Logistics systems are just as important to major companies as arteries are to the human body. Their structure determines the management, maintenance and distribution of the flow of goods. Take for instance the 35,000 articles of health and beauty chain Kruidvat that are brought to the national distribution centre before being distributed to its 1,800 branches.

This forms part of the daily tasks that are supervised by the Warehouse Management System (WMS) of Imtech Automation Solutions in Rotterdam. Thanks to Radio-Frequency communication, incoming pallets of goods are assigned an optimal spot inside the bulk warehouse. There is also a sorting system that makes it possible to collect the orders of several branches at the same time. Improved delivery accuracy and a more rapid restocking of the branches are key priorities at WMS. Imtech is a specialist in the design, development and implementation of logistics concepts and material flow control. Some 200 employees devote their working hours to system and detail engineering for hardware and software, operating technology and project management. The ingenious world of incoming and outgoing goods is illustrated in the figure above. Other clients of Imtech Automation Solutions include Suiker Unie, ICI Paris XL, Friesland Campina, KLM Catering Services, Victaulic and Volkswagen.