From Drunen to Antwerp: How Logistics Collaboration Makes a Difference

A Belgian consumer places an order with a Dutch online store at 11:55 p.m. Just a few minutes later, order processing closes at Cenfil Fulfilment in Drunen. Yet the package can still be delivered to Belgium the very next day.

How is that possible?

The answer lies largely in our partnership with bpost. By delivering packages directly from Drunen to the sorting center in Antwerp, we can combine a late cutoff time of 11:59 p.m. with fast delivery in Belgium.

On October 26, I visited bpost’s Antwerp X sorting center on behalf of Cenfil Fulfilment. Together with Victor Ferreira, Head of Sales for Northern Europe at bpost, we were given a particularly interesting behind-the-scenes look at the Belgian package network.

What happens after a package leaves our warehouse?

For a fulfillment company, the responsibility does not end when a package leaves the warehouse. In fact, the connection to the carrier’s network is what determines how the process proceeds from there.

During the tour, we saw how incoming packages are processed, sorted, and routed to the correct destination.

What stood out was the discipline with which the process was carried out. Every step is carefully organized, and employees know exactly what role they play in it.

We were guided by a bpost employee who knew the entire process inside and out. His knowledge and enthusiasm made it clear just how much expertise goes into running a well-functioning sorting center.

From the sorting conveyor belt to the right destination in just a few minutes

As a fulfillment entrepreneur, I was particularly curious about the speed of the sorting process.

That's why I asked a simple question during the tour: How long does it take from the moment a package is placed on the sorting conveyor until it ends up in the correct sorting bin?

The answer: about three to four minutes.

That’s an impressive speed, especially when you consider that we’re in a sorting center that covers thousands of square meters. On foot, it would often take longer to cover a similar distance.

And yet, every package is automatically identified, weighed, and checked for dimensions while in transit. In addition, every package is photographed, and according to the information provided during our visit, the image is retained for one month.

This record-keeping makes it possible to investigate questions about a specific shipment after the fact and, for example, to verify the condition or characteristics of the package during processing.

Within those same three to four minutes, the package is also sorted and routed to the correct sorting bin.

The processing of international packages was also interesting. Shipments are routed directly to the appropriate processing streams so they can be transported efficiently.

It demonstrates how technology, process design, and human knowledge reinforce one another.

bpost announced the scale of this operation when the new sorting machine was put into service in Antwerp.

• The sorting machine processes 20,000 packages per hour, twice the 9,000 handled by the previous machine.
• 160 conveyor chutes guide the packages to containers bound for 400 different destinations.
• The conveyor belt is longer than 1.2 kilometers.
• On an average day, 75,000 to 95,000 packages pass through. During peak periods, that number rises to 130,000 to 200,000.
• The site covers 55,000 m², of which approximately 36,000 m² is used for sorting packages.
• There are more than 400 permanent employees, supplemented by up to 100 temporary staff members during peak periods.

Source: bpost press release regarding the Antwerp X sorting center, November 2, 2023.

Why Cenfil's Location Makes a Difference

The partnership with bpost demonstrates that a fulfillment company’s geographic location can play an important role in the services it provides to online stores.

Cenfil is located in Drunen, a relatively short distance from Antwerp.

By feeding our packages directly into the bpost network, we can process orders until 11:59 p.m. and have them fed into the Belgian sorting process that same night.

A fulfillment company based in Amsterdam, for example, has a longer shipping distance to Antwerp under the same transportation setup. This may mean that order processing must be completed earlier in order to make the same connection.

The cutoff is therefore not determined solely by how quickly a warehouse processes orders.

The location, transportation, and cooperation with carriers also play a role.

For Dutch online stores that serve Belgian consumers, this can provide a significant competitive advantage.

Choose a fulfillment partner based on its logistics location, not where you live

When choosing a fulfillment partner, business owners sometimes consider the distance between their own location and the warehouse.

That’s understandable, especially when they want to deliver their inventory themselves on a regular basis or handle deliveries in person. But the online store owner’s home or office location isn’t automatically the best starting point for a logistics decision.

What matters more is where the customers are located, which carrier networks are available, and what delivery promises an online store wants to fulfill.

For example, a business owner in Amsterdam might be better served logistically by a fulfillment partner in Drunen if Belgium is a key market and a late cutoff time is desired.

Therefore, the best fulfillment location is not necessarily the one closest to the business owner, but rather the one where the logistics chain can be organized most effectively.

What do the delivery metrics and customer ratings show?

During our visit, we also discussed the performance of the shipments that Cenfil processes through bpost.

The report presented showed that 97.2% of the relevant domestic Belgian shipments were delivered the next day.

A result that demonstrates how important it is to have a seamless integration between fulfillment, transportation, and sorting.

In addition to delivery performance, customer satisfaction was also discussed. According to the bpost report, Cenfil has a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +68, based on 83 reviews in September.

The NPS indicates the extent to which respondents are willing to recommend a company or service to others. According to the rating scale used by bpost, +68 falls into the “very strong” category.

Source: bpost’s performance report for Cenfil, discussed during the visit to the Antwerp X sorting center on October 26, 2026.

The score is an additional indicator for evaluating the partnership. It is important to distinguish between customer satisfaction and actual delivery performance.

A late cutoff time is appealing, but it only has real value if the delivery schedule aligns with it.

Ultimately, what matters to the consumer isn't what time a package was processed or arrived at the sorting center. The consumer expects to receive their order at the agreed-upon time.

The People Behind the Automation

Another aspect that made an impression was the employees' commitment.

When we think of large sorting centers, we mainly think of conveyor belts, scanners, and automated processes.

But during the tour, it became clear that people remain just as important.

Our guide was able to explain virtually every step of the process—not only how it worked, but also why certain decisions are made during the sorting process.

That combination of knowledge, discipline, and commitment is essential for a reliable logistics operation.

This applies to a large international sorting center, but just as much to an independent fulfillment or 3PL company.

The online store remains responsible for the customer experience

A Dutch online store that sells to Belgian consumers has to deal with various links in the logistics chain.

The fulfillment partner ensures that orders are processed and packaged correctly. Transportation must be timed to connect with the sorting process. The carrier is then responsible for further distribution and delivery.

From the consumer's perspective, these individual steps form a single whole.

Ultimately, the consumer evaluates the online store where they placed their order, not the fulfillment company that processed the order or the carrier that delivers the package.

That is precisely why it is important for the logistics operations behind an online store to be well-organized and streamlined. From inventory management and order processing to transportation and final delivery: every step affects the customer experience.

In our previous blog post , “Who Determines a Web Store’s Customer Satisfaction? ”, we take a closer look at this responsibility and the impact of the chosen fulfillment and 3PL partner.

In conclusion

The visit to bpost in Antwerp confirmed just how important a well-coordinated logistics chain is.

The speed of the sorting process, the discipline on the shop floor, and the employees' expertise were impressive.

For Cenfil, this partnership demonstrates how our location in Drunen, direct delivery to bpost, and a late cutoff time of 11:59 p.m. reinforce one another.

After all, good fulfillment isn't just about processing orders.

The key point is that an online store must be able to fulfill its promise to the consumer, even when that consumer is located across the border.