Overcoming Change Management Challenges
STARK Building Materials UK, part of STARK Group, is one of Europe’s leading distributors of heavy building and construction materials. They operate a large, complex branch network serving the professional construction sector. Their supply chain transformation began in 2019 with RELEX to modernize forecasting and replenishment while the business was part of Saint-Gobain. However, initial adoption was limited, reaching only around 20 branches.
Following STARK Group’s acquisition of the UK business in 2023, they inherited both the existing RELEX system and the challenges that had slowed adoption. Historically, each branch operated independently, with managers placing orders based on local knowledge. This led to inconsistent availability and limited visibility across the network. While RELEX was introduced to centralize planning, many branches were reluctant to adopt it, viewing it as a loss of control and trusting their own judgment over the system.
To address this, the supply team configured the platform to allow branches to choose whether to use automated RELEX ordering. At the same time, RELEX was deployed across all branches to generate consistent visibility into stock levels and availability, regardless of adoption. This enabled direct performance comparisons between branches using RELEX and those relying on manual processes. The results were clear. Branches using RELEX consistently outperformed others, achieving more than 10% higher availability while holding less stock. This data-driven proof point helped build trust in the system, accelerating adoption across the network. By November 2024, all 385 branches had been fully onboarded to the RELEX platform. However, some branches asked to be switched off, a decision that created a natural performance comparison between RELEX-managed and manually ordered branches.
Rethinking the Business Organization
The initial implementation was regional, with planners responsible for specific areas. As STARK UK looked to improve product availability while maintaining control across its growing network, it moved to standardize forecasting and replenishment and support more scalable planning across all branches. As part of a broader digitization program, the business adopted a category-aligned planning model. The flexibility of RELEX supported a seamless transition to this new approach.
STARK UK also refined its planning processes with support from RELEX partner, Wysupp. This included correcting how the system handled quotations. Previously, speculative customer quotes were treated as confirmed sales, inflating demand projections. The team also adjusted parameters for slow-moving inventory and minimum fill quantities, improving forecast accuracy and inventory control.
With RELEX, STARK UK has been able to measure and improve product availability across its network. Branches using RELEX automated ordering consistently outperform those operating manually — a gap made visible by branches that opted to revert to manual ordering following the November 2024 network-wide go-live.
Standardized Forecasting and Replenishment at Scale
With RELEX, STARK UK has been able to measure and improve product availability across its network. Branches using RELEX automated ordering consistently outperform those operating manually, a gap made visible by branches that opted to revert to manual ordering following the November 2024 network-wide go-live.
For Heavy Building Materials, where yard management complexity and demand variability make supply more challenging, adoption remains at the branch’s discretion. Branches fully onboarded on RELEX, across both material types, maintain an average availability rate of 95%, compared to 82% for branches relying on manual ordering, a 13-percentage-point gap. In Heavy Building Materials alone, RELEX-managed branches achieve 91.6% availability versus 76.6% for manual branches. Across the network, RELEX-enabled branches have reduced stockouts by 64% and increased the share of perfectly stocked product lines.
STARK UK also achieved significant operational improvements, including a 114% increase in planning productivity. The team now has greater confidence in replenishment decisions, clearer visibility across branch performance, and less manual intervention in ordering. Rather than processing orders branch by branch, planners operate in a category-aligned model, focusing on exceptions and performance analysis while automated ordering manages routine replenishment.
RELEX has fundamentally changed how the supply team operates. Instead of reacting to individual branch issues, planners now provide category managers with proactive, network-wide inventory guidance. Branch managers and regional supply managers also have direct access to dashboards showing the live stock levels and order proposals, improving visibility and alignment across the business.
“In the building materials trade, having sufficient depth of stock for a contractor to complete an entire project rather than picking up a single item is the meaningful measure of service quality,” said Mark Cryan, Product Owner, STARK UK. “With RELEX, we are now data-driven and have the tools to make high availability the norm, with a 13-percentage-point gap compared to our previous manual ordering. We can provide category managers with proactive guidance and network-wide visibility, allowing for more consistent decision-making rather than reacting to local branch issues.”
Access to clear, side-by-side performance data has played a critical role in driving adoption. As planners and regional managers see the impact on availability, resistance to change has decreased. STARK UK is now targeting 97% availability across its network; a level already achieved in many Light Building Materials categories. Expanding RELEX further into Heavy Building Materials remains a key focus, with early results helping to build confidence across the organization.
Looking ahead, STARK UK is exploring machine learning-based forecasting, advanced supply chain diagnostics, and deeper integration of assortment planning within RELEX. They are also working to align more closely with other STARK Group markets using RELEX, enabling shared best practices and consistent measurement of availability across the group.