Leading agribusiness distributor designs an optimized distribution network with SWARM
How an agribusiness uses SWARM to design a facilities footprint that delivers customer needs at the lowest possible cost.
CUSTOMER
About the customer
This customer is a leading marketer and distributor of agricultural products, animal feed, and specialty chemicals and ingredients for US farmers. The customer has grown the business by building strong relationships, making strategic investments, and capitalizing on new market opportunities.
INDUSTRY
Agribusiness and distribution
FOCUS
Agricultural inputs and value-added distribution
REGIONS
North America
USE CASES
Facilities network design, distribution optimization
CHALLENGE
Designing a future-ready facilities network
The customer wanted a facilities distribution network that delivers customer needs at the lowest possible cost. The key questions the customer needed to answer:
Where should inventory sit across the network?
Which locations should operate as hubs, and what capabilities should each facility have?
How should the footprint evolve over time as customer needs and the market landscape change?
The customer engaged SWARM to determine an optimal network footprint based on inventory, logistics, and people, aligned with both short and long-term profitability. The ideal network also needed to prioritize the most profitable customers on a regional basis and support “what if” scenario analysis directly within the SWARM Platform.
SOLUTION
Network design and scenario planning
The customer uses the SWARM Platform to design and evaluate facilities network options that balance customer service, cost, and long-term profitability.
1. Model the current and future network
SWARM brings together data on customer locations, demand patterns, facilities, logistics, and staffing into a single optimization model. This gives teams one place to evaluate the current footprint and potential future states.
2. Recommend the optimal footprint
Using this model, the SWARM Platform recommends which locations should operate as hubs, what capabilities each facility should have, and where inventory should be held to serve customers at the lowest total cost.
3. Run “what if” network scenarios
Planners can run different “what if” scenarios within the SWARM Platform for future customer needs and market conditions. The customer can test changes to locations, hubs, and service regions and see the impact on cost and service before committing.
4. Support weekly decisions
The optimization supports both immediate decisions and long-term strategy, so leadership, operations, and finance can align around a shared view of how the network should evolve over time.
POWERED BY THE SWARM ENGINE
The SWARM ENGINE is our agentic AI optimization product that solves complex operational problems such as labor planning, logistics, and allocation.
IMPACT
A clear blueprint and roadmap for the network
The project delivered a network design and a repeatable way to test future changes inside the SWARM Platform. The work created a foundation for ongoing optimization as the market and customer needs evolve.
Generates a network design that minimizes costs while meeting all of the customer’s constraints
Within the SWARM Platform, the customer can tweak and run multiple optimization scenarios to reach the best decision for the business
Multi-year customer relationship with SWARM based on value delivered through the optimization application
WHY SWARM
Why this customer chose SWARM
Network design first
SWARM starts with the distribution network challenge and builds the optimization around real constraints on inventory, logistics, and people.
Fast time to value
The initial network design project was delivered in about three months, so results could feed directly into planning cycles.
Scenario planning built in
The same model supports “what if” scenarios, so teams can test footprint and market changes without rebuilding spreadsheets.
Platform for future projects
The customer plans multiple follow-on projects based on the first application, so each new application can build on the data and logic already in place.
See what SWARM can do for your network
Talk with our team about your own distribution, logistics, or network design questions and see how SWARM can help you test options before you invest.