Both companies complement each other with a wide range of logistics services having full control over distribution processes. The joint logistics services include e-commerce fulfillment, air and sea freight, warehousing, distribution, technical services (VAL) and represent full control over the distribution process (via fourth-party logistics control tower services).

VCK Logistics Supply Chain Solutions (Netherlands and Germany), VCK Logistics Air and Ocean Freight and Janssen have a joint network with several strategic locations in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Schiphol, Venlo, Rotterdam), Belgium (Antwerp, Brussels), Germany (Hamburg, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Bielefeld), Switzerland (Zurich) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh). Through this own network of logistics hot-spots, the distribution processes of customers can be designed, organized and controlled as efficiently as possible.

The combination of the companies will lead to a leading logistics group of more than 800 employees with a turnover of more than €350 million. The merger is supported by Waterland Private Equity Investments and will become effective, subject to approval by the competition authorities in the Netherlands and Germany.

Janssen has grown strongly in its existence since 1877 and today offers a broad portfolio of logistics solutions: from traditional logistics services such as distribution, warehousing & fulfillment and air and sea freight to production, repair and installation services. In addition, Janssen offers its e-commerce customers a software platform that links them to more than sixty parcel service providers in Europe, enabling them to purchase and coordinate all shipments centrally.

VCK Logistics Supply Chain Solutions and VCK Logistics Air and Ocean Freight

In recent years, VCK, originally from Amsterdam, has developed into a player at the highest logistics level through acquisitions at home and abroad. Through state-of-the-art warehouses in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, the company realizes unique solutions in warehousing & fulfillment for its customers. In addition, VCK Logistics Air and Ocean Freight have a strong position in air and sea freight with locations at Schiphol, Düsseldorf and Rotterdam.

Het bericht VCK join forces with Janssen verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

Our new address is:

VCK Logistics Supply Chain solutions B.V.
Walravenlaan 11
1119 ME Schiphol-Rijk
The Netherlands

Het bericht VCK Logistics new Campus verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

Advanced demand planning is often a bridge too far

Effective demand planning requires not only reliable information about expected sales, production time and capacity, but also about distribution and transportation speed. Optimal demand planning helps you to make logistics processes more predictable. We investigated to what extent companies have already achieved this.

The Predictable Logistics benchmark shows that most companies predict demand by manually entering and analyzing historical data. More than a quarter of the companies indicate that demand fluctuates so much that predictions are impossible. In practice I see though, that advanced systems are indeed capable of predicting future sales to a large extent. The benchmark survey shows however that only 7% of the companies use advanced forecasting models in their logistics systems.

The roadmap to effective demand planning

I probably don’t need to tell you that demand planning is useful. But how do you do that properly? To start with demand planning, insight into the total process of sales and operations is needed. For that reason, I recommend to develop an integrated business plan that stimulates the organization to work profitable and customer-oriented. Furthermore, you need to determine in advance at what level you want to predict what the demand will be; think of product families, types of customers or geographic information. Implement a coherent set of key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensure that you have current and complete data. Also create internal and external cooperation to generate as much information about the demand situation as possible.

Remember that demand planning goes beyond forecasting. A forecast is a prediction of demand based on figures from the past. The forecast is the basis of demand planning, after which you must include the following in your plan: distribution, where do you store which products and at what point in the chain do you do that, etc. When the demand can be predicted correctly, you can coordinate marketing campaigns accordingly. The effective planning of your stock and distribution subsequently prevents unnecessary stock costs and at the same time ensures that the products can reach your customers (more) quickly.

The impact of international trade developments

We have come to the conclusion that demand planning is not that easy. Trade wars like between the US and China, the Brexit and the rapidly changing economic outlook make it even more difficult. Therefore, a solid service can only be achieved with a high-quality demand planning system and reliable partners. Given the advantages in efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction of good demand planning, it is in my opinion a must for every shipper to invest in this.

Compare your logistics performance and plans with those of fellow companies

Above insights are found in the national benchmark Predictable Logistics. VCK Logistics has investigated how companies anticipate on developments in the logistics sector, which aspects are important, where the opportunities and challenges for improvement are and which future plans companies have to improve their logistics processes. You can download the benchmark report free of charge.

In addition, you can compare your own logistics performance with those of your industry peers. Fill in the questionnaire here and immediately after completion you will receive an overview of your answers compared to those of the other participants.

Het bericht What is the impact of effective demand planning?​ verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

The situation in such an area can be very versatile which causes major logistical challenges. That is why Doctors Without Borders (MSF) needed more control over the delivery process. I spoke to Marcel Langenbach about how MSF deals with these logistical challenges. In this interview he talks about the core conditions for the logistical processes in humanitarian aid.

Marcel Langenbach is Head of Logistics of the MSF-Amsterdam operational center (MSF-OCA).

Flexible respons to changing situations

The medical humanitarian emergency aid provided by MSF regularly takes them to countries or areas where they are not yet present. But a supply situation can also change quickly in existing crisis and war zones. Marcel: “Then you have to be able to act quickly. On the one hand, this requires a logistics service provider that is not too large, so that the lines are short. On the other hand, your partner must be of sufficient size to operate cost-efficiently. We were therefore looking for a provider with a “hands-on” mentality who could respond quickly and adequately to developments in the delivery areas. For example by quickly arranging other supply routes, which sometimes require other modes of transport. The partner must also be able to deal flexible with changing purchasing, storage and transport volumes. Consider the current situation in Tigray, Ethiopia with refugee flows to Sudan. This crisis has suddenly erupted and we have to set up our emergency relief operations over there in a short time and deliver supplies to them.”

Extensive network of agents and carriers

On the one hand, relief supplies often have to be on site as quickly as possible. On the other hand, MSF also works in somewhat more stable situations where the predictability is better and the delivery time can be slightly longer. Of course, an organization such as MSF must be able to fully justify the costs involved at all times, so there is always a trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency. Marcel: “That is why it is important that the logistics service provider has an extensive network of agents and carriers. Furthermore, our partner’s network must be able to organize any type of transport: from transport by sea container to air freight and road transport. And (temperature) conditioned where necessary.”

Comply with Good Distribution Practice

Extensive European guidelines have been drawn up to guarantee the quality of medicines in the distribution chain from manufacturer to patient. In this regard, wholesalers and logistics companies who deal with pharmaceuticals must be licensed and must comply with strict regulations. This is referred to as Good Distribution Practices (GDP) and thus applies to the entire process from purchase / import to storage and export of pharmaceutical materials. Marcel: “Our logistics service provider must therefore also meet the requirements of GDP. Part of this is, for example, that through decommissioning (according to the FMD, Falisified Medicine Directive), serialization (according to MDR, EU Medical Device Regulations) and barcode scanning, products with which something is wrong can be recalled at batch level.”

Continuous improvement of business processes

“We were not only looking for a partner who can help us with storage and transportation of goods, but who can also help us improve the delivery processes. A partner with expertise and innovative power in different types of supply chains. Who knows how we can make our work even more LEAN and how to translate these process improvements into the adjustments of IT solutions. Consider for example the pick & pack process. The challenge here is that part of the goods for a shipment is often in stock and another part is yet being purchased. ” It results in parallel processes that must be properly coordinated. There are several separate flows that need to be brought together and optimized. Like for example the handling of customs goods (for which no import duties have to be paid after delivery in the Netherlands because they are forwarded to crisis areas). ”

Connecting different systems

The Warehouse Management System of the logistics partner obviously had to be linked to the ERP system of MSF-OCA. But there is more to it: The cooperation in the worldwide MSF organisation also includes its own MSF logistics centers and hubs with their own IT systems. In addition to that it is sometimes necessary or simply better to purchase goods locally or regionally in the countries where we provide emergency relief. The WMS and communication via EDI must also be adapted accordingly. Marcel: “It is important that our partner has a system for serialization and scanning of thousands of articles. The clearing and decommissioning of goods in the countries of destination must also be arranged via the network. Whereby all legal requirements must be met of course.”

Status of the collaboration with VCK Logistics

“We have started working with VCK in mid-June because the company meets all these requirements. That is the foundation for organizing our logistics operations even better and making them predictable. Meanwhile, VCK has set up a new warehouse for us from which the operations are being supplied. Obviously, every transition has its start-up problems but we see that the “can-do” mentality is very valuable; the challenges are tackled immediately and we quickly make progress in shaping our partnership. Finally I’d like to mention one more element that we as a medical humanitarian organization are sympathetic to, namely VCK’s commitment to medical care. The company has been providing financial support to research at various medical academic centers for many years. ”

Naturally, other organizations also want to make their logistics operations more predictable. VCK has done research to the extent in which companies in The Netherlands succeed in this and which points are important in this respect.

Would you like to know more? Then download our National benchmark report ‘Predictable Logistics’.

Het bericht Predictable logistics in unpredictable situations for Doctors Without Borders (Médicines Sans Frontières) verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

One integrated B2B & B2C/ Omnichannel solution as gateway to and from Europe, supporting Telecom, Electronics, IT, Computing, Pharma, Medtech and Marine & Offshore customers.

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Het bericht VCK Logistics start building a distribution center at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

Het bericht Partnership PureWRX and VCK Logistics SCS verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

Samsara Networks is a fast growing company that, a.o., specializes in Cloud managed fleet monitoring solutions, dashboard camera’s and industrial sensors for the benefit of data transmission for analytical data management.

Het bericht Partnership with Samsara Networks verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

OnePlus is a Chinese Tech company that offers flagship-quality phones at the cheapest possible price developed by tech enthusiasts, hand-in-hand with users, within an open platform environment.

Het bericht Never settle. OnePlus. verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

VCK Logistics SCS is the fulfilment partner of World Press Photo, supporting the assembly of the annual World Press Photo Exhibition and coordinating the global distribution world-wide.

Het bericht World Press Photo Foundation and VCK Logistics SCS strengthened their partnership verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.

“This step is an important part of our strategy to continue to improve customer satisfaction with an ever more efficient supply chain,” states Pascal Fonville, supply chain manager at T-Mobile Netherlands (left on the picture). “VCK Logistics is our strategic partner with whom we have outsourced the replenishment of products to our stores.”

In order to determine the optimal inventory levels for each store and to fulfil customer orders, VCK Logistics will utilise Slimstock’s inventory optimisation system, Slim4. Fonville goes on to explain: “Retail sales patterns differ hugely between each of the individual stores. However, with Slim4, VCK Logistics is able to determine the requirement at a store level. Through utilising more intelligent calculations, we will be able to optimise availability for every store and for every product on a day by day basis.”

Great opportunity for VCK Logistics

For VCK Logistics, the Slim4 pilot is a great opportunity to help their other customers overcome their inventory management challenges. “We see this partnership as an opportunity to strategically align ourselves with our clients,” says managing director Brennus van der Klaauw of VCK Logistics (right on the picture). “With the integration of Slim4 with our Microsoft Dynamics ERP system, we can advise our customers of the optimal inventory level and then process this directly into their ERP system.”

Success on the basis of three KPIs

The three parties have committed to a year-long pilot which encompasses the replenishment of 122 T-Mobile stores. The success of the pilot will be determined on three key KPIs: the inventory must be reduced and the in-store availability must increase. If this can all be achieved whilst also reducing the frequency of deliveries to store, this will be an added benefit.

Het bericht VCK Logistics SCS optimises replenishment of T-Mobile stores verscheen eerst op VCK Logistics.