The Lean improvement method distinguishes eight waste categories. One of these is 'inventory'. Too much stock is not good, but neither is too little. After all, having stock also provides the safe feeling of availability in times of uncertain internal planning and external factors that cannot be directly influenced. Because optimising availability both in one's own company and in the supply chain is often not the core competence of our customers, itsme can take over the care of such optimisation, for example through the import and management of so-called Vendor Managed Inventory systems. But, how do you know whether VMI is indeed the right solution? Ralph van Aartsen can answer that crucial question - using five questions. Here, in advance, are his answers to our questions on VMI.

Good feedback enhances every result. The same applies to the itsme Group’s new web platform for which customers shared their experiences during the testing phase. One of them is Jurgen Janssens of ECJ Automation from Gierle, Belgium. At the request of itsme Breemes he went through, and tested the platform before it went live. “Functionality comes first. And that has been well thought out with this platform.”

itsme Industrial Automation has been around for 30 years. Where it once started with just support, the team of application engineers and product specialists now offers much more than that. Webinars, e-learning and training courses: itsme Industrial Automation specifically supports every customer with targeted information. And that from an international perspective, crossing over national borders.

The row of course binders at his home looks impressive. Even more so when you take into consideration that they don’t even include all of the training courses he has undertaken at itsme Industrial Automation. As many as seventeen, in just over three years. Quite a few, Mehmet thinks, but pretty logical in his opinion. “I get a lot out of the itsme training courses.”