The future of logistics starts with young hands and smart technology

Walking through our warehouses today, you see more than pallets, forklifts and trucks. You see team players working together in a high-tech environment where every meter counts, where automation does not displace jobs but supports people, and where the logistics of tomorrow is taking shape. Yet we must be honest: as an industry, it is hard work to convince young people of this.

At KDL, we occasionally roll out the red carpet for students taking their first steps into the world of logistics management. In May of this year, for example, we welcomed two groups of enthusiastic fifth-year secondary school students from the VLOT school in Lokeren. Their curiosity is contagious. They discover that logistics is much more than moving and stacking boxes; it is planning, coordinating, analyzing and working together. Such moments are worth their weight in gold, because they show young people what our sector is really about.

Automation is a real eye opener for them. For our company, this is not a threat, but a necessity and an opportunity. Automation projects help us work more efficiently at height, use scarce space optimally and offer our customers 24/7 service. They also compensate for the shortage of profiles such as reach truck drivers, who are hard to find. At the same time, work is shifting: new positions are emerging in which technical knowledge, data insight and problem-solving thinking are key.

Today we invest not only in technology, but especially in people, in training, commitment and advancement opportunities for our 140 employees. Those who work at KDL get the chance to grow in a modern and people-oriented environment. And we remain ambitious: in 2027 we will open a second, partly automated site of 18,000 square meters near our headquarters in Lokeren, good for 35,000 pallet spaces.

The future of logistics and transportation is smart, sustainable and people-oriented. But it starts with young people who dare to choose technology. To them - and to their parents - I want to say: our sector is not from yesterday, but from tomorrow. And that future lies open, full of movement, innovation and security.