International Paper

Prior to its transformation, International Paper’s transportation workflows varied significantly across its locations, and frequently depended on manual intervention. Customized legacy systems limited operational flexibility and slowed its planning activities. Transportation planners often navigated fragmented processes that reduced visibility and made it difficult to adapt quickly to changing operational conditions.

The organization recognized that simply replacing its aging technology would not be enough. It needed to enable a fundamentally better way of working—one that aligned with International Paper’s purpose of working together with partners to make the world safer and more productive, and that reduced operational risk created by inconsistent local practices.

International Paper’s program combined transportation sourcing, planning, execution, and settlement capabilities into a more connected operational environment supported by Blue Yonder. The transformation focused on simplifying and standardizing transportation workflows while introducing advanced optimization capabilities that helped the company improve usability, planning efficiency, and asset utilization. 

Blue Yonder TMS capabilities have provided International Paper with a unified platform that supports transportation planning, optimization, execution, and settlement activities. At the same time, Blue Yonder Logistics Procurement capabilities have improved coordination between transportation sourcing strategies and operational execution so that negotiated rates, carrier commitment, and capacity strategies are reflected in day-to-day planning.

The company’s transformation has also introduced more intuitive workflows that have simplified transportation planning tasks. Features like drag-and-drop load building and system-driven optimization are helping planners complete activities more efficiently while supporting improved routing and load utilization that were previously difficult to achieve consistently across sites.

Standardizing operations across a complex network

International Paper’s transportation network spans multiple facilities, operational workflows, and transportation modes. Successfully modernizing this environment required a disciplined rollout strategy that balanced transformation objectives with operational continuity.

The company implemented its program through a gradual phased deployment approach that allowed teams to stabilize and refine processes along the way. From the outset, the program paired technology modernization with deliberate process standardization to replace fragmented legacy transportation workflows with a scalable, repeatable operating model.

International Paper successfully implemented Blue Yonder Logistics Procurement capabilities across all mill and box plant locations while deploying Blue Yonder TMS across its North American mills and an extensive distribution center network.

Multiple mill go-lives occurred in rapid succession, demonstrating both the scalability of the solution and the effectiveness of the organization’s governance and strategy. Throughout the program, International Paper maintained strong operational coordination through structured reviews, leadership updates, and agile-focused alliance teams. This governance framework helped the company maintain visibility into program progress, dependencies, testing milestones, and operational readiness activities. It also supported effective communication between business leadership, technology teams, and operational stakeholders, a critical factor given the number of sites and transportation modes involved.

Creating a scalable platform for continuous improvement

Beyond immediate operational improvements, International Paper designed the transformation to support long-term scalability and continued transportation optimization.

With Blue Yonder, the organization has established a transportation platform capable of supporting ongoing innovation, future enhancements, and operational growth. By replacing fragmented, outdated processes with a standardized operating model, International Paper created a stronger foundation for future transportation initiatives.

“Blue Yonder has been a game changer—giving me better visibility into future production, speeding up my planning, and making it easy to adjust loads so I can deliver better plans every day,” says Tyler Gage, Transportation Planner at International Paper.

In addition railcar capacity utilization improved, reflecting stronger load building and routing effectiveness compared to legacy processes.

The company also recognized the value of preparing early for sustainment activities, knowledge transfer, and user adoption support. By focusing on long-term operational readiness in addition to implementation milestones, teams are positioned to continue optimizing performance after go-live activities have concluded.

The TMAP transformation has also strengthened collaboration across transportation planning, logistics procurement, mill operations and IT. Shared accountability and ongoing coordination have helped sustain momentum throughout the multi-year program while supporting effective transitions into long-term operational sustainment.

Advancing transportation operations for the future

International Paper continues to build on the transportation foundation established through the TMAP program. With Blue Yonder supporting transportation planning and execution across its containerboard network, the organization is now extending the platform to new areas of its logistics operations.

The next phase expands Blue Yonder capabilities to inbound recovered fiber transportation — a critical supply chain for International Paper's recycled containerboard operations and introduces additional outbound enhancements to further drive value and adoption. 

By replacing fragmented legacy processes with a standardized, scalable operating model, International Paper created a platform that supports continuous improvement, ongoing optimization, and future innovation. The organization's focus on process standardization, cross-functional collaboration, and operational discipline positions its teams to continue advancing transportation performance well into the future.