Inside Radeberger Gruppe's Digital Twin Transformation
Radeberger Gruppe, Germany’s largest private brewery group, has strengthened its supply chain management by integrating Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Supply Chain Suite.
The advanced solution provides real-time visibility, simulation and optimisation capabilities, enabling the company to manage its vast logistics network with greater efficiency.
Radeberger Gruppe produces nearly 60 beer brands across 14 brewing facilities and distributes soft drinks, including Selters mineral water and PepsiCo products. Supplying every type of food retailer in Germany, from small kiosks to major wholesalers, requires a robust and flexible supply chain.
In a highly complex supply chain environment, Radeberger Gruppe must coordinate production, bottling, distribution and the return of empty containers from thousands of retail locations.
By adopting a digital twin approach, the company can make data-driven decisions to improve capacity, reliability and on-time performance.
Traditional supply chain management tools helped streamline operations, but they lacked an integrated view of the entire network.
Radeberger Gruppe sought a solution that could unify data, model logistics flows and provide actionable insights.
Siemens Digital Industries Software offered the Supply Chain Suite as part of its Siemens Xcelerator business platform. This tool allows Radeberger Gruppe to consolidate data from multiple sources, visualise trends and run simulations to identify areas for improvement.
Emil Wagner, Director of Digitalisation, Processes and Projects at Radeberger Gruppe, explains: “I need to manage the supply chain, not just react to incidents. I can use the Supply Chain Suite with its analysis and simulation options to achieve this.”
Enhancing supply chain visibility
The implementation of the Supply Chain Suite was rolled out in phases. The first step was testing the software’s ability to map transportation and distribution logistics.
Once successful, the next stage built a detailed digital model of the entire supply chain, incorporating beer production, bottling, storage and returns. This digital twin enables Radeberger Gruppe to simulate different scenarios and fine-tune operations based on real-time data.
By leveraging this technology, the company has significantly improved several key performance indicators:
- Increased supply chain capacity by double digits
- Optimised delivery routes to reduce outbound shipments
- Enhanced reliability and on-time performance
- Improved productivity in logistics by several percentage points annually
- Streamlined the return of empty bottles for more efficient reuse
“Using a digital twin gives us the big picture of the entire breadth and depth of our brewery group’s supply chain,” adds Emil.
“We can also respond to day-to-day changes and simulate and plan for future changes. This allowed us to grow the capacity of our existing production infrastructure well into the double digits.”
The software also integrates seamlessly with existing enterprise systems, allowing Radeberger Gruppe to extract and process data from various sources.
Data-driven insights for long-term supply chain success
With the Supply Chain Suite in place, Radeberger Gruppe can now proactively manage logistics challenges. The software enables two key applications:
Tactical analysis – examining and addressing specific supply chain bottlenecks
Strategic analysis – providing a holistic view of operations across all brands and facilities
Siemens Digital Logistics supported the implementation with intensive training, ensuring Radeberger Gruppe’s team could independently develop and adapt models for ongoing use. Within a year, the system was fully integrated and optimising operations across production, bottling and distribution.
The ability to simulate future scenarios is especially valuable in an industry where disruptions — such as raw material shortages or supply chain delays — are common.
“Supply chain disruptions are a recurring and increasingly common problem,” concludes Emil.
“So, it’s critical that we as a company have the capacity to control them. Using the Supply Chain Suite helps us accomplish this.”
By leveraging digital twin technology, Radeberger Gruppe can anticipate challenges, optimise resources and ensure that Germany’s favourite beer brands reach retailers and consumers efficiently.
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