Robbie Broeren, Warehouse Manager: “It was Kardex, the supplier of the new warehouse lift, that recommended Jan De Graeve’s warehouse services to us. From the very first meeting, we were impressed by his expert knowledge, which convinced us of his professionalism. We realised that we could use his expertise to stock our inventory more efficiently.

Jan gave us detailed instructions on what information to provide and how to do it. After some fine-tuning, we received an action plan and labels to ensure that the parts could be transferred to the new warehouse storage in a systematic way. We spent the first two days removing the parts from the old racks, so that we could load up the new system on the third day. Jan was there to assist us with that.

Our move went quickly and smoothly. Jan’s expertise and clear communication saved us a lot of work. Even if at first, here and there, a box occasionally wound up in the wrong place, these teething problems have now been resolved and we’re certainly experiencing the benefits of the new lift.”

Mike Holweg and Wouter Huiskamp said, “We internally agreed not to reinvent the wheel. So, six months before the move, we discussed our plans with Jan. He advised us on how detailed our inventory should be for optimal use of the new warehouse, allowing us to work efficiently. In a follow-up meeting with Jan, we addressed the last questions and pain points. Jan’s clear explanation of his virtual warehouse filling inspired confidence: after six months of preparation, we were ready.

The move was thoroughly discussed with the warehouse team in advance. Each filled drawer was carefully checked. With Jan’s eff-fill software and support from the Kardex IT team, the new data was flawlessly uploaded into our management software. The synergy between Jan and Kardex was excellent. We all worked long days, but the job was done in four days.

If I could give one tip: gather your warehouse data before acquiring a new system and involve Jan early on. This allows you to calculate the required storage capacity beforehand and avoid purchasing too many drawers! Jan has a lot of expertise and is creative in finding solutions. His enthusiasm is contagious, and working with him is very pleasant.”

“We wanted to fill that warehouse in just two days’ time, like a big bang,” says Michiel Bourgondiën, Dealer Support Manager. “But we realised that we wouldn’t be able to organise the shelving and put all the parts in a logical place on such a tight deadline. That’s why we called in Jan De Graeve to help. He got started with the preparation well in advance, specifically by measuring all the parts. In this way, he was able to advise us on which containers we needed and to calculate how those containers could be filled efficiently. We had quite a few special questions and requests, which didn’t make the puzzle any easier, but I’m convinced that we would never have been able to move so quickly without Jan’s help. It was great to have someone around who understands how it all works. Jan is very driven, looks at your specific situation, tackles it thoroughly and stays on top of things. I could compare him to a seeing-eye dog for the blind. In the run-up to the move, he gave a sense of peace and confidence to our team.”

“When we replaced our old warehouse system with two Kardex Shuttle machines (VLM), the question arose as to how we could quickly replace all parts and migrate the data to the new software smoothly. Jan came up with a solution that turned out to be highly efficient.

Because our previous warehouse was already automated, all the parts had already been put in boxes. So we didn’t have to move them separately, but could simply take the boxes out of the system and place them in the new drawers. Jan calculated the most efficient filling and supplied us with pre-printed labels in the correct picking order. All we had to do was pick boxes, apply labels and load the boxes – a very simple and straightforward process. Afterwards, Jan also imported the data from the old system into the software of the new warehouse without errors, so our warehouse was fully operational again in no time.

We are very satisfied with how it all went and would certainly want to work with Jan again. In fact, he has already done a preliminary capacity calculation which we plan to use as a basis for selecting our next machine.”

Manager Kristof Van Laecke explains that he called in Jan’s help to map out the existing warehouse and to assess, together with him, how best to approach the move from an organisational point of view. “Based on lists and measurements of our stock at the time, Jan classified the parts into categories and determined an ideal order for the move. The new warehouse layout was simulated rack by rack, so that we knew perfectly which parts from the old racks had to be placed together for the new warehouse. Jan’s input was extremely valuable. Without his expertise and know-how, we would not have known how to successfully tackle such a large relocation project. We will certainly call upon Jan’s services again for similar projects in the future.”

Martin Distelbrink is an e-commerce & content manager at YESSS Electrical. He was happy to take on the job of project manager for filling the new warehouse. “We deliver many of the items we have in stock within 24 hours. Given the time pressure to get the central warehouse operational, we thought it would be useful to call in the help of a professional.”

Martin turned to Jan De Graeve: “In a first phase, we supplied Jan with the raw data of roughly 3,500 warehouse items. It soon became apparent that additional information was needed about the dimensions and weights of the parts, in order to achieve a workable result. Jan got busy determining the optimal warehouse layout. He prepared the drawer divisions and double-checked everything before the warehouse was actually filled.”

Martin is very satisfied with the result and the speed at which the warehouse was filled. “Jan also thoroughly prepared the upload of the new warehouse layout in the Kardex software. That allowed us to get operational fast.”

Purchase & Warehouse Manager François Tourbach: “After the quotation was approved, Jan rented us a 3D measuring device with which we could measure all the items. That was very useful, because without measurement, the term ‘small’ or ‘large’ is pretty subjective.

Based on the measurement results, we got an idea of the percentage of items that would fit in the tower and Jan was able to determine how best to store the parts. When it was time to actually place the items, Jan came on site to help us get started. We were exceptionally well prepared: thanks to the labels that Jan had printed beforehand, we knew exactly where each piece had to go during the move. At that stage, it saved us a bunch of time. In addition, 90% of the full storage capacity is now being used, instead of 50%.

We are very satisfied with the optimisation of our warehouse. If there was one point we would approach differently, we would involve our production employees in the project more from the start, so that they would be immediately aware of the new warehouse layout later on. But as far as Jan’s service is concerned, we see nothing but advantages. His experience with other companies in various sectors allowed him to share best practices with us and reassure us about the use and benefits of our new warehouse system. Jan was also very accessible and proactive throughout the entire process. He was the driving force behind this project and ensured that our schedule was respected.”