A recent collaboration between Stora Enso and a global hygiene company sourcing fluff pulp from our Skutskär production unit illustrates how a joint approach can turn complexity into measurable value. The starting point was a workshop bringing together cross-functional teams from both organisations to review current ways of working and identify improvement opportunities. One area quickly stood out.
“Quite quickly it became clear that logistics was where we could create the most impact together,” says Johan Flybring, Network Design Manager at Stora Enso Biomaterials Business Area.
Over time, the logistics setup supporting deliveries to the customer’s production units had become increasingly complex. What had been introduced to solve operational constraints, like additional warehouses and parallel flows, had also created inefficiencies, higher costs and reduced predictability.
Instead of optimising within this setup, the teams chose to step back and reassess the full picture. A key enabler was transparency.
“Normally, companies are quite protective of their cost structures. But here there was trust. The customer opened up and shared their transport prices, which allowed us to analyse the situation properly,” Johan explains.
With a shared understanding in place, the teams chose to simplify the logistics setup, consolidating flows into a single warehouse and aligning how deliveries were planned and managed. Both organisations were committed to adapting their ways of working, and the new setup was implemented step by step to ensure continuity.
The result was clear business impact, from reduced logistics costs to improved working capital, while maintaining service levels. At the same time, the collaboration strengthened the partnership.
“The biggest gain is trust. The customer sees that we care about their business, not just our own. Our success is tied to our customers’ success, when we improve together, both businesses become stronger,” Johan says.
Download the full case
For a more detailed view of the logistics solution and results including quantified outcomes — download the complete case here.
