Rolling out a digital logistics solution across multiple industrial sites involves significant organizational and technical coordination. Axians Industrial Applications & Services and Heidelberg Materials France, a leading building materials producer, have completed such a rollout by implementing the VAS Yard Management solution across all Heidelberg Materials cement plants in France.
The project aimed to digitize and optimize loading and logistics processes across French cement operations. The rollout covered 14 sites in total, including nine production plants and five terminals. Each site operates under different local and operational conditions, requiring coordinated planning to ensure continuity of truck and rail logistics during the transition.
The VAS Yard Management solution is designed to automate and standardize loading and logistics workflows. By early 2025, the solution was live at all 14 French sites. At the Bruneseau plant in Paris, which represented the 1,000th site worldwide to implement the Axians VAS Solution, cement loading for trucks is now fully automated. Drivers can complete the required steps independently, without on-site personnel involved in the Check-in, loading and Check-Out process.
Operational data from the initial phase indicated a stable system start-up. During the first week after go-live, the 14 sites processed more than 3,000 delivery notes covering truck and full-train shipments. This volume demonstrated that the system was able to support regular logistics operations immediately after deployment.
According to Jean-Luc Degrange, Project Manager at Heidelberg Materials France, the project required close coordination between teams:
Planning and executing the rollout of this large-scale project across 14 plants was a unique challenge for our team and Axians. Together, we successfully completed this project.
On a global level, the VAS solution is used to support logistics operations handling more than 10 million truckloads per year, with daily transaction volumes varying by plant size. Jens Büschl, Head of Operations at Axians IAS, notes that the French rollout reflects the system’s scalability and operational capability during large-scale deployments.
Beyond the operational rollout itself, deploying a yard management solution such as the one delivered by Axians creates noticeable impacts on how industrial companies run their logistics.
More than just technical improvements, these systems support clearer decision-making and resource allocation across sites by giving teams real-time information about arrivals, dispatches, and asset usage: factors that are directly linked to enhancing overall efficiency. This kind of digital control can also strengthen relationships with partners and customers, because deliveries and site access are becoming more transparent, predictable and reliable.
The rollout at Heidelberg Materials France demonstrates how digital yard management can move beyond operational improvement to become a strategic enabler for modern logistics. By standardizing processes across multiple sites while maintaining operational continuity, the company has created a more agile and transparent yard ecosystem capable of adapting to shifting demand and reducing hidden inefficiencies.
At the same time, the project underscores the importance of strong coordination, scalable systems, and long-term collaboration in delivering successful industrial digitalization. This shows how targeted digital solutions can strengthen both operational performance and long-term competitiveness.