Case Study

Breaking the 7-to-3 bottleneck: how Holcim Spain tamed daily delivery peaks with SiloConnect

Challenges

Managing silo replenishment without reliable inventory data made planning reactive and time-consuming for the logistics and procurement team. Much of the daily coordination still relied on manual checks, phone calls, and updates coming directly from customer sites. The situation became even more difficult due to two realities repeatedly raised by the logistics teams: a structural driver shortage and customer demand that tended to concentrate within a narrow timeframe (mostly between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m). With transport capacity already under strain, this compressed window led to recurring urgent deliveries, higher stockout risks, and limited room for anticipation. To regain predictability, the team needed real-time visibility on silo levels and a way to plan replenishment before issues escalated.

Results

With SiloConnect, silo inventories are now monitored continuously, removing the need for manual checks or fragmented updates. Early-level alerts help dispatch anticipate demand, plan routes earlier, and distribute deliveries across the day instead of absorbing everything during peak hours. Day-to-day operations have become easier to coordinate: fewer urgent calls, fewer site visits, and clearer communication across teams. Drivers benefit from a more balanced workload, and customers receive a steadier, more reliable supply without manual inspections or emergency requests. By shifting from reactive routines to data-based planning, logistics teams gained predictability and a calmer, more stable workflow.

Key figures

-50%

last-minute deliveries

+6%

Average volume delivered per truck

About Holcim Spain

Operating through a broad industrial network across the country, the company manages five cement plants, twenty concrete plants, a mortar facility, several terminals, distribution centres and specialised laboratories. Its 700-plus employees support a construction market that stretches from major urban centres to remote industrial and infrastructure areas. Teams supply cement, concrete and mortar solutions used for structural work, pavements, roofing and large civil projects. The organisation is also active in national decarbonisation and circularity initiatives, holding the “Calculo y Reduzco” seal from Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO), which highlights ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact. With this combination of territorial coverage, technical expertise and operational consistency, the company plays a key role in ensuring reliable supply for construction professionals throughout Spain.

"SiloConnect has given us full visibility over our supply chain. We can anticipate customer needs, plan more efficiently and operate with greater peace of mind. The impact is visible daily: reduced stress, better service and more sustainable transport usage."

"It’s no longer a question of whether to adopt technology, but whether we can afford not to."

Measurable impact during the pilot phase

During the first months of deployment, Holcim Spain monitored the system closely to understand its real operational impact. The results were clear: urgent deliveries dropped from 5% to less than 1%, stockouts went from five per week to about one per month, and truck productivity increased by 12% thanks to better route distribution and fewer last-minute trips. These improvements were observed directly by the field teams and became one of the strongest indicators that the system was changing the way logistics could be organised.

A clearer, more reliable service for customer sites

Customer plants also experienced a noticeable improvement. With early alerts and steadier planning, replenishment became more predictable throughout the week, including during the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. demand peak. Dispatch gained an additional hour of planning lead time (from 5h to 4h), which helped reduce schedule compression and support a smoother delivery rhythm. This translated into more reliable supply on site and fewer corrective actions for both logistics and sales teams.

Safety and scalability as immediate benefits

One of the first changes observed by operators was the end of manual silo checks. With continuous remote monitoring, teams no longer need to climb silos to assess stock levels, improving safety while freeing time for higher-value tasks. The technical setup also allowed Holcim Spain to scale quickly: installations were straightforward, calibration was done remotely, and no modifications were required on customer sites. This ease of deployment is now supporting plans to extend SiloConnect across additional regions.