Insights & news
Field notes, cases and news.
Stories and patterns from our projects, client cases, market updates and announcements. Sharp observations from the shop floor, with the thought-leadership left at the door.
MES software in industry: why production data gets stuck
Production data almost always exists, but it is locked inside systems that do not communicate with each other. Standard MES software does not solve that on its own.
AI email processing in transport: what works and what does not
At many transport companies, a significant share of incoming orders still arrives by email. AI email processing removes the manual retyping, but only when the mail flows and system interface are properly configured. This post explains how it works and when it is not the right fit.
Hiring your own AI staff or bringing in an external partner: what does it depend on?
Hiring your own AI engineer feels like control, an external partner feels like speed. Both feelings are poor advisors. These are the trade-offs that actually matter.
Software redevelopment: when does it make sense, and when doesn't it?
Redeveloping software sounds like a clean slate, but it is rarely the smartest starting point. Read when it is the right choice and when a different approach will serve you better.
Logistics labour market 2026: staff shortages, Wtta and the road user charge
The logistics labour market in 2026 is being hit by three developments at once: a persistent staff shortage, the Wtta overhauling how you manage agency worker administration, and a road user charge that increases the cost per trip.
AI invoice processing: extraction, matching and approval
AI invoice processing automates the heavy lifting: extracted line items, a match against the purchase order, a proposal ready for the accountant. The accountant decides; the data entry is already done.
Automatic order entry without EDI: how it works
Many transport companies cannot force an EDI connection on their customers. AI-driven order entry reads emails and documents without requiring any changes on the customer's side.
Customs declarations in 2026: the data problem is growing
Customs regulations are changing faster than ever, but the real bottleneck is not the rules themselves. It is the data required to declare correctly and on time.
Custom software for logistics: which partner fits?
A logistics company needs different software than a generic webshop. But which Dutch party builds it well? This article gives an honest answer.
ERP, TMS or WMS: custom build or standard package?
The choice between a standard ERP, TMS or WMS and a custom core system is too often driven by brand recognition. This is the honest comparison.
European digital legislation: half of businesses are not ready
The Barometer Digital Decade 2026 shows that half of Dutch organisations are insufficiently prepared for the growing body of European digital legislation. What does that mean in practice for operations?
Redeveloping software: when is it the right choice?
Redeveloping software is the right answer when your existing system works against operations. These are the three signals that reveal it, the pitfalls along the way, and when it is actually not the smartest move.
AI email processing in transport: what you learn when you build it
Processing emails in transport looks like an easy AI problem. Until you dig in and realise the problem is not the email itself, but what is inside it.
Pricing pressure in wholesale: a margin and data problem
Wholesalers operate on thin margins while purchase prices keep moving. The real problem is not the pressure itself, but that the data needed to act on it is fragmented across systems, emails, and spreadsheets.
SaaS package or custom AI in transport: which do you choose?
A standard SaaS package goes live quickly but rarely fits an atypical operation. Custom AI costs more upfront but delivers ownership and precision. When do you choose which?
Automating the invoicing process: what works and what does not
Automating the invoicing process sounds straightforward, but most organisations get stuck on exceptions, inconsistent formats and missing integrations. Here is what is really going on.
Suez recovery and supply chain volatility: what now?
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd sent one joint service carefully back through the Suez Canal. What does that tell us about supply chain volatility, and what does it mean for operations in the Netherlands?
Outsourcing an AI project vs. building in-house: which delivers more?
Building in-house seems cheaper, outsourcing seems faster. Neither assumption always holds. These are the real trade-offs.
Bonsai AI Workers: what do they solve, and when do they fall short?
AI Workers take over the repetitive in-between work your team handles every day but that requires no real human judgment. People keep approving; the AI does the groundwork.
Bonsai Quote: automating quotes without the mess
Bonsai Quote helps companies in trade, logistics, and industry produce quotes faster and more consistently, without commercial staff reinventing the wheel every time.
AI with Stratech and Softpak: faster declarations in 2026
Not replacing the declaration engine, but automating the groundwork. AI around Stratech, Softpak and Stream makes declarants faster without the team having to learn a new system.
EU customs rules 2026: what the new parcel obligations mean
From July 2026, cheap imports will also fall under full customs procedures. Businesses without airtight documentation pay twice: once on import, once on return.
Automated order entry AI transport: how it works
Orders arrive as PDFs, emails, or through a portal. Staff re-key them into the TMS. That is the bottleneck. AI solves it without requiring EDI from all your customers.
Flexwet 2026: what the new rules mean for logistics
As of 1 January 2026, the rules around flexible labour in logistics have changed significantly. New collective agreement terms, tightened pension arrangements via StiPP, and stricter security obligations for flexible workers: the administrative burden is rising at a time when margins are already tight.
Construction software: why estimation and planning keep getting stuck
Estimation in Excel, planning in a whiteboard app, post-calculation never. This is a pattern we see at construction companies time and again. Here is why it is so hard to break.
Custom software vs. off-the-shelf: when do you choose which?
Custom software or an off-the-shelf package? The choice is less black-and-white than vendors would have you believe. Here is the honest story.
Driver shortage 2026: what it means for operations
The shortage of drivers and planners in the transport sector continues into 2026. Here is what that means operationally and where structured data makes the difference.
Dottle document AI: what it solves and when it does not
Dottle reads incoming documents, populates fields, and only asks for confirmation when uncertain. Useful, but not suited for every document type.
Truck Levy 2026: What It Means for Logistics
From 1 July 2026, carriers pay per kilometre, depending on vehicle type and CO2 emissions. Combined with rising labour costs and a persistent driver shortage, margins are under pressure. Those without a clear grip on their cost price will end up absorbing the difference themselves.
Automating Inventory Management in Wholesale
Automated inventory management in wholesale is more than recording stock mutations. It is about order proposals that save the buyer time, not software that makes decisions on its own.
Custom AI for business processes or an off-the-shelf package?
Custom AI for business processes sounds expensive and risky. But off-the-shelf packages are too, just in different ways. Read when to go which direction.
Automating transport planning software with AI
Orders arrive by email, PDF and WhatsApp. The planner rekeys them into the TMS. That is the problem AI concretely solves, without replacing the planner.
Construction and software: why project data gets stuck
In construction, estimating, planning, and procurement typically run in entirely separate systems. The result is manual re-entry, errors, and delays. It is a pattern we encounter time and again.
Bonsai and HDG build a new SaaS platform to succeed QC4U
HDG, the quality company, and Bonsai are building a new quality platform to replace QC4U. AI sits at the core of the system, not as a bolt-on afterwards.
Software Rotterdam: what you learn when you build it
What you learn as a Software Operating Partner in Rotterdam is that the most elegant design is worthless if it slows down operations. A defining lesson from the field.
Passing on cost price increases in manufacturing
More than half of Dutch companies are unable, or barely able, to pass on cost price increases to customers. In manufacturing, that is not a pricing problem: it is a data systems problem.
R flow en herontwikkelen: wat je leert als je het echt doet
Zodra je een systeem opnieuw bouwt, zie je pas hoe de echte werkstroom loopt. Niet de beschreven variant, maar de echte. Dat is het moment waarop herontwikkelen zijn waarde bewijst.
Building AI automations: what you get out of it, and when you don't
AI automations sound simple, but the trap is in how they fit your existing systems and processes. Here is what you get out of them, and when it's wiser not to start.
Build an AI layer or replace the lot: when do you choose which?
Plenty of companies face the same choice: invest in a new core system, or build an AI layer on top of what already works? The answer depends on where the real problem sits.
Automating quotes in wholesale: from days to minutes
A slow quote is a lost order. How AI that knows your catalogue, price tiers and terms speeds up the commercial process, and why master data is the first hurdle.
Processing packing lists in food and AGF: why templates never quite cope
Every supplier has its own packing-list layout, and during the season the stacks pile up. Why template-based OCR comes unstuck here and document AI holds up.
Predictive maintenance starts at your historian, not at a data platform
The data for smarter maintenance has been sitting there for years. Why you do not need a data-platform project to begin, and where the first returns come from.
Why AI in the Port of Rotterdam is different from anywhere else
The port is no greenfield. Three lessons we've learned about AI between the quays, cranes and customs.
Operating partner vs. consultancy firm: what is the difference?
Why we do not hand over a report but stand beside you in the operation. And when that is precisely the wrong fit.
Estimating in construction: the margin lives in the detail
A case study of how one AI flow over your quotes returns 9.2 percentage points of extra margin. No magic, just discipline.