Optimera Improves Seasonal Availability and Cuts Replenishment Workload with RELEX

Swedish building materials distributor automates seasonal planning to ensure high availability during peak demand

Optimera Svenska AB, part of the Saint-Gobain Group and one of Sweden’s leading distributors of building materials, has improved product availability and reduced manual workload by using RELEX Solutions for forecasting and replenishment across its full assortment.

Operating in a highly seasonal industry, Optimera prepares each year for a predictable but demanding sales window. Demand for timber and decking materials starts to rise in March and April and peaks in May and June. During this period, product availability directly determines sales performance, as missed demand is rarely recovered later in the season.

Previously, building up seasonal inventory required significant manual effort and continuous follow-up. Today, the process is structured and starts months earlier. Planning begins in December, when the procurement team uses RELEX forecasts to review and set minimum stock levels for the upcoming season. From there, RELEX generates order proposals aligned with expected demand patterns, with close to 100% of recommendations automatically accepted.

Since implementing RELEX, Optimera has achieved:

• 50% reduction in time spent on replenishment tasks
• +4.1 percentage point increase in overall availability

During peak season:

• 98.6–98.9% availability maintained for decking materials
• Inventory turnover of 5-9x during peak months

“The real value of RELEX is that we can trust the process,” said Sonny Söderberg, Timber Procurement Specialist at Optimera Svenska AB. “When peak season arrives, we know the stock is there because the system has been working in the background for months.”

With automated replenishment in place, Optimera has moved away from reactive planning. Instead of adjusting inventory levels during the season, the team prepares in advance and relies on the AI-native RELEX platform to execute their plans consistently against demand.

“Seasonal planning in building materials is about getting the balance right between availability and excess stock,” said Martin Lindblad, Head of Operational Purchasing at Optimera Svenska AB. “With RELEX, our buyers can rely on the process during peak season and focus on supplier relationships and longer-term decisions.”

The improved approach also allows Optimera to manage natural fluctuations across the year. While inventory turns increase significantly during peak months, they drop back to lower levels in the off-season, a shift the team now plans for rather than reacts to.

“Optimera has built a strong seasonal planning process that delivers consistent results year after year,” said Tiina Kanninen, SVP Global Customer success at RELEX Solutions. “That reliability is critical in a business where timing and availability have a direct impact on revenue.”