Benjamin Moore: AI-driven recommendations and data analytics for better load building

The challenge: improve efficiency and customer service while reducing trips and costs

Benjamin Moore, one of the world's leading paint, color, and coatings brands, maintains a relentless commitment to innovation and sustainable manufacturing practices. The company was looking for a systematic solution to improve load building and deliveries from its plants to its distribution centers, to reduce under and over shipments, improve service, and lower costs. The major challenge for the solution is to be able to optimize dynamically and often as products are not stored in the manufacturing site but are moved from the manufacturing lines straight into staging lanes and onto the trucks.

Created value: smarter carton, pallet, and load building for increased capacity and safety

ORTEC Load Building for SAP® is a certified add-on for SAP, providing load building for cartons, pallets, trucks, and containers, as well as optimal vehicle route scheduling, seamlessly embedded into the SAP ERP and S/4HANA solutions. AI-driven recommendations and data analytics help Benjamin Moore support its unique staging and loading process, improve pallet and load building and truck stability, increase capacity, and decrease transportation costs and carbon footprint.

A successful project resulting in a fast ROI

The implementation of Benjamin Moore’s new internal initiatives and the ORTEC solution were completed in a two-phase approach and utilized a fully remote implementation with extensive customized development needs. Careful planning, recognition of bespoke requirements, and effective communication between both parties resulted in a roll-out process that kept errors to a minimum and a business solution that provided exactly what the customer had asked for, allowing them to achieve their project ROI in less than a year.

The benefits

The ORTEC Load Building for SAP® solution offers advanced optimization algorithms for 3D Pallet and Load Building, is fully certified by SAP, and integrates seamlessly into Benjamin Moore's SAP environment.

• Achieved ROI in less than one year

• Increased customer satisfaction both internally and externally

• Reduced carbon emissions by maximizing load utilization and reducing the number of shipments required, supporting sustainability initiatives

• Improved efficiency leading to better fulfillment rates

• Achieved labor savings on process improvements and lowered shipping costs

Building a partnership for supply chain optimization

ORTEC's role extends beyond optimization, helping customers identify opportunities, mitigate risk, and continuously improve operational performance. Benjamin Moore has experienced that commitment first-hand. In post go-live analysis, reviews further prove the accuracy and safety of ORTEC’s optimization plans. For example, ORTEC flagged overweight load instances and cautioned against executing the load schemes, giving Benjamin Moore’s teams an opportunity to make adjustments to conform with compliance standards.

On describing the relationship, the director stated, “The experience exemplifies the true meaning of a partnership. The initiative was challenging and complex, but ORTEC was up to the challenge. They are a trusted partner going forward.”