A logistics revolution becomes a turning point for operational efficiency

Navigating a new era of logistics complexity

With a strong global presence, Saint-Gobain provides solutions across diverse markets including industry, construction, and mobility. However, the shift towards a more dynamic and demanding
market environment has necessitated significant adjustments, particularly for Quartzolit, where small and medium-sized retailers now constitute the majority of customers. Combined with a substantial expansion in product offerings, prompted a comprehensive review of the company‘s logistics operations.

Luiz Manssur, Executive Director of Supply Chain at Saint-Gobain Brazil, emphasizes, ”Today, Quartzolit not only maintains its commitment to quality, but also manages a significantly expanded portfolio to meet the demands of customers requiring greater agility and flexibility.” He adds, ”This evolution required our logistics operations to adapt to handling more frequent and smaller batch orders, a departure from our previous practices. Managing inventory has become more intricate, demanding enhanced efficiency to mitigate impacts on costs and service quality.”

The solution: a collaborative project with Staufen

To meet these challenges, the journey began with a pilot project focused on optimizing logistics. This initiative included a thorough evaluation of existing processes, encompassing layout revisions, structural adjustments, and detailed analysis of specific needs such as movement flow and inventory scaling. Improvements were implemented not only in factory warehouses, but also across distribution centers. Manssur highlights, ”Reevaluating all processes and selecting the optimal technology for this new management approach was essential. Choosing the most suitable Warehouse Management System (WMS) for Saint-Gobain‘s requirements was fundamental to this transformation, enabling more efficient and integrated management.”

Achieving measurable results: efficiency
and expansion

The outcomes have been impressive. Following Staufen‘s optimization efforts, logistics operations at Quartzolit‘s factories and distribution centers were streamlined and redesigned, resulting in enhanced efficiency and increased capacity for storage and dispatch, all without heightening operational costs. Luiz Manssur reports, ”Currently, we distribute a 25 % larger product portfolio efficiently and punctually, process 15 % more orders, and have reduced batch sizes by 14 % compared to pre-pandemic levels.”

The São Paulo distribution center now fulfills orders within one day, a notable improvement from the industry‘s previous standard of three days.

Scaling the transformation

Saint-Gobain Brazil plans to extend this optimized model to other group entities. A dedicated logistics engineering office has been established, comprising specialists responsible for designing and executing the project in less complex operations, laying the groundwork for future expansions. Manssur concludes, ”Through a meticulously structured project focused on outcomes, we not only meet the evolving market demands but also position ourselves for sustained growth, setting a benchmark for our other units.”