30
STREAMLINING YOUR LOGISTICS
EDITION 03–2021 WWW.DISTRILOG.BE
YEARS
30 Years
OF DISTRILOG
2 • DISTRILOG
Dear Member of the Distrilog Family,
Rolling stock renewal We already announced in the June magazine that the renewal of our rolling stock was not limited to just the 39 new vehicles from Toyota Material Handling. Distrilog also made an additional investment in 180 new Crown devices. These are all equipped with the InfoLink system, a platform that helps improve the safety of our processes and staff. In addition, the newly delivered reach trucks have accelerated forks for higher lowering speed and improved throughput.
The first half of 2021 is almost over. The road to freedom has begun thanks to the vaccination campaigns that are going full speed ahead. Distrilog Group isn’t standing still either. The opening of our depot in Jumet is a real milestone. For the first time in our history, we are crossing the language border. Since 1 April, six drivers have been leaving every day to deliver to our customers in the southern part of Belgium; on 1 June, this number will rise to ten. In addition, our sales department is working hard to fill the 4,000 pallet spaces with new and existing customers.
two months), in online temperature monitoring of our refrigerated vehicles, and in cold chain training for our drivers. We also continue to invest in young talent. You read that correctly: Distrilog really isn’t standing still.
The first contours of the warehouse expansion in Olen are becoming visible. The first trucks will depart from the 30 additional loading docks by the end of 2021. In the past few months we have also invested, besides the expansion of our buildings, in the renewal of our rolling stock (the equipment will be delivered in the next
I wish you a sunny and safe summer! We hope you enjoy reading!
The Brexit couldn’t slow us down. Although these operational adjustments entailed additional administration at our site in Ghent and in the Forwarding Department, the impact on you as a customer remained limited thanks to the commitment and flexibility of our employees.
PHILIP SALAERTS
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30 YEARS IN NUMBERS
• FROM 1,500 M² TO 385,000 M2 OF WAREHOUSE SPACE • FROM 1 TO 18 SITES • FROM 15 TO 1560 EMPLOYEES • FROM 8 TO 395 TOWING VEHICLES • AND A TOTAL OF 21 ACQUISITIONS
30 CANDLES ON DISTRILOG GROUP’S BIRTHDAY CAKE, AN ANNIVERSARY WE WILL NOT ALLOW TO PASS UNNOTICED. HOW DID THE FAMILY BUSINESS START UP; WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST THREE DECADES; AND WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? WE TALKED TO LEO AND PHILIP SALAERTS.
WHAT FOR YOU ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST 30 YEARS OF DISTRILOG?
LEO: “Our early years in Westmeerbeek and Rijmenam were amateurish and fun, but certainly not easy. What we outsource now, we would have done ourselves. For example, the concrete mixer was often running at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings so we could build walls in the warehouse ourselves. There were periods when we were working 7 days a week. We do not look back with regret, but definitely with nostalgia.”
LEO: “A high point from the early years dates back to 1998. We got the opportunity to prepare the textiles of the former GB, and we moved from Rijmenam to Puurs for these activities, the location where Pfizer is now located. It was also our first collaboration with Warehouses De Pauw.”
“Logistics were very different 30 years ago. What were doing back then wouldn’t work today. Customers have – rightly so – become more demanding, and we pack our warehouses, vehicles and installations more professionally. Just imagine: we worked in a 20,000 m² warehouse with barely two electric pallet trucks, and paper administration! It really was a different era.” “But the hard work paid off. We evolved with our customers and the world around us. Over the years, we invested heavily in reporting and monitoring to always be able to keep our finger on the pulse. 20 years ago, it was more like pioneering with a gut feeling. We have also learned from the past, both from the ups and the downs. As such, Distrilog successfully got through three very difficult periods.” PHILIP: “In 2006, thanks to a period of growth at Puurs, a 12,000 m² warehouse, we decided to move it closer to Willebroek, our current cross-docking site of 25,000 m². At that time, there was no question of a banking crisis. After our move in October 2008, we thought we would weather the crisis well but, at the beginning of 2009, things went downhill fast and we had a lot of vacancy. Fortunately, we got out of that very quickly. At such moments, you need to believe in yourself and not make any sudden leaps and bounds.”
PHILIP: “The acquisition of Brico in 2001 and the global move from Wilrijk to Willebroek in 2009 were also important moments. For the first time, we were outplayed in a tender against some of the major players in our sector. We were boxing above our weight at the time, but we still won.” “I regard the opening of our site along the A12 in 2008 as another milestone. Thanks to the offices that came with it, we were able to receive customers and prospects and speak to them in a professional setting and from a central point for the first time. The acquisition of Henkel as a major customer during the remnants of the banking crisis was also an important moment. It offered us both a vacancy solution and presence in a new sector.” “Recently, in 2016, there was the risky acquisition of Colfridis, an unhealthy company that we saw enormous opportunities in. It was a huge effort, but ultimately it turned out to be a great and successful acquisition, which also launched us into conditioned food logistics (fresh and frozen).”
DISTRILOG • 3
30 years of Distrilog Group
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE LAST 30 YEARS?
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THE INDUSTRY AND DISTRILOG GROUP WILL FACE IN THE COMING YEARS? PHILIP: “People and sustainability. Finding and engaging people is currently a huge challenge for both our transportation and warehouse operations. Sustainability is rightly starting to play a role in contracts with our customers, as well as the government. Making our activities and buildings greener is an important topic. We are working in this area on all sorts of fronts, but the efforts are not always visible. For example, we are investing in LNG trucks, LED lighting, solar panels and water recuperation. By automating our operations with on-board computers and scanners, we try to avoid paper. And even our coffee machine cups are 100% plant-based!”
“People and sustainability are, in my opinion, the two biggest challenges. But rest assured: we do not regard challenges to be negative things.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE LAST 30 YEARS? PHILIP: “We have a few great projects in the pipeline that we cannot comment on just yet. Let’s just say we are fully committed to organic growth. We are also looking at acquisitions, but not actively.” “Distrilog Group is a healthy company, I mainly hope that we will be at least as healthy in 10 years, and that we will still be regarded as an important logistics player within the Belgian and Benelux market. The goal doesn’t seem
very exciting, but we still have to do a number of things to achieve and maintain it, which makes it exciting.” “It would also be nice if we were still in family hands by then. My son (13) and daughter (10) both see themselves as Distrilog business leaders, but it is still too early to tell. There is certainly no pressure, we’ll see what the future holds. The most important thing is they are happy.” LEO: “Family is very important. For years I devoted myself completely to my work; sometimes it has even taken priority over certain family matters. It’s not self-evident for our loved ones, but they have always supported us in this adventure. And we are very grateful for their support, it is one of the reasons we are able to celebrate 30 years of Distrilog this year.”
4 • DISTRILOG
Thank you! 30 YEARS OF DISTRILOG GROUP? A FEAT THAT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR CLIENTS. SINCE 1991, WE HAVE BEEN COOPERATING WITH SMALL, MEDIUM-SIZED AND LARGE COMPANIES. EACH OF THEM CHOSE TO PARTNER WITH DISTRILOG FOR EITHER A SPECIFIC SERVICE OR AN END-TO-END SOLUTION. WE AS A FAMILY BUSINESS, HAVE A FIRM COMMITMENT TO ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE AND LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP, TAILOR-MADE TO SUIT CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS. OUR PARTNERS TOM&CO, CASTROL AND JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS EXTENDED AND FURTHER EXPANDED THEIR COOPERATION WITH DISTRILOG GROUP IN 2021. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR COMMENTS.
Tom&co Warehousing, dedicated transport, e-commerce Client of Distrilog since 2014
Castrol Warehousing, shuttle transport, distribution Client of Distrilog since 2016
Jacobs Douwe Egberts Warehousing, distribution Client of Distrilog since 2014
“At Tom & Co we value strong and long-term partnerships. Service and Quality are key elements in everything we do and enable us to pursue our Tom & Co mission: Making pets and their family happy. Our extensive network and broad assortment represent a major logistical challenge, both for warehousing and distribution (BELUX & FR). Within Distrilog Group, we have found a versatile partner capable to respond to our growing needs and ready to continuously strive for better service and higher performance. We recently relaunched our partnership characterized by open communication and a move to a more futureproof warehouse in which we will further expand our Ecommerce activity. Even within the challenging event of moving our operations, Distrilog Group shows to have a successful track record.”
“Castrol’s journey with Distrilog started at the beginning of 2016. We have just re-extended our contract until the end of Q1 2024 for warehousing as one of the main Hubs in Europe and secondary transport services in Benelux. Distrilog not only provided the first-class service we require for our customers in Europe and around the world as an export source but also acted as a strategic and reliable business partner with the same sustainability agenda. They were always responsive to our business needs and flexible to accommodate different projects. On behalf of the Castrol team, I want to thank the Distrilog team for their dedicated, ongoing efforts towards our business and congratulate everyone for the 30th anniversary!”
“Distrilog has been JDE’s logistics service provider since many years. As a subsiduary of JDE Peet’s, the world’s leading coffee and tea company, we set very high standards in terms of quality, integrity and sustainability, for ourselves and for our suppliers and contractors. Distrilog has not disappointed us. They are a solid logistics partner for JDE. We use the standard services at correct costs and closely followed up service levels, but together with Distrilog we also developed more tailor-made solutions that result in satisfied customers. For the years ahead, we have set out together an ambitious path that strives for innovative solutions, continuous improvement, higher efficiencies and a step-by-step reduction of our environmental impact.”
– Katrien Janssens, Chief Financial Officer
– Zeynep Kolcuoglu, Hub Manager West, C&P Castrol-Supply Chain
– Pepijn Raes, Supply Chain Manager BeLux
As part of our sustainable logistics, this newspaper was printed on recycled paper. However, we can offer you the option to receive this magazine completely digitally in the future. Interested? Then please provide us with your contact details and we will add you to our mailing list. marketing@distrilog.be
DISTRILOG GROUP · KONINGIN ASTRIDLAAN 14 · B-2830 WILLEBROEK (BREENDONK) · T +32 3 860 00 86 · SALES@DISTRILOG.BE · WWW.DISTRILOG.BE