Toyota Material Handling provides J.S. Logistics with VNA racking to accommodate their growth
J.S. Logistics is a full-service logistics provider that operates in several European countries. Recently they invested in a new warehouse to accommodate that growth. Toyota Material Handling was chosen as their racking and forklift supplier, including a VNA truck and other warehouse trucks.
About J.S. Logistics
J.S. Logistics is a full-service logistics provider with head office in Belgium. The medium-sized, owner-run family company operates in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Due to their growth in recent years, investing in a new storage and transshipment warehouse became necessary. They chose Toyota Material Handling as their racking, forklift and warehouse and goods management supplier.
Facts & Figures
- Company: J.S. Logistics
- Location: Aarschot, Belgium
- Sector: Transport & Logistics service provider
- Storage capacity: 3000 Euro-pallets – warehouse height 8.50m
- Products: Toyota Traigo48 3 wheels, VNA Toyota BT Vector VRE150, Toyota BT Levio LPE200 and LWE200 with platform, Toyota BT Lifter, very narrow aisle pallet racking, magnetic labels, warehouse management system (incl. hardware), access points.
Substantial growth leads to expansion
Johan and Marc Smets, managers of J.S. Logistics, walk us through their brand-new warehouse and talk about the different steps of the implementation process.
Marc explains: “We are the third generation in this family-owned company, operational since the 1970s. Our grandfather started transporting agricultural products in wartime. In the 1960s, our father Jaak joined the business and further expanded the company in Kortrijk-Dutsel. He then decided to buy a plot of land of about 3 hectares on this industrial estate in Aarschot. However, he did not live to see the move to Aarschot in 1993.”
Johan adds: “Furthermore, we commit to local, fair-trade transport 100%. In recent years we have grown alongside our customers. As a result, customer demand for storage space and associated logistics is growing steadily. We have a loyal customer base and we want to continue to meet their demand.” The managers tell us: “There are customers who stayed with us generation after generation. It's no longer just a customer-supplier relationship, it goes much further than that. In the past 2 years we signed some new contracts, resulting in a substantial growth of our customer base.”
Warehouse management
Toyota Material Handling has equipped the entire warehouse. J.S. Logistics chose classic pallet racks in combination with an induction-controlled narrow aisle truck, Toyota BT Vector VRE150. The classic pallet racks come with unique magnetic labels. Synchronisation of the magnetic labels is done with the warehouse management system.
The warehouse inventory management software is a tool for service providers who want to organise the storage and delivery of goods for third parties. It is easy to use, independently.
Customers can store call-off stock in a service provider’s warehouse. The magnetic labels are scanned for registration and identification, and data is transferred to the warehouse management system over a wireless network. Here, the system distinguishes between an inbound and an outbound flow, because (part of) the goods will be prepared for shipment and picked up again later. Incoming and outgoing commands and associated tasks for entry/exit of the carriers involved are created in the management system.
Toyota Material Handling, a flexible and transparent partner throughout the process
'What makes J.S. logistics unique is that 'we stay true to who we are'. Our customers know us and know what to expect from us. We are not active on social media. We reach our target group by word of mouth, which says a lot,” we are told.
“Delivering quality is extremely important to us. If we can't deliver quality, we hold back. Growing pains are inevitable, and personnel always remains a challenge, which is why we remain vigilant. There are plans for further expansion and we hope to be able to work with Toyota again in future," Marc and Johan Smets agree.
J.S. Logistics partnered with Toyota Material Handling because they had enormous confidence in our logistics solutions consultant, Wilfried Elsen. “We have known Toyota Material Handling for years. Our drivers show lots of enthusiasm towards Toyota's hand pallet trucks,” Marc and Johan affirm.
“Wilfried lives close by and we like to work with local partners, with people we know, who make us feel good. Wilfried helped us enormously with the building project. He simulated several scenarios to make optimal use of our warehouse space, and quite a few drawings passed by this desk (laughs). The consultancy Toyota Material Handling offers played a decisive role in this project's success. It’s extremely important to us because we also have a 'customs warehouse', and we have all types of customers."
In conclusion: “The implementation process went smoothly with the right interaction at the right time. Toyota has been very flexible towards last-minute adjustments. Immediate action is taken and the best solution for the customer is sought. That's how it should be. Transparency and flexibility are very important to us and that's what Toyota Material Handling has offered us.”