From visibility to foresight: Radeberger Gruppe advances supply chain performance with a Digital Twin

Designing and operating a high-performing supply chain in the food and beverage industry requires more than managing complexity – it demands the ability to anticipate it. For the Radeberger Gruppe, Germany’s largest private brewery group, this means coordinating production, distribution and returns across a nationwide network while maintaining service levels and efficiency.

In an interview recorded at Realize LIVE Europe 2025, Fabienne Zachwieja, Team Lead Digital Twin at Radeberger Gruppe, shares how the company is using the Siemens Supply Chain Suite to enable data-driven decision-making and build a more proactive supply chain.

Building a holistic view of a complex supply chain

Radeberger Gruppe operates 11 beer production sites and one non-alcoholic beverage facility in Germany, supplying a broad portfolio of regional and international brands to more than 60 countries. This distributed production landscape creates a highly interconnected supply chain, where disruptions in one area can quickly impact the entire value chain.

To address this complexity, the company implemented a Digital Twin of its supply chain using the Supply Chain Suite. This virtual representation integrates data across procurement, production, bottling, distribution and returns, creating a consistent and unified data model.

As Zachwieja explains, this holistic view enables the team to move beyond reactive decision-making. Instead of responding to incidents as they occur, planners can simulate scenarios in advance and evaluate their impact across the entire network.

From simulation to measurable impact

The ability to analyze and simulate supply chain scenarios has translated into tangible operational improvements. According to both the interview and the accompanying case study, Radeberger Gruppe has achieved:

• Double-digit capacity increases at individual plants
• Reduced out-of-stock situations
• Improved on-time performance and reliability
• Productivity gains across production, bottling and logistics

These outcomes are driven by the ability to test different configurations and constraints in a risk-free environment. For example, logistics flows, delivery routes and return processes for empty containers can be continuously optimized based on the latest data.

This aligns with a broader shift from static planning toward dynamic, data-driven optimization – where decisions are validated through simulation before being implemented in operations.

Enabling data-driven decision-making at scale

A key enabler of this transformation is the consolidation of diverse data sources into a single, consistent model. The Supply Chain Suite allows Radeberger Gruppe to integrate and analyze data from multiple systems, generating dashboards, reports and simulations that support both strategic and tactical decisions.

This capability is particularly important in an environment where supply chain disruptions are increasingly common. With a Digital Twin, the company can assess future capacity scenarios, identify potential bottlenecks and proactively adjust plans.

As highlighted in the case study, this approach supports both:

• Strategic analyses, such as long-term network design and capacity planning
• Tactical analyses, including day-to-day operational adjustments

From external support to internal expertise

Radeberger Gruppe’s Digital Twin journey also reflects an evolution in operating models. Initial implementation and modeling were supported by Siemens consulting teams. Over time, the company transitioned to an in-house approach, supported by targeted training and enablement.

Today, Zachwieja and her team can independently build simulations, adapt models and generate insights – embedding Digital Twin capabilities directly into daily operations. This shift not only accelerates analysis cycles but also ensures that domain expertise remains closely aligned with decision-making.

Scaling the Digital Twin across new use cases

Looking ahead, Radeberger Gruppe plans to extend the use of the Supply Chain Suite across additional sites and use cases. With a growing set of ideas and validated benefits, the focus now shifts to scaling these capabilities throughout the organization.

The objective remains consistent: to create a supply chain that is not only efficient, but also resilient and adaptable – capable of responding to change with confidence.

Learn more

For additional details, explore the Radeberger Gruppe case study on achieving higher capacity, reliability and on-time performance with a digital twin.

And for those being interested in attending Realize LIVE Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, registration information is available here.