Owens Corning Partners with Breakthrough to Optimize their Fuel and Freight Management Strategy

Owens Corning, the world’s largest manufacturer of fiberglass composites, has long been committed to building a sustainable future through material innovation. Their journey toward operational excellence took a pivotal turn when they partnered with Breakthrough. Johanna Sierra, Owens Corning’s senior director of logistics, recognized the value of Breakthrough from her previous employer and understood the benefits it could bring to Owens Corning’s transportation network. Sierra organized a kickoff call to introduce Breakthrough to her team, and captivated by their sustainable fuel and freight solutions, Charlie Dahlke, Owens Corning's transportation sourcing leader, moved the partnership forward.

Together, Breakthrough and Owens Corning explored opportunities for fuel savings and operational optimization, focusing on streamlined processes and improved financial efficiency. With a clear vision, Owens Corning selected specific initiatives to pursue.

Owens Corning optimized its logistics operations significantly with the implementation of Breakthrough's Fuel Recovery and RFP solutions. Fuel Recovery allowed Owens Corning to reimburse carriers at market-based fuel prices while providing essential data and insights for efficient fuel cost management. By collaborating with Breakthrough’s RFP services, they gained access to one of the most robust and clean datasets in the U.S. This enabled them to analyze external factors affecting their network, informing optimal sourcing strategies and ensuring consistent network performance year-round.

Since implementation, Owens Corning has achieved significant milestones, including immediate fuel savings within the first month, enhanced operational efficiency through improved data management and insights, and an expanded network of best-fit carriers. Dahlke shared, "We've seen significant quantifiable results that have exceeded our expectations. They were almost immediate."

The start of a strong partnership

From day one, daily communication and strategic onsite meetings established a clear direction, ensuring alignment and minimizing disruptions. The proactive and organized approach mitigated and addressed roadblocks and laid a strong foundation for operational success.

The strong IT partnership played a pivotal role in the implementation process. With Breakthrough's support, Owens Corning successfully consolidated data across their four business units. Through this process, Breakthrough became an extension of Owens Corning's team, thoroughly understanding their systems and network priorities. This seamless integration of data and strategic alignment strengthened the collaboration between Owens Corning and Breakthrough and set the stage for future innovation and continuous improvement, "We're still learning and growing in our partnership, looking at how we're expanding, of how we can use the extensive data in the Breakthrough ecosystem," shared Dahlke.

Ensuring carrier acceptance through comprehensive support

Understandably, there was apprehension about carrier acceptance of the new fuel reimbursement program, especially given Owens Corning's long-standing processes. Owens Corning addressed these internal concerns by sharing Breakthrough’s comprehensive data-driven insights to support carrier discussions. This approach empowered carriers to ask questions, gain clarity, and utilize the fuel rate lookup tool to calculate their fuel reimbursement, facilitating a smooth transition and contributing to the overall success of the program implementation.

Leveraging data and expertise for a strategic RFP

Owens Corning partnered with Breakthrough to manage their dry van and flatbed bids. With an established, clean, and comprehensive dataset from Fuel Recovery and the extensive ecosystem of shipper and carrier data provided by Breakthrough, Owens Corning gained a holistic insight into the transportation industry, informing their RFP process.

Owens Corning received multiple scenarios from Breakthrough to select the optimal path forward. These scenarios encouraged their sourcing teams to think beyond traditional methods and leverage Breakthrough's industry and market expertise to achieve optimal bid results. This included strategic improvement opportunities, such as analyzing their carrier network. By reviewing the performance of their existing carriers and identifying potential carriers with favorable rates previously overlooked, Owens Corning was able to initiate dynamic conversations and explore potential partnerships, positioning them to operate more strategically and cost-effectively. Breakthrough’s straightforward and pragmatic approach enabled Owens Corning to concentrate on long-term goals while Breakthrough handled the execution and tactical elements of the RFP.

Strategic partnership drives innovation and efficiency in logistics

The strategic partnership between Owens Corning and Breakthrough has proven to be an exemplary model of innovation and efficiency in the logistics and transportation sector. By leveraging Breakthrough's advanced Fuel Recovery and RFP solutions, Owens Corning has achieved enhanced operational efficiencies, significant cost savings, and a strengthened carrier network. Their collaborative approach, marked by comprehensive data-driven insights and streamlined processes, has not only addressed existing challenges, but also equipped them for sustained success in the future.

Looking ahead, Owens Corning is committed to continually enhancing their transportation network to ensure sustained success and increased collaboration.