A warm welcome
Benny Moonen, Commercial Director at Xylos, opened the afternoon and immediately set the tone. In a sector where change is the constant, it is not the quantity of systems that makes the difference, but the control you have over them. He told those present that low-code, data and automation are not separate buzzwords, but building blocks that together make the difference between reactive management and proactive direction.
Orchestrating the Digital Port: the perspective of Xylos
Peter Verrykt, Business Unit Lead Data & AI and Automation at Xylos, opened substantively with a sharp diagnosis of logistics reality. What was once a linear chain has today become a living ecosystem. Shipping lines, terminals, customs, transportation and digital platforms form a network of mutual dependencies, constantly under pressure from changing routes, evolving regulations and shrinking margins.
The real problem in that landscape, according to Peter, is not a lack of technology, but rather just the proliferation of tools. Too many point solutions, too little consistency, and integrations that are fragile rather than fundamental. The classic reflex to add another system with every new problem only makes the whole thing more fragile. So the right question is not what technology is still missing, but how to gain control of the whole.
The answer is orchestration. Using the port as a metaphor: success is not determined by the number of cranes or ships, but by how well everything is coordinated. Who sets the rhythm? Who has the overview? Organizations that make a difference position themselves as conductors rather than operators of separate instruments.
According to Peter, orchestration rests on two foundations: data as the backbone and automation as the lever. A thoughtful data structure is the prerequisite for true operational control, and automation is not an end in itself but a means to eliminate repetitive work, support decisions and allow processes to dynamically move with reality.
This is why Xylos deliberately chooses a platform-driven approach with Mendix as its foundation. The platform combines speed and structure: rapid development, easy integration with existing TMS, WMS and ERP systems, scalability and central governance. Existing systems remain active and stable, while new functionality is built on top of them. In this way, Mendix becomes an orchestration layer that harmonizes data and coordinates processes, not just another layer on top of the existing chaos.
The role of IT is fundamentally shifting in that context, Peter said. Where IT used to primarily manage systems, today CIOs and IT leaders are becoming enablers of business transformation. In an industry facing geopolitical tensions, changing trade routes and new ESG and customs requirements, flexibility is no longer a luxury, but an operational necessity.
The Ahlers case: from fragmentation to a digital platform
The highlight of the afternoon was the case of Ahlers, brought by Dimitri Aerts, IT Director at Ahlers. Ahlers is a family business with over 115 years of experience, headquartered in Antwerp, offices in 15+ countries and over 220 employees worldwide. An organization with a strong local-global profile, and with the corresponding IT complexity.
Dimitri outlined how three triggers led Ahlers to a central digitalization investment. Customers were making increasing demands that the existing structure could no longer handle. In addition, there was the need for central control in an environment where IT had historically been partially organized by country. And finally, the geopolitical reality: the war in Ukraine forced a carve-out of the Russian branch, which at the time housed much of the IT expertise.
Ahlers opted for a best-of-breed central IT architecture with clear positions for CRM, TMS, ERP and datalake. To fill the IT gaps, with transparency and automation of the order-to-cash flow as the main use case, Ahlers went through a thorough selection process of several months in which Mendix was weighed against Salesforce and high-code alternatives. The choice finally fell on Mendix because of its leadership position in the Gartner quadrant, an attractive business case, a predictable OPEX model and the stability offered by a European vendor in a geopolitically uncertain climate.
A discovery workshop mapped the end-to-end automation flow, covering CRM opportunity, order intake, TMS planning, cost transparency, real-time margin management, payment milestone-based invoicing and document generation. Ahlers deliberately chose to start with document generation because that was where the greatest operational efficiency gains lay.
The Mendix project works with bi-weekly sprints, a living backlog and a clear separation between the roles of developers, product owners and business stakeholders. After only six weeks, Ahlers was able to demonstrate v0.1 to the business. The biggest pitfall Dimitri brought along nicely matched Peter’s message: Mendix development goes so fast that the business itself becomes the bottleneck. So clear processes and available stakeholders are at least as important as technology.
Then Sam Loeys, Senior Low Code Solution Architect at Xylos, took over for a live demo of the Ahlers solution. He showed the audience how automated document generation, matching supplier invoices with cost lines and transparency about margins work in practice within the Mendix platform. Tangible proof that a platform-driven approach need not be an abstract promise.
Low-code in an AI world: the Mendix vision
In the third session, Pieter Vercammen, Solutions Architect at Mendix, took the audience through the future of low-code in an AI-driven world. He started from a simple observation: 76% of CIOs report increasing demand for new digital products, while a third of all software projects are delayed more than six months. AI seems like the answer, but AI is only as valuable as the software that makes it usable.
Pieter outlined how agentic applications started quickly but become complex to trust, govern and scale. The solution lies in bringing together software and data teams within a platform that supports the full stack, going across data integration, AI orchestration, agent governance and application development.
That platform was presented at the event as a first: Mendix’s Agentic Enterprise Platform, which will be officially launched on May 12, 2026. It brings together Mendix Application Development, RapidMiner Universal Data Integration and RapidMiner AI Acceleration into a foundation for AI-augmented applications, cross-domain analytics and agentic automation. With features such as Maia for AI-assisted development, agent builder, conversational UI, human-in-the-loop workflows and observability, Mendix aims to help organizations build faster within a manageable framework.
The message Pieter took away: low-code and AI are not competitors, they reinforce each other. Vibe coding only makes low-code platforms more powerful, provided the governance layer evolves with them. And in a geopolitical context where sovereignty over data and platforms is becoming increasingly important, a European low-code player like Mendix offers a solid foundation.
Engaging conversations on board
The afternoon ended as it should: with bites, drinks and engaging conversations on board. The logistics leaders present clearly recognized themselves in the challenges on stage and eagerly shared their own experiences, questions and plans. For the Xylos team, these conversations were at least as valuable as the presentations themselves, showing that the theme is really alive and well in the Belgian logistics sector.
Ready to build your own digital port?
Want to know what low-code, data and automation can do for your logistics processes? Xylos offers participants an Orchestration Scan: a brief analysis of your current data landscape and process architecture, with concrete recommendations for a platform-driven approach tailored to your organization. Contact us to schedule this.
