Muschalla. The LEAD project too had been carried out by initions “on schedule and at the agreed cost”.

Saint-Gobain develops, manufactures and distributes innovative building materials as well as high-performance materials. The company’s portfolio includes brands such as Sekurit, Isover, Rigips, Raab Karcher and Weber. Saint-Gobain Weber is an international player in the building materials industry, currently present in 52 countries in Europe as well as in South America, Africa and Asia. Based in Servon near Paris, the company is the international market leader in facade plasters, tile adhesives and construction chemical products. Its range covers more than 800 products and systems in the areas of facades and walls, flooring, tiling and structural preservation. Saint-Gobain Weber generates annual sales of over € 2.3 billion with around 10,000 employees.