Filling & Drumming master plan for a future-proof Wilrijk
The chemical sector has experienced first-hand how external factors can influence the logistical supply chain. As a result, this chain needs a flexible and solution-oriented approach. At our site in Wilrijk, we have increasingly focused on creating innovative supply chain solutions and have recently drawn up a master plan for upcoming developments. Maarten Goosens (Global Industry Lead Chemicals) and Mikaël Hagedoren (Business Unit Manager) explain this in more detail.
Flexibility & agility
The global pandemic, Brexit, the recent trade wars, and the blockage of the Suez Canal all made one thing very clear: flexibility and agility are key to a successful chemical supply chain. “Clients are becoming increasingly aware of shortages caused by unforeseen situations,” says Maarten Goosens. “This has exponentially increased the demand for bulk storage and repacking. Most companies prefer to have their goods delivered in bulk, as this allows them to build their inventories and guarantee continuity despite bottlenecks in the global supply chain.”
Late product differentiation
Over the past five years, H.Essers has invested heavily in developing repacking and filling solutions for both liquid and dry products. “Our engineering department allows us to develop, test and implement lines, machines and installations entirely in-house,” explains Mikaël Hagedoren. “We offer specific solutions – from design to implementation – that have real added value for our clients.” Demand for late product differentiation continues to increase dramatically, proving that these solutions are indeed very popular. “As a logistics service provider, this is what we excel at,” adds Maarten. “We have the space, the material and the expertise to develop custom solutions for our clients. For example, we created a filling & repacking line for small packages for Janssen Pharmaceuticals, as well as a rebulking installation for Evonik. These are examples of client-specific solutions, but we can develop multi-customer solutions as well. Late product differentiation aligns perfectly with our range of services.”
Masterplan filling & drumming
All the more reason to future-proof our site in Wilrijk for the needs of our clients. “If a client is looking for a specific solution, it could take up to two years for a logistics provider to develop and implement it,” says Mikaël. ‘We want to speed up this process and are currently working on a master plan with investments that will meet the future needs of our clients. This approach will allow us anticipate and accept 99% of all client requests and quickly translate them into the best custom solutions.”
Get in touch with Maarten Goossens:
