From manual replenishment to automated inventory intelligence — built across two of Denmark's largest industrial distributors.
Designed, implemented and optimised VMI solutions across Lemvigh-Müller and Sanistål — two of Denmark's largest industrial distributors and direct competitors.
Four different technologies. Four separate implementations. One consistent outcome: warehouse staff stop managing replenishment manually, and the business gains real-time visibility into consumption patterns.
Client: Lemvigh-Müller · Hardware & embedded software: PDI Digital
Two-button label mounted directly on the shelf. Button 1 triggers an order line. Button 2 confirms delivery and resets. Orders pool by site via REST API, convert to CSV/EDI and push to SAP automatically.
Replenishment: 1x weekly via mercher who refills stock and handles signal loss, unit issues and demand changes on-site.
→ See use case documentation → Live on lemu.dk
Client: Lemvigh-Müller · Hardware: DigiSens
Shelf sensors monitor stock continuously. Order triggered automatically when stock falls below a pre-set minimum weight — based on min/max interval logic. No human action required. Range: 4kg to 1000kg per sensor.
Best for bulk items, cables, fluids and stock that is hard to count visually.
Replenishment: 1x weekly via mercher.
Clients: Lemvigh-Müller · Sanistål · Hardware: IVM Micro Solutions · AutoCrib
Locked dispensing units with RFID access control. Employees access items using existing access cards or PIN. System logs who takes what and when. Order triggered automatically based on min/max interval logic.
RFID readers programmed per installation: card type, frequency, output format (hex vs decimal) — ensuring staff can use existing building access cards or purchase dedicated cards.
Replenishment: 1x weekly via mercher.
Client: Sanistål (now Ahlsell) · Platform: CribMaster / Stanley Black & Decker
VMI concept built on CribMaster technology. Order triggered based on min/max interval logic — generated as XML files from the CribMaster database. Sanistål won International Partner of the Year 2017 for this implementation — a proven, successful concept still live under the Ahlsell brand.
RFID access control programmed via ELATEC — card type, frequency, output format (hex vs decimal).
Replenishment: 1x weekly via mercher.
| Solution | Integration | Order trigger | Replenishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESL | REST API → CSV/EDI → SAP | Button press | 1x weekly, mercher |
| SmartVægte™ | Weight sensor → site controller | Min/max interval | 1x weekly, mercher |
| Vending automater | RFID access log → ERP | Min/max interval | 1x weekly, mercher |
| StockMaster | CribMaster DB → XML files | Min/max interval | 1x weekly, mercher |
The technology is the easy part. The hard part is knowing what goes in the machine.
Every customer implementation started with their item list and an ABC classification:
- A — must always be available
- B — include if capacity allows
- C — remove if space is needed
This forced customers to think about criticality — not just what they used, but what they could not afford to run out of.
Originally featured within CribMaster templates for StockMaster implementations at Sanistål — then re-invented and rebuilt to fit the AutoCrib solution at Lemvigh-Müller.
Built a dedicated Excel model that automatically calculated capacity fill rate for AutoCrib vending machines. Given a customer's item list and ABC classification, the model calculated how their assortment fit the machine's physical capacity — room by room. Each room configured individually: some rooms hold 12 pairs, others 6. Almost entirely customer-specific.
This turned a complex configuration problem into a structured, repeatable decision process.
Over time, built a master item database mapping each physical room in each machine to a specific item — with max capacity defined per room. Enabled rapid configuration of new installations and consistent management of existing ones.
Contributed to business case development for customer investments — translating operational data into financial justification for the VMI investment.
This is not just VMI implementation. It is the same pattern that appears across all NorthLogicLab work:
- Understand the domain deeply
- Build decision support that makes the complex manageable
- Document it so others can maintain and extend it
- Make the invisible visible
The same thinking that built these VMI solutions now drives PTDE and Regulus.
Lemvigh-Müller SmartLager™
Ahlsell / Sanistål
Hardware & software partners
- PDI Digital — ESL hardware & embedded software
- DigiSens — weight-based VMI hardware
- AutoCrib · IVM Micro Solutions — vending automater
- ELATEC — RFID reader software (card type, frequency, output format)
- CribMaster / Stanley Black & Decker — StockMaster platform
Project documentation
All four solutions live in production — across Lemvigh-Müller's SmartLager™ network and Sanistål/Ahlsell's StockMaster programme, serving industrial customers across Denmark and abroad.
From push to pull — in the market, not just the warehouse.
In the early phase, VMI was a concept we had to explain and sell. Customers didn't know they needed it. We pushed the idea into the market.
Over time, the concept became expected. Industrial customers started requesting VMI solutions proactively — and eventually writing it directly into tender requirements. The market had shifted from us pushing a concept to customers pulling it as a standard.
That is the measure of a successful concept.
Part of NorthLogicLab · Built by Jon Bach
