Neele-Vat makes multi-million dollar investment and builds two distribution centers

Takeover

Neele-Vat Logistics focuses on distribution, warehousing and packaging for companies in the chemical, food, feed and retail sectors. Since taking over family-owned Oostvogels Group in December, Neele-Vat has 20 branches in nine countries, 200,000 square meters of warehouse space and is turning over net sales of 250 million euros.

Robotization

“W e are far from having reached our full potential,” says Chairman Ruud Vat in an interview with Warehouse Totaal. With Neele-Vat Logistics, Vat not only wants to continue growing but also hopes to find “sustainable solutions in the field of automation.” Currently, only one Neele-Vat location is “truly automated,” Vat explains

This, according to the founder, is because robotic solutions are mainly focused on dedicated warehouses rather than public warehouses. The reasons, according to Vat, are that robotization requires a certain standard in packaging, is a large investment and thus requires long-term agreements.

Tension

"There is a tension between the length of contracts shippers wish to give and the payback period of the investment in robotization. That's where the dilemma lies." For this reason, Vat has asked material handling suppliers to think along to find solutions in the area of robotization and mechanization.

source: warehousetotal.com