Global Manufacturer - Proven Use of Agentic AI in Supply Chain Design Decisions
- aasthajha6
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 7
Client Need
BFG International, a global leader in composite manufacturing, working with U.S. construction client that required delivery of 1,200 pre-assembled fiberglass composite panels. These panels needed to be manufactured, coated with fire protection, and shipped to the U.S. under tight delivery schedules.
The U.S. customer set demanding conditions: strict budgetary constraints, tight delivery timelines, reduced Scope 3 emissions, and full compliance with U.S. quality and regulatory standards. Additionally, the customer requested an option for U.S.-sourced manufacturing and supply of materials
Permutations
Historically, BFG produced these panels at its offshore facility, sourcing fiberglass locally and resin from suppliers in the UAE and Asia. To meet the U.S. client’s requirements, BFG had to evaluate multiple scenarios:
Tariff impacts: Resin sourced from the UAE & Asia attracted additional U.S. import duties.
Transport exposure: Shipping large panels across continents added costs, delays, and uncertainty.
Geopolitical & logistics risks: Long international supply routes increased vulnerability to disruptions.
Carbon emissions: Scope 3 emissions from upstream material sourcing and international shipping elevated the carbon footprint.
Ultimately, BFG needed to model these trade-offs to meet budgetary targets, maintain schedule and performance, and provide an option for U.S. manufacturing.
Options
Traditional approaches, such as spreadsheets or rules-based modeling tools, would have required weeks of manual data wrangling, static assumptions, and limited visibility. Worse, they could not provide a transparent, defensible business case aligned with the client’s specific goals.
The Solution
Sustain360°™ Agentic AI Supply Chain Intelligence allowed BFG to model both scenarios within days:
Baseline (“As-Is”): Manufacture in Bahrain and ship to the U.S., factoring in current and projected tariff impacts.
Reshored Alternative: Manufacture in the U.S. with U.S.-sourced materials and assembly for fiberglass, resin, and coating.
The Impact
The Sustain360°™ software identified potential saving of $620k, a reduction of 9.9% to the budget targets and ensured client delivery times and quality requirements were not impacted.
Key Outcomes generated with the Sustain360°™ Agentic-AI platform:
Cost Drivers: Transparent analysis of materials, tariffs, labor, and logistics.
Risk Exposures: Geopolitical, transportation, and adversarial sourcing risks clearly mapped.
Carbon Impacts: Quantification of Scope 3 emissions from upstream sourcing and transport.
Goal-Seeking Outcomes: >9%cost reduction, on-time delivery, reduced carbon footprint.
Beyond cost, reshoring eliminated tariff exposure, reduced transport complexity, lowered disruption risk, and improved compliance and 'Made in USA' positioning for the company, all while meeting delivery timelines.
Takeaway
Spreadsheets - Manual, static, error-prone and not scalable or reusable. No ability to trace origins, model multi-tier risks, or optimize specific goals.
Competitor Tools - Limited to operational execution, rules-based engines, not adaptive or DESIGN stage intelligence.
Sustain360°™ - Goal-driven, AI-powered simulations. Integrated view of costs, risks, tariffs, compliance, carbon emissions, and lifecycle impacts—all in one decision framework.
Sustain360°™ transforms supply chain planning from reactive Spreadsheets into proactive design intelligence.
If your business is considering reshoring or redesigning its supply chains, arrange a demonstration: Book a Meeting
