Warehouse Execution System Archives

Outpacing Tomorrow’s System Integration

Posted on 3 March, 202529 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Peter MacLeod meets Thomas van Workum, President of FORTNA International, a man who sits the helm of a company that has its finger in just about every piece of supply chain pie. Given the unpredictability inherent in today’s supply chains, a robust, flexible, and reliable fulfillment operation is key to operational success. If it is also cost-effective and carbon-light in operation, then delivering promises to a demanding and expectant customer base becomes less of a challenge and more of an opportunity.

Supply chain optimization

FORTNA is a global partner in supply chain optimization, providing end-to-end solutions that drive operational excellence. From consultancy and system design to automation, software integration, and lifecycle services, the company delivers seamless and scalable solutions tailored to each customer’s needs. As a company with nearly 80 years of history, it has long been one of the recognized leaders in the U.S. and is expanding its footprint in the European market. The upcoming LogiMAT trade show presents an opportunity to showcase its expertise and build new partnerships within the region. Exploring some of these further, I was delighted to be able to interview Thomas van Workum, President FORTNA International, the man who leads the commercial, operations and services supporting its International expansion.

AI for Operational Excellence

While AI continues to be surrounded by hype, FORTNA takes a pragmatic approach—using AI where it truly delivers value. “Our focus is on leveraging AI to create optimal outcomes for our customers,” says Thomas van Workum, President FORTNA International. AI is embedded in three key areas: Tech Support, Software Development and Machine Learning for Automation.
We have developed language models that analyze documentation and historical issue resolution data. This allows tech support teams to identify malfunctions and find solutions much faster, minimizing downtime for customers. “Instead of manually searching through manuals, our AI assistant quickly scans both documentation and past cases, providing a solution in seconds,” van Workum explains.

AI is also transforming how FORTNA develops software for system integration. “We use AI to assist in writing code, which significantly shortens lead times and enables our software engineers to focus on more complex tasks,” he adds. While complex solutions still require manual customization, about 30% of the code is now AI-generated, improving efficiency and accelerating deployment.
FORTNA’s AI-powered robotic solutions use vision technology to pick and place products of all shapes, weights, and sizes. “By leveraging AI and machine learning, our robotic picking solutions achieve top-tier pick rates and accuracy, outperforming many existing solutions in the market,” van Workum notes. With rising labor costs and shrinking availability, businesses are increasingly open to investing in robotics, and FORTNA is at the forefront of delivering these solutions.

Driving Carbon Reduction

Decarbonization is a major challenge in logistics and supply chain management. I asked van Workum in what areas FORTNA is helping its customers reduce their carbon consumption. He answers by identifying two chief ways – designing warehouse automation to use less energy and by optimising packaging to reduce vehicle mileage.

FORTNA designs systems that dynamically adjust energy consumption based on demand. “If the load on a system is lower due to order fluctuations, we don’t need it running at full capacity,” van Workum explains. “By reducing speeds and switching off unnecessary components, we help our customers cut energy usage. With transport, we are working to do it in the most efficient way and therefore we work with partners to supply the best solution to our customers.” Through strategic partnerships with Packsize and Sitma, FORTNA minimizes packaging waste, reducing the amount of air transported in shipments. “Less empty space means fewer trucks on the road, lowering carbon emissions. While eliminating packaging entirely isn’t always feasible, minimizing it makes a real difference,” he adds.

Navigating Supply Chain Uncertainty

In today’s volatile geopolitical and economic climate, businesses must prepare for both the “known unknowns” and the unexpected disruptions that can upend supply chains. So how can FORTNA help its customers become more resistant to the effects of these so-called black swan events?

“Our promise is that FORTNA thinks alongside the customer in how to de-risk their operations and inventory planning. Our consulting team works alongside customers to de-risk their operations and improve inventory planning,” van Workum says. This includes in-depth network analysis to identify potential vulnerabilities and optimal warehouse locations. We do that for some of the largest brands in the world.

At the warehouse level, FORTNA’s automation and software solutions provide an additional layer of resilience. “By integrating robotic picking, customers become less reliant on manual labour, reducing exposure to workforce shortages. Our Warehouse Execution System (WES) is also among the best in the world, continuously optimizing inventory allocation and fulfillment workflows,” he explains.

Looking ahead to LogiMAT, I asked van Workum which of the company’s strengths and specialisms it will be looking to highlight in what is becoming quite a crowded and competitive marketplace.
“We are one of the few system integrators that fully embrace emerging technologies,” he says. Unlike many competitors that focus solely on their own product portfolio, FORTNA prioritizes finding the best solution for each customer’s needs. This commitment to innovation is evident in FORTNA’s collaborations with technology leaders like AutoStore and Geek+, where the company integrates third-party solutions with its own advanced software to provide customers with tailored, high-performance systems.

With a growing presence in Europe and a track record of delivering impactful solutions, FORTNA is set to make a strong impression at LogiMAT—demonstrating how it helps businesses achieve operational excellence in an ever-evolving supply chain landscape.

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Clustag Selected for Item-Level RFID Solution

Posted on 1 July, 202429 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Clustag by Rielec, a global leader in innovative RFID solutions, has announced that it has been appointed by global warehouse robotics provider Exotec as a strategic partner to deploy item-level RFID solutions in selected Skypod® System projects. The technology will be deployed in some specific projects in the Netherlands for a globally known fashion brand

Headquartered in Lille, France, Exotec combines hardware and software to offer warehouse robotic systems that drive operational efficiency, add resiliency, and improve working conditions for warehouse operators. The Skypod System is an order-picking solution for retail, e-commerce, and industrial use. Robots can climb racks up to 12 metres in high and retrieve products autonomously, before delivering totes to human-staffed or automatic picking stations.

Warehouse automation systems like Exotec allow efficient use of height without impacting performance or flexibility. The Skypod System is fully scalable, so storage capacity and picking performance can be increased when required or adapted to the architecture of a warehouse. The system can run continuously throughout the year without impacting performance. In addition, more robots can be quickly added to increase throughput during peak periods. Exotec’s comprehensive software simplifies management of the entire system.

“We selected the Clustag solution by Rielec because we were impressed by its elegant design, proven reliability, and the ability to be delivered quickly by highly competent teams. It perfectly meets our quality and customer satisfaction requirements,” said Chloé Marechal, Supply Chain Manager Western Europe at Exotec.

As part of the partnership, Clustag by Rielec will provide Exotec with its patented RFID MOT Station technology. The MOT Station design provides complete reliability and flow data available to users. The technology can be fully integrated into processes and aggregates three key pieces of data: RFID identification, case volume, and case weight during operation to improve the inventory management process.

The technology can scan the contents of cases with dimensions up to 850 x 650 x 650 millimetres, scanning 400 tags per case at speeds of up to 1,000 cases per hour. The RFID station is UL certified and CE-marked. Used within the fashion industry, the MOT Station combined with Clustag’s ZENTUP software enables retailers to keep pace with fast-moving fashion cycles. Once items are scanned, ZENTUP provides retailers with complete product data, incorporating product types, colours, and sizes to facilitate high-quality stock decision-making, quickly.

ZENTUP will integrate with Exotec’s Warehouse Execution System to provide users with accurate, real-time data. This provides the foundation that enables retailers to deliver efficient and effective order fulfilment for customers.

In the words of Manolo Reguart, Director of Strategy and Business Development at Clustag by Rielec: “RFID technology plays a pivotal role in creating enhanced inventory accuracy within the warehouse. The successful integration of our MOT Stations into some Exotec’s projects will deliver unparalleled inventory visibility for end users”.

With the implementation of Clustag by Rielec technology in Exotec’s warehouse solution, smarter supply chain and order fulfilment decisions can be made that improve sales opportunities and the long-term business success of both brands.

LAC to represent Exotec in the UK

IFOY Test Report: IdentPro Warehouse Execution System

Posted on 6 June, 202329 July, 2025 by Keith McKinley

As the clock ticks towards the moment when the IFOY Awards are handed out in Dortmund on June 22nd, we continue our look at all of the 2023 finalists and share the verdict from the IFOY test conducted during the evaluation by an expert jury in March. Our next entry is the Warehouse Execution System from IdentPro.

Category: Intralogistics Software

IFOY Test Report

Not only the increasing shortage of employees, but also the global challenges of the supply chain are increasing the pressure on automation in intralogistics. While significant levels of automation have already been achieved in the production processes, there is still great potential in the connected warehouses. The IdentPro digitisation solution creates the necessary prerequisite for this. A digital twin is created in real time (RTLS), in which every single transport of a good is consistently and automatically tracked to the centimetre using Lidar technology. For this purpose, all existing vehicles (manned, automated, manufacturer-independent) are equipped with IoT sensor technology, which thus permanently record up-to-date 3D information about the movement of the stored goods as well as the surrounding spatial geometry.

Via Wi-Fi or LTE, the system is in constant exchange with all the industrial trucks in use. This allows empty runs, search times and inefficient storage scenarios to be analysed. This data forms the input for intelligent algorithms. Intelligent allocation of driving jobs in real time with efficiency increases of between 20% and 30% are the result.

The IoT solution has several USPs that stand out in interaction with each other: real-time digital twin of the warehouse (RTLS), centimetre-precise localisation (+/-10cm) of goods and vehicles, collaborative use of autonomous and manned industrial trucks, and smart distribution of driving orders (SLS). All this is combined in the software solution, which ensures transparency and overall system effectiveness in intralogistics through interfaces and standards (such as omlox and VDA 5050). Connections to ERP systems or WMS are additionally possible at any time.

The Warehouse Execution System, in combination with reliable laser technology, generates complete transparency in real time. In contrast to other solutions via RFID, UWB or camera, the IdentPro solution is characterised by the centimetre and millisecond accurate creation of the digital twin. The use in open areas can be realised without further ado. Furthermore, the solution does not require any change in the infrastructure of the warehouse. Only the existing industrial trucks need to be equipped with IoT sensor technology. The software can be used directly in the inventory.

IFOY test verdict: With the digital twin in real time, IdentPro sustainably increases the overall system effectiveness of intralogistics. The warehouse execution system creates full transparency, ensures inventory security and error-free deliveries, increases efficiency, navigates loaded and unloaded vehicles in collaborative use, and can be used indoors and outdoors. Based on the complete data situation, not only does productivity increase, but the basis for smart automation is also created. Only with the twin technology can both unmanned and manned vehicles be orchestrated and controlled from one system. The supplier’s Warehouse Execution System fits seamlessly into the user’s circumstances and leads to efficiency increases of up to 30%.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: A high market relevance is seen for the presented solution of the Warehouse Execution System. The mapping of warehouse geometry, including the localisation of various manned and unmanned material handling vehicles, is useful in a wide range of sectors, as an increasing shortage of skilled workers is to be expected across the board. The approach of IdentPro GmbH can be an essential component to advance digitalisation in a company with an increase in efficiency or even to introduce it in the first place, which results in a large number of potential customers.

Customer benefit: By using the Warehouse Execution System, customers can achieve a significant increase in efficiency and at the same time enable and control the use of autonomous vehicles. Depending on the requirements, savings in personnel are then possible without detaching the warehouse employees or operators of manned industrial trucks from the warehouse processes. The digital image of the warehouse includes not only the vehicles but also the warehouse stock and thus provides full transparency, whereby the individual transport orders can be processed efficiently and comprehensibly in real time. The most flexible possible implementation of the system at the customer’s site, independent of the warehouse layout, makes it very easy to achieve the customer benefits, such as the avoidance of errors or empty runs and thus the increase potential in efficiency.

Novelty / Innovation: The generation and utilisation of a digital twin in this practice-oriented manner, with the implementation of a wide variety of material handling equipment and warehouse management, undoubtedly has a high degree of innovation. The uncomplicated possibility of applying the system to existing warehouses and optimising and monitoring the transport routes calculated in real time, as well as integrating stock and orders, appears to be a sensible new approach to meeting the increasing demands in terms of market leadership.

Functionality / Type of implementation: The system’s processes were impressively demonstrated. It became clear that the use of sensors was reduced to a sensible minimum, which makes the integration of existing vehicles relatively simple. Similarly, the determination of the transport routes was realised in a practice-oriented manner via optimisation algorithms, for example with the target value of minimum time.

Verdict: A worthy IFOY nominee with a clear market lead.

Market relevance +
Customer benefit ++
Novelty / Innovation +
Functionality / Type of implementation ++
[KEY: ++ very good / + good / Ø balanced / – less / — not available]