The Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, present in one out of four of all chocolate and cocoa products consumed around the world. As a business-to-business company it serves the entire food industry, from global and local food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate. With over 175 years of chocolate heritage, it positions itself as the preferred outsourcing partner of the food industry, operating 131 sites in more than 30 countries across six continents.

Barry Callebaut’s global operation spans 131 sites in more than 30 countries across six continents, and its network is the backbone for business-critical applications from supply chain management to employee productivity. The company had adopted a “cloud first” strategy and was pursuing a digital transformation program, but its existing MPLS-based wide area network was built for a different era.

The company needed its fourth-generation WAN: a transformation from MPLS to a full-scale SD-WAN deployment that could give it end-to-end control and better application performance, private and direct connectivity to the cloud, and more bandwidth at a lower total cost of ownership. As a manufacturer with an innovative culture, it also wanted a network partner with a solid track record of delivering reliable global solutions and the flexibility to fit its way of working, and it needed the design, configuration and delivery of the new network managed across its multinational footprint.

GTT Communications designed, configured and delivered a managed SD-WAN service connecting Barry Callebaut’s 131 sites in more than 30 countries across six continents. The GTT SD-WAN solution integrates VMware SD-WAN technology with GTT’s global Tier 1 internet backbone, providing private and direct cloud connectivity to enhance the performance of business-critical applications.

The deployment is Barry Callebaut’s fourth-generation wide area network and marks a transformation from an MPLS-based network to a full-scale SD-WAN. The managed service provides enhanced automation and centralized management capabilities for improved end-to-end control and application performance, and features a low-touch provisioning network platform for increased flexibility.

GTT managed the design, configuration and delivery of the solution across Barry Callebaut’s global footprint and completed the deployment ahead of schedule. A comprehensive managed services wrapper ensures a consistent global service experience. The result lowers Barry Callebaut’s network total cost of ownership while increasing its global bandwidth by over 77%, giving it a future-proof network to support its cloud-first strategy and accelerate its digital transformation.

• Global bandwidth increased by over 77% while lowering network total cost of ownership
• 131 sites in more than 30 countries across six continents connected on GTT managed SD-WAN
• Global deployment completed ahead of schedule, with GTT managing design, configuration and delivery
• Fourth-generation WAN transforms an MPLS-based network into a full-scale SD-WAN deployment
• Centralized management and low-touch provisioning improve end-to-end control and application performance