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Van der Helm | Logistics

Warehousing in the Netherlands, with a transition you can plan

You’re not looking for storage space; you’re looking for the certainty that your goods keep moving while you switch logistics service providers.

  • Warehousing, fulfillment, distribution, and customs with a single partner
  • From 1,000 pallet spaces in Moerdijk, close to the Port of Rotterdam
  • Live in 8 to 10 weeks, with the full transition plan on paper in advance
  • One dedicated point of contact, during the transition and beyond

Family business since 1936

AEO-F certified

ISO 9001:2015

Warehouses in Moerdijk and Den Hoorn

From signed contract to stable operation in 8 to 10 weeks

Most logistics service providers tell you they are flexible and reliable. Almost no one tells you what actually happens after you’ve signed. We do, because the transition is the part where you take a risk.

Our implementation goes through six phases with a fixed structure, clear responsibilities, and two formal approval moments where you decide.

01

Handover from sales

What we do

Contract, handover to project management, kick-off, project plan, and responsibilities per party

What you do

Attend the kick-off

02

Intake and design

What we do

Technical intake of your ERP, WMS, interfaces, and security. Operational intake of your warehouse process, inbound, outbound, value-added services, and returns. Solution design, warehouse layout, and KPI agreements

What you do

Business intake: article master data, packaging, suppliers, customers, and carriers. You approve the solution design before we build anything

03

Build and test

What we do

WMS configuration, users, RF scanners, printers, labels, APIs, EDI, dashboards, and reporting. Technical test and full system integration test

What you do

Provide master data

04

Acceptance and go/no-go

What we do

Warehouse validation and support during your tests

What you do

You perform the User Acceptance Test: functional test, process validation, acceptance. The go/no-go decision is yours

05

Go-live and hypercare

What we do

Cut-over, activate interfaces, first ASN, first receipt, first order, first shipment. Followed by 2 to 4 weeks of hypercare with daily stand-ups, KPI monitoring, and incident support

What you do

Determine with us when we go live

06

Completion

What we do

Lessons learned, activate SLA, handover to support and account management

What you do

Sign-off

What this requires from your team

Four things. You provide your master data, you approve the design, you perform the acceptance test, and you make the go/no-go decision. Everything else lies with our project management, our IT department, and our operations. We know your team already has a full-time job, so we have designed the process so that your contribution remains small and predictable.

Nothing goes live until you say so

At two points in the process, you decide whether we proceed. You approve the solution design before we start building, and you sign off on the acceptance test before we get anywhere near your live operation. If something doesn’t pass the test, we solve it first. We don’t carry over open items to a go-live.

Does this work with our ERP and WMS?

That question is answered in week one, not in month three.

Your systems are mapped out during the technical intake at the start of the project: your ERP, your WMS, the interfaces you use, and your security requirements. From there, we design the connection, build it, and test it separately before anything comes into contact with your operation.

What we handle:

  • Interface design and API or EDI mapping
  • Label and document layouts according to your specifications
  • Technical testing of APIs, EDI, connectivity, labels, and security
  • A full system integration test covering ASN, receipt, put-away, inventory, order import, picking, packing, shipping, returns, and exception handling
  • In-house IT department, so the people who build your connection are the people you can call
Warehouse management system Van der Helm uses to track stock and order status in real time

How long a connection takes depends on your systems and the level of integration required. We prefer to determine that carefully during the intake rather than giving you a number that isn’t sustainable.

Full insight from day one

Through our Warehouse Management System, you have 24-hour real-time access to your inventory levels and order status. We set up dashboards and reports based on what you want to see, not on a standard template.

Van der Helm employee at work in the warehouse

What if something goes wrong?

A valid question, and one you should ask every provider you consider.

Our answer is that the risk is managed within the process, not waved away in a sales pitch. Every phase has a checkpoint. The test must succeed before acceptance begins. Acceptance must succeed before the cut-over takes place. If a test fails, we adjust the design or solve it, and test again.

After go-live, you receive 2 to 4 weeks of hypercare: daily stand-ups, KPI monitoring, performance checks, and direct incident support. In the initial period, we also hold a weekly operations meeting with you to review what’s going well, what needs improvement, and what’s coming up in your planning. Once the operation is stable, we formally close the project, activate the SLA, and hand over to the permanent team.

A partner who keeps their promises

We have been a family business since 1936, and some customers have been working with us for decades. That’s not a marketing line; it’s the most useful thing we can tell you about reliability.

Growing with you, and planning your peaks in advance

Seasonal peaks are not a surprise; they are a planning question. So we treat them that way.

We plan our people and resources based on your ongoing forecast. Depending on your volumes and the type of handling, we work with a six-month planning horizon and use your historical data plus your growth expectations to look further ahead. This way, capacity is ready before you need it, instead of being negotiated when the pressure is already on.

Because we have our own recruitment agency, we can scale staff up and down without being dependent on third parties. That is a major reason why peak seasons for our customers run smoothly.

We also plan for the long term. Profiltra started with a few hundred pallets and now stores nearly a thousand with us. We have built that path together over the years.

Van der Helm Logistics warehouse with pallet racking

One person, before and after the transition

You are not passed from a salesperson to an account manager to a service desk.

Marco is General Manager Sales and handles the inquiries himself. He is your point of contact during the transition and remains so afterward. If you have a question about your operation, you know who to call and you don’t have to explain your company all over again.

MD

Marco Dächer

General Manager Sales

+31 10 299 5622

M.Dacher@vdhelm.com

LinkedIn

What outsourcing to Moerdijk offers you

A location that shortens your chain

Our warehouses are located close to the Port of Rotterdam, with direct connections to Schiphol and to rail and inland waterways. Pre- and post-transport can be by road, rail, or water, and distribution to the rest of Europe starts from the same location where your goods arrive.

Bonded warehousing and a cash flow advantage

As an AEO-F certified company with our own customs department, we can store your goods under bonded status, subject to conditions we assess during the intake. Import duties and VAT then only become due when your goods are sold, which can improve your cash position by up to 12 percent. If you sell goods directly or transfer them from the bonded warehouse, you also save on customs documentation.

One partner for warehousing, customs, and transport

Warehousing, customs clearance, and transport are all under one roof with us. Fewer parties, fewer handover moments, and one point of contact if something needs to be looked into.

Value-added logistics

Labeling, repacking, quality control, kitting, and returns handling are part of the operation rather than being an extra service. We set them up around your product and your customers’ requirements.

Our warehousing and fulfillment services

Order picking and packing

The full pick, pack, and ship process, with the accuracy and cut-off times we agree upon with you in advance.

Inbound and outbound

Receiving, checking, and storing your goods, with accurate inventory registration and shipments that go out on time.

Inventory management

We monitor and optimize your inventory levels so that your availability remains high without tying up unnecessary capital.

Distribution and transportation

National and international transport arranged from start to finish via our own network.

Value-added services

Labeling, repacking, quality control, and product-specific handling.

Return logistics

Receipt, inspection, processing, and redistribution of returns.

Customs services

Import and export declarations, bonded storage, and fiscal representation via our own customs department.

Request a capacity check

Tell us what you want to store and what your flow looks like, and we’ll get back to you with a realistic assessment: whether we’re a fit, what the setup would look like, and what’s needed to get you live.

We work with volumes from 1,000 pallet spaces. Not there yet, but expect to be? Let us know, because we prefer to grow with you.

We will get back to you within one business day.

Frequently asked questions about warehousing in the Netherlands

From signed contract to stable operation takes 8 to 10 weeks, followed by 2 to 4 weeks of hypercare. The exact lead time depends on the complexity of your systems and processes, which we determine with you during the kick-off.

Four things: provide your master data, approve the solution design, perform the user acceptance test, and make the go/no-go decision. The rest lies with our project management, our IT department, and our operations.

No, and we’d rather explain why than beat around the bush. Onboarding a warehousing customer requires a real investment from both sides—in IT, in warehouse layout, and in people. A trial period would therefore not give either of us a fair picture. What you get instead is control: you approve the design before we build, and you perform the acceptance test and make the go/no-go decision before we touch your live operation.

Each phase must be completed before the next begins. If a test fails, we solve it and test again instead of carrying the problem forward. After go-live, you have 2 to 4 weeks of hypercare with daily stand-ups and direct incident support.

We map out your ERP, WMS, and TMS during the technical intake, and we build the connection via API or EDI. How long that takes depends on your systems and the level of integration required, which is exactly what the intake determines.

Marco, our General Manager Sales, handles the inquiries and remains your point of contact during the transition and beyond.

We work with volumes from 1,000 pallet spaces, and our strongest service delivery is between 1,000 and approximately 30,000. If you expect to fall within that range, we’d love to talk.

We plan people and resources based on your ongoing forecast, with a six-month planning horizon and based on your historical data and growth expectations. Because we have our own recruitment agency, we can scale staff without being dependent on third parties.

Yes. We are AEO-F certified with our own customs department, and we can store goods under bonded status subject to conditions we assess during the intake. Import duties and VAT become due when your goods are sold, which can improve your cash position by up to 12 percent.

In Moerdijk and Den Hoorn, both with direct access to the main logistical hubs in the Netherlands and the Port of Rotterdam.

Yes. We arrange national and international transport from our own locations, so warehousing and distribution stay with one partner.

Let's find out if we're a fit

Tell us what you want to store and what your flow looks like. Marco will get back to you with an honest assessment: whether we are the right partner, what the setup would look like, and what’s needed to get you live. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you that too.

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