From Onderneming van het Jaar® to global player in logistics

The West-Flemish company stow has grown into the largest rack builder in Europe. The subsidiary Movu, which develops robots and automation systems for warehouses, has grown into a profitable scale-up in just a few years. ‘With the right focus and innovation, you create enormous growth opportunities.’

The impact

What does it mean for your company to be Onderneming van het Jaar®?

“We became Onderneming van het Jaar® in the corona year 2020. As a result, the ceremony took place in a completely different setting than usual. No big show at the Heysel with a room full of audience, but a lonely studio without an audience. I remember driving home in a taxi alone with the trophy that night. It gave a special feeling of pride, but it also felt a bit lonely. Despite that sober setting, the impact was enormous. Our company was already quite well known in logistics circles, but not among the general public. Since that title, many people have remembered us as Onderneming van het Jaar®. This has given our general awareness in Belgium a huge boost. We achieved the biggest advantage in terms of employer branding. As a fast-growing company, we are constantly looking for new talent. The award has helped us enormously to attract that talent. In addition, the title also made our employees extremely proud to be part of a company that had received this recognition. Four years later, the title is still regularly mentioned. It is a positive stamp that we will continue to carry with us.”

The retrospective

Is uw bedrijf veranderd sinds u Onderneming van het Jaar® bent geworden?

“The logistics sector has experienced great growth in recent years, partly due to the enormous increase in e-commerce during and after the corona pandemic. Consumers started shopping online en masse, which created a strong demand for logistics solutions. That wave made our company grow further, even after the initial peak during the pandemic. We also saw another opportunity in the market: customers were increasingly asking for automation of their warehouses. This resulted in Movu from scratch, our subsidiary that develops robots to automate warehouse operations. Since 2021, Movu has grown rapidly and now has a turnover of 200 million euros. The company is profitable and has 400 employees, including many engineers. What started as a startup has now grown into a mature scale-up.”

From Gamechanger

Which innovation or strategy is crucial for your company?

“Due to the enormous growth of the logistics sector during and after corona, we saw opportunities in the market. Customers increasingly asked for automation of their warehouses. This led to the establishment of Movu, our automation arm. With this, we have also tapped into a completely new market. While the logistics market for warehouses with a size of 8 billion dollars is already very large, the market for automation is even larger and amounts to 140 billion dollars worldwide. With Movu, we are now operating on this much larger playing field. What started as a startup has grown into a mature scale-up. In the meantime, Movu realizes half of its turnover in the United States.

Thanks to this growth, we have evolved from a traditional steel processor to an innovative high-tech company.”

The Checklist

What boxes should successful entrepreneurship tick?

“An entrepreneur must first and foremost be a visionary. It is essential to continuously focus on the future and develop the right strategy. What will the company look like in 10 to 15 years? What activities are needed to stay relevant? A successful entrepreneur regularly takes a step back from daily tasks to think about the bigger picture. In addition, profitable growth is an important focus. Growth without extra returns leads nowhere. Respect for employees is also crucial. This requires good governance. Our company is quite large, with a consolidated turnover of more than one billion euros. Although we are partly private equity-driven, we still retain a culture that is reminiscent of that of an SME. We keep the lines of communication short, remain agile and ensure that people feel respected.

Finally, successful entrepreneurship is about the good management of relationships with all stakeholders: customers, employees and shareholders. It is important to stay on the same page with everyone and to make fair and equitable decisions.”

The Future

Hoe ondernemen we in 2054?

“2054 may sound far away, but it is actually only a generation further. By then, technological changes will be enormous. Artificial intelligence will play a major role in how we work. Many operational and simple tasks will be taken over or supported by AI. Computers will take a lot of manual or time-consuming tasks off our hands. This will make businesses more efficient. At the same time, people will always remain important. Technology creates work, and we are already seeing that. Look at Movu: in just two years, we have created 400 new jobs, thanks to technology. Automation may replace certain jobs, but it also opens up new opportunities.

Technological progress is happening exponentially fast. What we see as advanced today is just the tip of the iceberg. In 2054, we will use technologies that we cannot even imagine today. Yet the essence of entrepreneurship remains the same. People will still eat, travel and produce. However, the way we do that will change fundamentally.”

The Advice

How do you become Onderneming van het Jaar®?

“To become Onderneming van het Jaar®, you have to meet a number of important conditions. First, profitable growth is essential. Growth in itself is important, but it must also be profitable to ensure sustainable success. In addition, international activity is an important criterion. You have to show that you can be successful not only locally, but also internationally. Another crucial aspect is good governance. How does your company deal with people, processes and sustainability? This shows that your company operates responsibly and is ready for the future. Those who meet these conditions, have a strong story, and a dynamic leader with a good management team on board, have a good chance of being shortlisted and winning.”