Start-up Optioryx sees big opportunities for manual warehouses

Belgian supply chain start-up Optioryx develops smart algorithms and AI tools to optimise manual operations in warehouses. According to founder Bart Gadeyne, there is much more profit to be made here than warehouse managers realise. ‘Companies that opt for a fully automated warehouse often skip a phase. They can make huge efficiency gains at only a fraction of the cost.’

By Harm Beerens

For many an executive, automating warehouse tasks with shuttle systems or robots is high on the wish list. According to Bart Gadeyne, in many cases this is a wrong and unnecessary investment. ‘Some 75% to 80% of warehouse operations are still done manually. With smart algorithms and AI, there are still so many productivity gains to be made here that it’s better to leave those large investments in automated systems behind.’ His company Optioryx, which is now three years old, provides algorithms for other load optimisation, sizing products and calculating warehouse layouts. ‘Companies can use these to make their processes considerably more efficient. Only when you hit your limit with this, I would opt for automation.’

Moving air

As an entrepreneur, Gadeyne takes a pragmatic and intuitive approach. He already had the necessary experience in logistics optimisation and knew that one day he wanted to start his own technology company. However, when he founded Optioryx, together with partners Gilles Vandewiele and Vic Degraeve, he did not yet have a specific solution in mind. ‘After researching where most of the logistics pain is in companies, we ended up with load building. An awful lot of air is displaced in logistics because, for instance, products are put in oversized packages or containers remain half-empty. So smart loading of a truck, for instance, is an extremely complex process, because you have to deal with a lot of variables. We found it interesting to create a solution for precisely that.’

Supply Chain Award

And one thing led to another. ‘Companies that wanted to use our new packaging and loading tools indicated that they did not yet have the necessary master data for product dimensions in place. Although you have automatic measuring and weighing systems for this, those scanners are very expensive to buy. We then developed Dimmy, a dimensioning app that you can use with a mobile phone or handheld scanner. With the camera you scan the dimensions and you can use it to read the weight on a scale.’ It proved to be a hit, as many customers are now using the app. In 2023, Optioryx won the Supply Chain Award in Belgium with it.

Affordable solutions

One application the Belgian supply chain start-up is currently working hard on is optimising order picking processes and warehouse layouts. Using a digital twin, companies can calculate process flows, improve walking routes and, for example, optimise product storage locations based on rotation speed (slotting). Gadeyne: ‘It may sound strange, but we don’t really work with a long-term roadmap. We just like to be hands-on and develop affordable solutions that really help our customers move forward. There is still so much to improve in warehouses, so we have a long way to go.’

Optioryx is based in Ghent, Belgium, and now employs nine people.