In the early 1980s, Yvan Vande Ghinste started his own one-man business from a small rental house in Kortrijk. With a second-hand van, he handled customs formalities, freight forwarding, and small deliveries to and from France. His warehouse? The garage of his rental home.
Today, 40 years later, that small business has grown into the Widem Logistics we know today. Time for an interview with CEO Yvan Vande Ghinste and his right-hand man, Managing Director Koen Vanden Berghe.
Good afternoon, Yvan. As the founder and first employee, you can undoubtedly tell us the story of Widem Logistics?
Yvan: “Of course. Widem actually originated from a Brussels-based company. On September 1, 1979, I opened a branch office for them in Kortrijk. On December 23, 1983, I took over that branch office, and that’s how Widem Corporation was born. It sounds simple, but it certainly wasn’t. I personally went looking for investors to set up an office building in the LAR (Lauwe-Aalbeke-Rekkem) industrial park in Menen.”
But you initially worked out of a rental house, didn’t you?
Yvan: “That’s right. It wasn’t until 1987 that I moved from Kortrijk to the LAR, and that’s when things really took off. We attracted so many fashion clients that, at one point, I had 12 secretaries working for me. That was an intense time, managing 12 women [laughs]. I spent my days visiting companies to collect customs documents, while the ladies did nothing but type out declarations.”
What was the secret to that rapid growth?
Yvan: “The approach was innovative. The shipments or goods no longer had to go to a customs office; instead, the customs officer came directly to the client. I commercialized the system of simplified customs procedures, even though it was facilitated by the customs administration. That simplicity proved to be a big hit.”
However, it didn’t stop at customs, did it?
Yvan: “That’s correct. In the early 1990s, I began diversifying. I attended evening classes in Antwerp to learn everything about freight forwarding and transport. My first step was finding agents in Spain and Portugal, my favourite countries.
Not long after, at the request of some clients, we opened branches in Morocco (Tangier and Casablanca) and Turkey (Izmir and Istanbul). We handled many customs formalities for clothing manufacturing companies there. Clients were dissatisfied with their transport companies and asked if we could handle transport as well. And well, what can you say to that?”
That sounds like a busy period.
Yvan: “Absolutely. In the second half of the 1990s, we also changed our name to Widem Logistics and expanded our transport division with subcontractors for intra-EU transport. During that same period, we built a new cross-dock warehouse next to our existing offices and storage facility.”
Koen, that was around the time you joined Widem, wasn’t it?
Koen: “That’s right. I first joined Widem in 1992, but I only stayed until 1994. In 2000, I returned for good after Yvan established his holding company. All Widem entities were restructured under one umbrella.
Starting in 2005, we expanded abroad with branches in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands. In these countries, several clients asked us to handle cross-docking activities and store deliveries for them.”
It’s impressive how Widem grew from 12 employees to an international player with nearly 500 employees in Belgium. When did that explosive growth begin?
Koen: “It really started when we began focusing more on warehouses. Cross-docking is all about speed: products need to move quickly, and the time between service and invoicing must be short. By expanding our customs and transport services to include warehousing and cross-docking, we made a real difference.
When Marc joined the company, we also developed our fulfilment services. That step was crucial to accelerating our growth even further.”
I’ve noticed that your customers are very loyal. What’s your secret?
Koen: “It’s the personal contact, the excellent service, and the additional services we offer. Of course, you also need to be a good negotiator in discussions with suppliers to deliver the best service at the right price for your clients.”
Yvan: “We’re very fortunate to have a broad base of loyal customers, especially some UK and US fashion retailers. That ensures we remain profitable while being able to invest in new developments and optimizations.”
Yvan, what was your favourite period during these 40 years?
Yvan: “I look back with great pleasure on the period when I was mainly focused on customs. I had 30 to 50 clients that I visited weekly. It was a very dynamic and challenging period.
Of course, I’m also proud of what we’ve achieved today, but back then, I genuinely enjoyed the daily contact with clients. I even used to load trucks myself and often ended the day with a beer together with a customer.”
Are you suggesting things have become a bit less personal now?
Yvan: “I understand how it might seem that way, but that’s not entirely true. Our personal approach remains one of our greatest strengths and something we’re very proud of. Back when we were a smaller company, it did feel more like a family, and I personally knew all our customers. Now, with such an extensive client base, that’s simply no longer feasible. However, every client still has direct and personal contact within Widem. That personal aspect remains the foundation of good collaboration for us.”
“Our personal approach remains one of our greatest strengths and something we’re very proud of.“
E-commerce has undoubtedly been a real game-changer in your industry as well.
Yvan: “E-commerce has only been around for about 15 years. In the past, people went to a physical store to try on a pair of trousers or a shirt. Now, that’s no longer the case—everything has changed. Thankfully, I’ve surrounded myself with people who specialise in these business, especially in areas like logistics, supply chain, and fulfilment. Marc, for example, has made a significant contribution to the growth of our fulfilment activities.”
Koen: “The rise of e-commerce has raised the bar. Customers now expect much more: speed, sustainability, diversity, and so on. At Widem, we work closely with our clients to continuously improve and ensure all KPIs and deadlines are met without compromising on quality.”
“The rise of e-commerce has raised the bar. Customers now expect much more: speed, sustainability, diversity, and so on“
Do you have any advice for start-up entrepreneurs?
Koen: “What I’ve learned from Yvan is the importance of having a significant financial buffer. For 40 years, Yvan has managed Widem’s finances with the care of a good family man, which has allowed the company to be prepared for tough times. That approach has already helped us weather challenging periods.”
Yvan: “Always work with determination and don’t let setbacks discourage you. During Widem’s first seven years, I got up at 3 a.m. every day and went to bed at 11 p.m. And if things weren’t going well, I’d go for a 5-kilometer run. If you really want something, you’ll make it happen!”
Finally, some last questions for you, Yvan: What are you most proud of, what would you have done differently, and what do you still dream of?
Yvan: “I’m proud that I have good health and strong character, but I’m also very grateful to the universe for the luck that has come my way. For example, meeting the right clients at the right time is something I feel very fortunate about.
What would I do differently? Avoid the mistakes I’ve made, but then I’d probably just make different ones. Overall, I’m very happy and proud of the journey we’ve taken.
I’m a poor sleeper, so I guess my dreams will have to be daydreams. Health is the foundation of everything, so my main wish is for everyone within and around Widem Logistics to stay healthy. And if that foundation is there, I mostly hope for more unity, camaraderie, and a strong sense of social responsibility within the company and beyond.”
What a wonderful way to end this interview! Koen and Yvan, thank you very much for this inspiring conversation.
What’s next?
Of course, there’s plenty planned for the coming years. Koen and Yvan share a glimpse of what’s ahead:
Yvan: “In 2025, we will significantly expand our fulfilment buildings and logistics operations in Italy, Germany, the UK, and France. Additionally, we are focusing on integrating with various market platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com, and Amazon. In logistics, we aim to diversify into sectors like fashion, sports equipment, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and more.”
Koen: “Digitalization remains a key priority. For our existing clients, we’ll continue investing in automation with conveyors and autostores. Integration of our Warehouse Management System (WMS) with clients’ existing ERP and Transport Management Systems (TMS) also remains crucial. Furthermore, alongside our current transport and forwarding portal, we’re developing a portal for our overseas department to better monitor the end-to-end process. Lastly, we plan to further improve our track-and-trace technology at the shipment level, offering our clients even more visibility and control.”
Yvan: “Finally, we are making significant investments in our fleet to better serve our logistics and fulfilment clients. We’ll expand from 60 to 85 trailer trucks, including 2 fully electric models, enabling us to respond faster and more sustainably to growing customer demand. We’re also enhancing our capacity with 2 additional 19-ton distribution trucks, bringing the total to 12 vehicles in total, including 2 fully electric vehicles. Our smaller vehicles will be upgraded from 3.5 tons to 7.2 tons, allowing for more efficient transport of larger shipments. Additionally, we’re adding 50 new semi-trailers to our fleet, greatly increasing our flexibility. Finally, we’ll deploy our 24 refrigerated trailers for groupage shipments, offering direct value for customers with temperature-sensitive products.”
