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.
AI invoice automation: what it solves and when it does not
AI invoice automation promises less manual work, fewer errors and faster turnaround times. But reality is messier than the demo. Here is what it concretely solves and when you are better off not starting.
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.
Automating invoicing with AI: what actually works in practice
Automating invoicing with AI only pays off once you understand why things go wrong today. The technology is not the problem — the structure of the data is.
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.
AI processing of invoices and orders in industry
In industry, too many hours are lost re-entering purchase orders and matching invoices. AI solves that, but only when the data is in order.
AI email processing for transport companies: what works
AI email processing for transport companies sounds straightforward, but the challenge is rarely in the email itself. A lesson in what you really need to have sorted before it works.
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.
AI email processing in transport: what it solves
Transport companies process dozens of emails every day containing orders, confirmations and enquiries. AI email processing takes over the manual data entry, but it is not the right fit for every situation.
Automatic order entry with AI in transport
In transport, orders still arrive too often as a PDF or email, and then the manual re-keying begins. Automatic order entry with AI puts an end to that, but only if you approach it correctly.
AI invoice processing: automatic extraction, matching and approval
Dottle automatically extracts incoming invoices, matches them with the purchase order and prepares a posting proposal. The accountant reviews and approves, without retyping a single line.
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.
Bonsai AI Workers: what they solve and when they don't
AI Workers run in your operations alongside your existing systems and take over repetitive preparatory work. But they are not the right choice for every situation.
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.
Rebuilding software: when do you choose a Digital Twin?
Rebuilding software is a major step. A Digital Twin rebuilds your core system from scratch, with AI at its heart. But when does it pay off, and when is it too much?
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.
Redeveloping software: when does it really pay off?
Redeveloping sounds appealing when a system seizes up, but it is rarely the quickest route. When is it the right call, and when is it not?
Driver shortage, flex law and rising costs: the logistics squeeze of 2026 calls for better data
Logistics takes three hits at once in 2026: a persistent staff shortage, new flex legislation and rising transport costs. Anyone who wants to keep their operations running can no longer do it on spreadsheets and manual keying.
AI Workers: what they actually do, and when you shouldn't start
AI Workers automate the recurring groundwork in your operation, from reading data to setting off actions. But there are situations where they're simply the wrong choice.
Truck road charge from 1 July: the bill shifts onto your data
From 1 July 2026 you pay per kilometre driven instead of a fixed truck tax. The operational question is not the rate, but whether your trip and order data is clean enough to pass on, reclaim and steer by.
Automating order intake in transport: where to begin
Orders arrive as email, PDF and Excel and get retyped into the TMS. Why order intake is almost always the first, most measurable automation.
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.
AI around Stratech, Softpak and Stream without replacing the declaration engine
How we leave your existing customs software in place and build an AI layer around it that makes planners' work 10x faster.
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.