Insights
What we encounter on the floor, written down
No white papers on the future of the supply chain, but pieces about what goes wrong in practice between technology and the floor — and what helps. Written by the people who were there.
A three-part series on mechanisation — technology, people, processes — and an in-depth piece on autonomous robots. No reflections on the future of the supply chain, but what goes wrong between technology and the floor, and what helps.
The series
Mechanisation, in three parts
Best read in order, but each part stands on its own.
01
Mechanisation, part 1
From mechanisation to maximum value
Why technology alone isn’t enough. What goes wrong when mechanisation is approached as a technical project, and the four steps with which we bring a stalled operation back up to standard.
Ardy Thoonsen · 3 April 2025 · 6 min
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Without human and organisational anchoring, even the most advanced systems become a source of disruption rather than improvement.
02
Mechanisation, part 2
Optimising the factory: rediscovering collaboration
You can improve systems, replace machines and standardise processes — but if people do not change with them, nothing fundamental changes. On daily start-ups, behavioural agreements and a factory as a team.
Rutger Mans · 30 May 2025 · 3 min
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A factory is not a machine, but a team.
03
Mechanisation, part 3
The process side of mechanisation
What changes in the process once the technology is in place: reference points disappear, scanning becomes the new language, and control falls short. With what is needed instead — rhythm, orchestration and realism.
16 December 2025 · 5 min
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Instead of calm and predictability, unrest takes hold on the floor.
Tips from practice · the longest piece
AMRs: smart and flexible, but it doesn’t happen by itself
What autonomous robots are, what they cost and deliver, what environment they need — and above all how to make them work. Including a business case with a positive ROI that we advised against all the same.
Niels Kruijer and Jaap Eikelboom · 1 October 2025 · 13 min
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One thing is certain: it doesn’t happen by itself.
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