Many African supply chain professionals and business owners are told that efficiency in distribution starts with infrastructure. Build more. Store more. Own more. But here is the truth: you don’t need to build dozens of warehouses to fix distribution. The success of Barilla’s supply chain in enhancing distribution across Europe and Africa is a great example of that.
Barilla, one of the world’s largest food brands, chose a unique strategy for distribution. The company connected what they already had, without pouring billions into new plants in every region. Barilla’s supply chain focused on building a multi-hub system that made their distribution more agile, reliable, and cost-effective across Europe and Africa.
From high-tech warehousing in Italy to trusted local partnerships in South Africa and Kenya, the strategy works. It works not because it’s big, but because it’s smart. And this article explains how Barilla’s supply chain achieved this, why the strategy matters, and how African companies can apply the same model.
Moving Food Across Continents: How Barilla’s Supply Chain Designed Smart Transportation Networks
Transporting food across Europe and Africa demands more than trucks and ships. It demands a supply chain that is fast, cost-efficient, and reliable. Barilla’s supply chain built this by using a smart mix of transportation modes, local partnerships, and real-time technology.
Smarter Transport in Europe
Barilla made some key changes in how their goods were transported. Their smart transportation is a picture of how mixing rail and road can cut logistics costs and make it greener without slowing growth.
- Intermodal Rail Shift: In 2020, Barilla moved 70% of its exports to Germany from trucks to trains. Every year, three trains now carry 100,000 tons of products from Parma to Ulm. This change removed 5,000 trucks from the roads and cut CO₂ emissions by 6,000 tons. It also improved on-time delivery rates to 99% and reduced freight costs by about 5%.
- Truck Efficiency: Barilla still uses over 2,000 truckloads a week from Italy. But it optimized truck transport with digital route planning, milk-run deliveries, and full-truckload consolidation.
- Pallet Pooling: By using reusable CHEP pallets, Barilla lowered wasted trips, improved trailer usage, and gained digital transport diagnostics to fine-tune shipping flows.
- Regional Production Hubs: Facilities like the one in Turkey serve the Middle East and parts of North Africa, shortening shipping distances and cutting delays.
Practical Logistics in Africa
The approach was different in Africa because of several factors, including poor infrastructure. Barilla’s supply chain delivers reliably even across Africa’s toughest logistics challenges by focusing on visibility, regional entry points, and partner expertise.
- Ocean Freight and Local Hubs: Barilla ships containers from Italy or Turkey to ports like Lagos, Mombasa, Durban, and Cape Town. Local distributors manage inland transport to retailers and wholesalers.
- Regional Distribution Partners: Tacoma Foods in South Africa and Ponders Ltd in Kenya act as Barilla’s extensions, using local fleets to move goods even into nearby countries like Uganda or Rwanda.
- Real-Time Shipment Tracking: With FourKites, Barilla tracks about 80% of its global shipments. AI predicts arrival times and flags delays, allowing teams to adjust plans before problems cause stockouts.
- Flexibility: Barilla often consolidates shipments for smaller countries, keeping costs low and coverage broad. Regional hubs at port cities act as flexible launch points into inland markets.
Building Barilla’s Supply Chain in Europe: More Than Just Trucks and Warehouses
Barilla’s supply chain in Europe operates 30 production sites, with 15 of them in Italy. Each of these sites doesn’t just make food. Many of them serve as hubs. Strategic points that move products across the continent.
1. The Parma Superhub: Where Tech Meets Efficiency
- Size: 430,000 square feet.
- Storage: Over 97,000 pallet positions in high-density, automated racks.
- Impact: Eliminated 3,000 shuttle truck trips per year and cut lighting energy by 40%.
- Automation: 41 robots and over 100 laser-guided vehicles (LGVs) move and store 320,000 tons of pasta annually.
This warehouse doesn’t run on people power alone. Machines handle everything from stacking to sequencing outbound orders. With fewer errors and 24/7 operations, Barilla built a faster and leaner hub.
2. Rail Over Road: Smarter Long-Distance Delivery
- That shift removed over 5,000 trucks from the road every year.
- Barilla sends 70% of its shipments to Germany by train instead of truck.
- Result: On-time deliveries hit 99%, cutting CO2 emissions by 6,000 tons annually.
Using rail also saved about 5% in transport costs. That’s money freed up for other investments, not just in Europe, but in developing regions like Africa.
Barilla in Africa: No Factories, No Problem
Unlike in Europe, Barilla did not operate production sites in Africa. But that wasn’t going to stop the supply chain and distribution operations. So, instead of fixating on the problem, Barilla built a partner-led distribution strategy. The idea is simple: let local experts do what they do best.
Barilla supplies the product, and trusted partners take it the last mile.
1. South Africa: Tacoma Foods
Tacoma Foods imports and distributes Barilla products across Southern Africa. They handle storage, retail deliveries, and local relationships. “Tacoma’s strong understanding of the South African market and proactive approach has driven strong performance,” said Barilla’s MEA Sales Director.
2. Kenya: Ponders Ltd
Based in Nairobi, Ponders Ltd distributes Barilla across East Africa. They already handle global brands and understand retail expectations in the region. Ponders is an authorized distributor for Barilla in Kenya’s retail sector
3. Nigeria and West Africa
Barilla works with regional importers to warehouse goods at port cities (e.g. Lagos, Mombasa) and feed them into national distribution. By using partners’ existing warehouse networks, Barilla avoids heavy capital investment while still ensuring its products are stored safely and positioned near key consumer markets.
This approach by the company is highly scalable – as demand grows, Barilla can increase shipments to these local hubs, and distributors can expand coverage into neighboring countries. It also transfers the advantage of local knowledge.
In every case, Barilla didn’t just hand over goods. They shared forecasting tools, supply expectations, and brand support. The result is a smooth, localized supply, without needing to own a single warehouse.
Technology That Sees Everything, Before Problems Hit
It’s one thing to ship pasta. Knowing where it is, when it will arrive, and how to reroute if a port is blocked is another. Barilla tracks about 80% of all shipments, whether they are by truck or ship in real time.
“We react before an issue escalates into a problem,” said Davide Busato, Barilla’s Logistics Innovation Manager. This visibility changes everything in Africa, where road delays or port backups are common. If a container bound for Kenya is stuck at sea, Barilla can instantly alert Nairobi distributors and adjust restocking plans.
Smart, Sustainable, and Cheaper
Sustainability isn’t just about being green. It’s about saving fuel, reducing waste, and spending less while doing more. Here are some of the results from Barilla’s Changes:
- Cost Savings: 20% fuel cost reduction using smarter routing.
- Storage Efficiency: Centralizing in Parma cut energy use and labor needs.
- CO2 Cuts: 6,000 tons were removed from the rail switch, and 3,700 tons were saved with reusable pallets.
In Nigeria or Kenya, similar results are possible. Pool trucks to avoid empty runs. Switch to reusable packaging. Use shared warehousing near major ports to lower real estate costs.
What African Supply Chains Can Take from This
Over the past decade, Barilla’s supply chain has demonstrated how a multi-hub supply chain strategy, underpinned by strategic partnerships and modern technology, can yield a distribution network that is both efficient and resilient.
Here are some key lessons for African supply chains:
1. Decentralize Smartly
Don’t try to serve all of East Africa from one depot. Use smaller regional hubs that cut distance and delivery times in Nairobi, Lagos, or Cape Town.
2. Choose the Right Partners
Find logistics partners who know local routes, customs, and retail relationships. Work with them like Barilla does: transparently and with shared goals.
3. Use Tech That Fits
You don’t need Parma-level robotics. But you do need:
- Mobile order apps
- GPS vehicle tracking
- Cloud inventory systems
These tools are available, affordable, and powerful when used correctly.
4. Plan for Sustainability and Efficiency Together
Every liter of diesel saved is money in the bank. Smart routing and reusable packaging aren’t just good for the planet, they’re smart for business.
How African Supply Chains Can Apply These Lessons
Learning from Barilla is one step. Applying it takes intention and action. Here’s how African supply chains can start:
1. Start with What You Have
Rather than investing in new infrastructure, use existing warehouses, small regional depots, and experienced transporters. Map your current network and identify where a hub-and-spoke model could improve delivery times.
2. Build Reliable Relationships
Invest time in developing partnerships with distributors and 3PLs. Share demand forecasts, co-create service agreements, and measure performance together. Make logistics a shared responsibility.
3. Adopt Scalable Tech
Start with low-cost, high-impact tools:
- WhatsApp for driver communication
- Shared Google Sheets for inventory
- Affordable GPS trackers for vehicle fleets. These simple systems improve visibility and coordination immediately.
4. Focus on Training and Adaptation
Train your logistics teams and partners on process discipline. Standardize checklists, improve handover procedures, and conduct regular reviews. Use local case studies and success metrics to encourage adoption.
5. Optimize Routes and Reduce Waste
Use data from past shipments to redesign routes. Avoid backhauls and idle time. Encourage returnable crates and consolidate loads to increase truck utilization.
Wrap Up
Barilla didn’t redesign its supply chain to win awards. They did it to reach customers faster, better, and with less waste. Businesses and supply chains operating in Africa do not need to copy the entire blueprint. But the principles work:
- Invest in visibility.
- Use fewer, smarter hubs.
- Connect local knowledge to global systems.
Barilla’s supply chain isn’t just efficient. It’s teachable. And for African logistics professionals ready to improve distribution, it offers a clear place to start.
Obinabo Tochukwu Tabansi is a supply chain digital writer & ghostwriter helping professionals and business owners across Africa explore various strategies that work and learn from the success and failures of various supply chains across the globe. He also ghostwrites social content for logistics & supply chain businesses
