Holcim’s NextGen Logistics: How people and AI make the difference

ELODIE ROBIN
Head of Group Logistics

My Holcim growth story began in 2023 as a Procurement Category Manager, focusing on securing critical raw materials and building resilient supply chains. This gave me a deep, end-to-end understanding of how our business runs. Then, in early 2025, I took on the opportunity of leading Logistics globally.

In this exciting role, I work with teams across more than 30 countries to connect markets, scale our digital solutions and make our operations more sustainable and efficient. What inspires me in my day-to-day work is the impact we can unlock when data, technology and people come together.

Simplifying logistics using AI

News flash: logistics at Holcim is clearly a massive undertaking! We move millions of tons of materials every year - by truck, ship, and rail - to ensure that our high-value building materials and solutions reach our customers on time.

So the question I asked myself from day one at Holcim was: “How do we simplify this complexity?” The answer lies in digital solutions and AI. These tools help us anticipate demand, optimize transport flows and reduce both costs and emissions.

With Holcim Foresight, our AI-powered demand planning tool, we’re improving the accuracy and speed of our planning process. And with advanced optimization engines, we can continually redesign our logistics network for smarter, faster, cleaner operations.

AI-Powered Planning with Holcim Foresight

Holcim Foresight is our AI-powered demand planning tool. It involves a lot more than simply looking at past sales and modeling future outcomes. It integrates thousands of external data points, including weather patterns, GDP forecasts and market trends, to build far more accurate forecasts.

Since its launch in 2025, we’ve already rolled it out in over 25 countries, and are on track to reach over 30 by the end of the year. The impact is already clear — with better production alignment, lower inventories and reduced distribution costs.

In the UK, for instance, we’ve improved forecast accuracy by 16% compared to 2024 and reduced inventory by 1 million tons. Our ambition now is to make Holcim Foresight the global standard – ensuring that every region benefits from smarter, more proactive planning.

Optimizing our logistics network

In logistics, AI gives us the power to simulate thousands of possible network scenarios in just minutes. It factors in customer demand, transport capacity, costs, and even emissions, recommending the most efficient setup.

This capability allows us to reduce Scope 3 kilometers, increase profitability and accelerate our decarbonization efforts, all at the same time. We’ve started piloting this in Europe and Latin America, and our goal is to scale it globally to capture significant financial and environmental benefits.

My NextGen logistics

Logistics will be a true differentiator for Holcim. I foresee us running fully digital, data-driven operations where AI supports every decision, from planning to dispatch. Sustainability will be fundamentally embedded in everything we do, with even more sustainable fleets, increased use of rail and water transport and transparent CO₂ tracking.

Above all though, logistics is a people business, which is where our Holcim Spirit shines! By equipping our teams with the best skills and tools, we’re harnessing our culture of performance and value creation to continue building a world-class logistics function with unmatched efficiency. One we can be truly proud of, as we continue delivering value for people, customers and shareholders.