Machine transport is anything but run-of-the-mill. It is a complex process, involving (dis)assembly and anchoring, the moving of the machines, project management, storage, and industrial relocation, not to mention the road transport itself. And that doesn't even take into account the European and world-wide distribution of machines, which requires customs formalities and more. This, though, is precisely the speciality of full-service, machine logistics provider Jan van Dam Group. And in their search for the efficient digitalisation of the totality of the services they offer into an ERP package, the Group found the all-around logistics software provider AGePe Logistics.

Back to the start of their collaboration. It was 2014. Jan Van Dam Group was looking for a new software package that could more efficiently handle the dynamic and growth of their organisation. Or to be more precise, of two companies: Jan van Dam Machine Transport – specialised in (inter)national machine transport – and Jan van Dam Global Machine Logistics – a supply chain specialist and experienced forwarder in the global machine industry.

“At a certain point, we wanted to optimise our ERP and switch to a more flexible logistics package, one that had a broader scope than the transport management system that we already had,” explained Bas van Dam, member of the management team. “So, we started a dedicated search, in consultation with several parties, and ended up at AGePe Logistics. At the time, you were mainly known within the moving industry in the Netherlands. But we immediately saw that your logistics software offered many more possibilities. Essentially, we also move things – machines with huge dimensions – an activity that involves a number of highly complex planning and formalities aspects. The total concept of warehousing, transport, planning, freight forwarding, finance and reporting… this is where AGePe Logistics really shines. Everything in one clear-cut package, ready to go. We also checked out other customers' systems, which only served to solidify our choice.”

That was then; almost 10 years have passed since. The connection is still there, and it just keeps getting stronger, in the sense that Jan van Dam Group is now implementing the latest version of our software, MyLogistics

“Internally, we talk about AGePe 2.0, because the package has clearly evolved... as it should as time goes by,” continues Bas van Dam. “When we were asked to switch over to the updated version, we didn't hesitate for a minute. We can already clearly see the added value. Planning was and continues to be an extremely important department for us, and MyLogistics resolves previous planning bottlenecks. The software is now more dynamic; it is easier to make changes. Also when it comes to things that appear obvious at first sight, such as the use of the square metre in the world of moving. We can't do anything with the square metre. For us, it is all about, length, height, and weight. And these have now all been added.”

Planning & data

MyLogistics, with its intuitive user interface, is workflow-driven, project-oriented, and cloud-based and has been built using the newest low-code technology. Jan van Dam Group is fully in the implementation phase by now, which pleases Bas van Dam.

“The greatest challenge for us is the advance planning. By now, our key users are already working with MyLogistics, and they are working together constructively with your project managers and consultants so that MyLogistics is optimally embraced here. What is most important is that our services can be adequately planned. And, in that regard, we feel that we have taken a big step forward. It is a process that has its ups and downs, but just as we take pride in simplifying the lives of our customers, you apply the same philosophy toward us. What's more, as a company, we want to evolve into a quantifiable organisation, so that the management can adjust as needed. With MyLogistics, it couldn't be any easier to retrieve and analyse data. In that domain, we are now securely up to date.”

And in the future? Perhaps we will see more things from our wish list become integrated into the software, such as the ability to plan auxiliary equipment for machine transport. And, in the meantime, Jan van Dam Group can count on the dedicated and in-depth support of AGePe Logistics.