Network Design & Optimization
Network Design Software Backed by Real Client Results
TranslytiX maps your as-is network, models up to 5 scenarios (plus system-recommended ones) using Center-of-Gravity and OR-based optimization, and generates an automated business case for each — from realignment to full greenfield design. Every recommendation is quantified: cost, service level, and lead time, before you commit.
- logistics cost savings (client results)
- Up to 15%
- 1-day service level improvement (client result)
- 63%→78%
- scenarios compared side by side
- Up to 5
What is supply chain network design software?
Supply chain network design software models and optimizes the structure of a supply chain: how many plants and warehouses to run, where to locate them, which customers each should serve, and which lanes and sourcing rules to use. These structural choices typically determine the majority of total logistics cost and set the ceiling on service performance — before a single daily planning decision is made.
TranslytiX runs this as a structured 4-phase process. Diagnose maps every plant, warehouse, C&F, and customer and calculates current cost per lane and node. Design defines up to 5 user-defined scenarios — depot additions, removals, realignment, or greenfield locations — plus scenarios the OR engine recommends on its own. Optimise runs an algorithm that minimises total logistics cost while holding service-level constraints, generating an automated business case per scenario. Future State projects the design against a 5-year demand and geography outlook.
When to redesign your network: six trigger events
Most networks are designed once and then left alone while the business around them changes. These are the moments when the as-is network quietly stops being the right one.
- New capacity is coming. A new plant, line or block changes which site should make what. Model it before the capex is committed, not after the line is running.
- The market mix is shifting. A move from export to domestic, a new channel such as quick commerce, or a new region changes which warehouse should serve which market.
- Trade rules keep moving. Tariff changes and stalled trade talks shift landed costs between sourcing and serving options. The US trade deficit widened to $105.6bn in August (Fortune) and India–US trade talks are at a "plateau" (ThePrint).
- Capital got more expensive. The RBI raised the repo rate to 5.50% on 7 October (GKToday). Every extra node and every extra day of stock in the network now costs more to carry.
- Freight and fuel costs jumped. Brent crude was $108.33 a barrel on 8 October, up 63% year on year (Fortune). Lane costs that justified today's footprint may no longer hold.
- You are entering or localizing in a new region. GCC governments are pushing localized, resilient supply chains and have extended input-duty exemptions to the end of 2027 (The National). Where to make, stock and serve from is a network question first.
If two or more of these apply, the network you run today was probably designed for a different business.
How does Translytics do supply chain network design?
As-is network mapping & evaluation
Full cost and flow map of existing plants, warehouses, and customer locations, with lane- and node-level performance analysis to find underperforming links.
Network realignment
Reassigns customers and dealers to their nearest or most optimal warehouse, cutting last-mile cost and improving service.
Cost & service scenario simulation
Compares realignment, consolidation, and expansion options side by side, with logistics cost, service metrics, and lane-level P&L quantified for each.
Network consolidation
Models reduced-warehouse-count scenarios that maintain or improve service coverage, using Center-of-Gravity analysis.
Greenfield network design
Identifies best-fit warehouse and plant locations from scratch — not limited to your existing facility footprint.
Automated business case generation
Every scenario produces a business case automatically: logistics cost delta, service improvement, and payback period, ready for executive sign-off.
Proven on real networks, not just theory
Network design is easy to get wrong in a spreadsheet and expensive to get wrong in the real world. TranslytiX network studies have delivered quantified results across multiple industries:
- An FMCG ice cream manufacturer ($75M turnover) cut average secondary distribution distance from ~450 km to ~180 km through network realignment.
- A $1.2B FMCD company improved 1-day service level from 63% to 78% while reducing logistics cost by 14%, with the network designed for a 3-year horizon.
- A $90M footwear manufacturer identified an optimal warehouse count from 18 candidate sites — the top 10 already generated 90% of demand — realizing 15% potential cost savings.
- A $60M auto-accessories (helmet) manufacturer achieved 12% cost savings by modelling 7 Center-of-Gravity scenarios before selecting a new warehouse footprint.
Built for the operating complexity of real supply chains: TranslytiX (TX) plugs in above the ERP you already run — SAP, Oracle, ERPNext, or Tally — with no rip-and-replace, and is deployed in outcome-based 90-day cycles.
How to choose supply chain network design software: 6 questions to ask
Network design decisions lock in cost and service for years. These questions help you pick software that gives decisions you can defend to the board.
1.Can it model your as-is network accurately?
Every scenario is only as good as the baseline. The software should reproduce your current cost to serve and service levels from real data before it proposes changes.
2.Does it compare scenarios on both cost and service?
A cheaper network that slows delivery to key customers is not a saving. Look for side-by-side scenarios that show logistics cost and service level together.
3.Does it handle consolidation, realignment and greenfield?
You may need to close a warehouse, reassign customers to depots, or design a new region from scratch. Check that each of these is supported, not only one.
4.Will it produce a business case finance will accept?
The output should translate scenarios into investment, running cost and payback, so the decision can go straight to the CFO.
5.Does it use your own data from ERP and transport systems?
Generic cost assumptions produce generic answers. The model should be built from your shipments, rates and customer locations.
6.Is it a one-off study or a living model?
Demand, freight rates and customers change. A model you can re-run as conditions change is worth more than a consulting report that is out of date in six months.
Comparing several vendors? Read our full guide to evaluating supply chain planning software.
How TranslytiX network design differs
Teams usually weigh three ways to answer network questions. Here is how they compare.
| One-off consulting study | Spreadsheet model | TranslytiX network design | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built on | A data snapshot at the time of the study | Whatever the analyst can pull and maintain | Your own ERP and transport data, refreshed |
| Scenarios | A few, chosen at the start | Limited by spreadsheet size and time | Up to 5 user-defined scenarios side by side, on cost and service |
| Business case | A report | Built by hand | Generated per scenario: cost delta, service impact, payback |
| When things change | Commission a new study | Rebuild the model | Re-run the same model with new assumptions |
| Link to daily planning | None | None | Same platform and data as demand, inventory, production and dispatch planning |
Network design is the strategic layer of TranslytiX. It sits next to the modules your team uses every day, so the network you choose is the network you then plan, schedule and dispatch against.
Implementation: what to expect
TranslytiX is deployed in outcome-based 90-day cycles on top of your existing systems.
1. Connect and baseline
TranslytiX reads your data from the ERP you already run (SAP, Oracle, ERPNext or Tally) and we measure today's cost to serve and service level by region, so every later result is compared with your own starting point.
2. Configure and validate
Your business rules and constraints are set up, and results are back-tested against your own history, so planners can see the difference before anything goes live.
3. Go live with your planners
Planners work from TranslytiX recommendations, with overrides logged and explained, and no rip-and-replace of existing systems.
4. Measure and expand
At the end of the cycle we compare cost to serve and service level by region with the baseline, then extend to further sites, products or modules.
Network design by industry
The questions change with the industry. The method stays the same: map the as-is network, compare scenarios on cost and service, and build the business case.
- FMCG and food: cold-chain and short-shelf-life products make distance to market a service question, not only a cost question. Which depots serve which territories, and where a new plant should sit.
- Consumer durables: festive peaks and channel shifts strain the same warehouses every year. For one consumer durables client, 1-day service level rose from 63% to 78%.
- Footwear and apparel: many SKUs, many outlets and seasonal ranges. Choosing a smaller set of well-placed sites that still covers most demand.
- Auto components: multi-plant manufacturers supplying OEM plants and the aftermarket. Which plant should make which part family as new lines come on.
- Chemicals: bulk and packed products with high freight cost per unit. Plant-to-market assignment and the case for regional storage.
- Pharma and medtech: regulated sites and multi-market demand. Where to add capacity and how to serve new markets without compromising service.
Proven in production, not in slides
Footwear Network Cost Reduction
Network optimization and inventory strategy reduced logistics and network costs for a footwear company.
Read the success storyElectrical Equipment Network Optimization
Distribution network optimized to improve fill rates and reduce lead times for an electrical equipment supplier.
Read the success storyEnergy & Freight Optimization
Freight optimization lowered transportation costs while maintaining service levels for an energy business.
Read the success storyEnterprise Supply Chain Transformation
Enterprise-wide network design, inventory, and service-level optimization across regions.
Read the success storyFrom network strategy to daily planning
A network decision only pays off when the daily plan follows it. In TranslytiX, network design sits next to the modules that plan the daily work:
- Demand planning sets the forward view by market and channel for the new network.
- Inventory optimization sets stock by node, with a digital twin of inventory that alerts the team when a demand spike, a production delay or a late PO puts the plan at risk.
- Production planning and scheduling loads each plant with the products the network now assigns to it.
- Dispatch planning plans shipments on the new lanes.
That is how the four outcomes we lead with hold together: higher service levels, optimized inventory, less capital locked up, and better use of production capacity, machines and assets.
Questions, Answered
Supply chain network design software models and optimizes the structure of a supply chain: how many plants and distribution centers to operate, where to locate them, which customers each should serve, and which transport lanes and sourcing rules to use. TranslytiX runs this as a 4-phase process — Diagnose (map the as-is network and cost per lane), Design (model up to 5 scenarios plus system-recommended ones), Optimise (an OR algorithm minimises total logistics cost under service constraints), and Future State (project the design 5 years out). Real client engagements have delivered results such as a footwear manufacturer identifying 15% potential cost savings and an FMCD company improving 1-day service level from 63% to 78% while cutting logistics cost 14%.
Center-of-Gravity (CoG) analysis identifies the geographically optimal location for a warehouse or plant based on weighted customer demand and distance, minimizing total transportation cost. TranslytiX uses CoG to simulate both realigned networks (using existing facilities) and greenfield networks (unconstrained by current locations), then compares the resulting cost and service trade-offs. In one engagement for an auto-accessories manufacturer, seven different CoG-based scenarios were modelled and compared before selecting a new warehouse footprint, delivering 12% cost savings. In another, CoG modelling helped a footwear manufacturer determine that just 10 of 18 candidate warehouse locations were needed to serve 90% of demand.
Results vary by how far the current network has drifted from its optimal footprint, but TranslytiX client engagements have delivered concrete, measured outcomes: a footwear manufacturer identified 15% potential cost savings through warehouse consolidation, an auto-accessories manufacturer achieved 12% cost savings through Center-of-Gravity redesign, and an FMCD distributor cut logistics cost by 14% while simultaneously improving 1-day service level from 63% to 78%. A separate FMCG ice cream manufacturer reduced average secondary distribution distance from roughly 450 km to 180 km through network realignment. Because each scenario generates an automated business case — cost delta, service impact, and payback period — the expected savings are quantified before any change is implemented.
Both are possible with TranslytiX, but the platform is built to make network design a repeatable capability rather than a one-off consulting exercise. Scenario and simulation templates can be saved and reused for future network redesigns, warehouse expansions, or policy changes, and the Future State phase explicitly projects the design against demand growth and new geography over a 5-year horizon. The roadmap also includes dynamic network re-optimisation — automatically re-evaluating the network when demand patterns shift materially from baseline — so the design keeps pace with the business instead of going stale until the next periodic study.
See your own data make better decisions
Book a personalized demo and see how decision intelligence changes network design & optimization — on top of the systems you already run.