Global lubricants planning transformation

Shell operates a complex worldwide lubricants supply chain. Earlier SAP-based methods delivered reasonable results but were not sufficient for a more demanding market. After the 2015 oil-price drop, rising complexity and ongoing forecasting challenges made incremental fixes unsustainable.

Shell ran simulations in Europe, North America, and Asia, built the business case, and selected O8 Software. The program progressed through global design, build, test, pilot, and regional deployment, with O8 Software supporting material and supply planning, production scheduling, capacity planning, DRP, life-cycle management, and transport optimization.

A global and regional program was established with active deployment across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Demand-driven leader and planner training was launched. O8 Software was positioned to replace APO across the targeted planning scope.

Shell moved from incremental tweaks toward a step-change in planning capability.