Sitma and VMS: Here and Now!

The e-logistics sector in the Netherlands is registering one of the highest growth rates in Europe, thanks to the exponential increase in the ecommerce market, which is now worth more than 25 billion euros, according to Statista. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 80% of the Dutch population between the ages of 12 and 65 nowadays regularly buys online. The number of online shops and mail order companies increased from an estimated 5,195 in 2007 to 49,415 in 2020 (Statista).

However, Dutch online retailers are not the only ones enjoying increased sales; their international peers are having a similar experience, causing a surge in growth of shipment volumes from various European Union countries, especially Germany and Denmark, and countries outside the EU, such as China, the UK, USA and Canada.

Sitma and VMS are well aware of this phenomenon, and precisely by leveraging complementary needs, this promising partnership was born. It allows Sitma to strengthen its presence in this important market, while VMS is able to complete its offer of supply chain solutions for intralogistics.

“Here and Now” is the defining phrase for this collaboration, which was created precisely to seize, in a timely and effective manner, all the opportunities related to the need for packaging in the logistics field stemming from ecommerce growth.

Thanks to their similar evolutionary paths and common values, such as partnership with the customer and competence as a synonym for quality, the spark was immediate. After an initial training phase, Sitma and VMS decided to start a collaboration focused on solutions dedicated to the world of packaging for ecommerce.

"Sitma solutions are perfectly placed in the context of technological integration in the intralogistics field, which in VMS we have built over the last 10 years, through the offer of complete solutions for packaging operations, production processes and internal logistics ranging from robotics to sorting and palletising to AGVs,” says Niels van der Sloot, owner and founder of VMS.

Let’s raise our glasses in a toast to Sitma and VMS, who are already working intensively on a program of joint actions in the areas of marketing and sales. As of this month, VMS is representing Sitma in the Netherlands and in Flanders for e-commerce logistics and packaging.

"The know-how and competence of VMS’s technical team allows the company to provide support and maintenance on complex high-speed machines in high demanding markets,” says Gianluca Rossi, Director of Sales & Marketing of Sitma. “The back-office support with spare parts and supplies is certainly a plus, in addition to the deep knowledge of the logistics market, which immediately made us lean towards this collaboration. It is extremely important for us to make Sitma and its solutions known, but it is even more important to be there for customers even after the sale.” 

Sitma: facts and figures

Sitma Machinery, founded in 1965, specializes in the design and construction of machines, systems and complete lines for the Packaging, Post-Press, DM/ Transpromo and e-Logistics sectors, with more than 9,000 machines installed worldwide. The company operates in more than 70 countries, coordinating the various activities from the Spilamberto (Modena) headquarters in Northern Italy. Three branches located in France, the United States and Japan, together with a widespread sales network, allow the company to operate on the global market, with an export percentage that exceeds 80%. Sitma constantly works together with its suppliers and with various university departments to develop new technologies and engineer systems that are modular and flexible, allowing high levels of customization.