Ted Turner, founder of CNN, had a plaque on his desk that read, ?Either lead, follow or get out the way.? This mantra rings particularly true in the fast-moving world of information technology and Logidis, a subsidiary of IBL, seems to have adopted it as its own.

Since May 2003, this warehousing company that has storage space for 45 000 tons of goods, has been using very elaborate IT software to control everything from the moment a container enters the compound on the back of a truck to when it leaves by the same means.

In appearance, the process is quite simple. When a container arrives at the mammoth warehouse in Riche-Terre, it is unburdened of its goods, which are then loaded onto pallets. Each pallet has a bar code, which, when scanned by the forklift driver, indicates to the latter where he must unload his cargo. Another bar code, on the storage rack this time, confirms to the driver whether he has dropped the goods off at the right location. Child?s play!

The software was designed by a French company and has already proven its worth with huge European retailers like Casino in France and Tesco in the UK. IBL?s IT division and EDS, a company that specializes in systems installation, got the software up and running here.

The upshots of this modernization are myriad. Whereas goods had to be stored in specialized walled-off areas before, the post-2003 era sees hi-fis rubbing shoulders with foodstuffs, washing machines with cosmetics. This means that employees are now polyvalent and can work easily with all sorts of goods. ?The staff is interchangeable in all functions,? says Danny Ah-Chong, manager of Logidis.

The forklift drivers no longer receive orders from five or six different people as the system prioritises their tasks. ?They have become autonomous,? explains Danny Ah-Chong. In addition, goods don?t expire in storage anymore. More refined than a first in, first out basis, the IT enables employees to know which goods will expire first and thus send them on their way pronto.

Time, that increasingly precious commodity, is also saved. Every company or department that has goods in storage is linked to a central system, which notifies the warehouse as soon as an order is placed. Employees can thus ready the goods for pick-up in record time.

Auditing and stock inventory are continuously updated. A company can also access important statistics such as how many and what type of goods it has stored at the warehouse, how long they?ve been there and when they are removed, all at the touch of a button. ?It?s all about optimization of space and time,? beams Francis Masson, the project manager.

Warehousing is not a recent function, yet this warehouse, built in 1976, is as wired as any tech company. With margins becoming increasingly thin, the edge that such a system gives

in terms of efficiency and effectiveness is nothing short of revolutionary. ?Everything is running smoothly,? concludes Danny Ah-Chong.