Boplan protects employees and infrastructure at VF Europe
VF Europe processes more than 26 million items each year at its distribution centre in Sint-Niklaas for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Following strong growth and a doubling of its storage capacity, the company chose several safety solutions from Boplan. These protect employees, columns, sprinkler systems, gates and other vulnerable infrastructure from collisions.
Safe growth without disrupting operations
The challenge
VF Europe opened the distribution centre in Sint-Niklaas in 2012, prioritising automation from the outset. Conveyors connect all departments, from goods receipt to dispatch. Automated storage systems and mobile robots support order picking and reduce the manual movement of goods.
The strong growth of The North Face presented a new challenge for the distribution centre. The volume doubled in about ten years. During peak periods, the site receives up to one million items per week, while more than 26 million items leave the distribution centre each year.
To accommodate this growth, VF Europe doubled its storage capacity in 2024. The expansion and increasing automation called for a carefully planned approach to safety. Forklifts and other materials handling vehicles operate among employees, equipment and load-bearing structures. A collision can cause physical injury, damage critical infrastructure and disrupt logistics processes.
At strategic locations, BO200R bollards provide additional protection from collisions. Around steel and concrete columns, Boplan installed KP PROTECTORS in red and yellow, complemented by CP UNIVERSAL and CP CORNER PROTECTORS. This protects key load-bearing structures without taking up unnecessary space.
The FLIP120L M, FLIP200F and FLIP200F PLUS kick rails protect infrastructure close to the floor. They form a clear physical barrier and help limit damage from forks, pallet trucks and vehicle contact at low level. Height restrictors at the gates give drivers advance warning of limited clearance and protect gate structures from costly impacts.
Together, the solutions form a modular safety system tailored to the layout and traffic conditions at the distribution centre.
We don’t just protect VF Europe’s infrastructure. More importantly, by providing the right solution at each risk location, we also improve employee safety.
The result
Durable protection in a complex logistics environment
The combination of safety barriers, bollards, column protection, kick rails and height restrictors gives VF Europe targeted protection for its main risk zones.
The flexible polymer solutions absorb impact energy and then return to their original shape. This reduces damage to the safety products, vehicles and floor. That means fewer repairs, lower maintenance costs and less operational downtime.
The striking colours also make infrastructure and clearly defined zones more visible. Employees and drivers recognise risks sooner, which contributes to safer behaviour in the workplace.
The modular design also gives VF Europe long-term flexibility. Individual components can be replaced, and the protection can be extended as warehouse processes, traffic flows or equipment change. In this way, the Boplan solution supports safe and efficient logistics operations.
About VF Europe
VF Europe is the European division of the US-based VF Corporation, an international group behind several well-known clothing, footwear and accessories brands. Its brand portfolio includes The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Eastpak, Kipling, Napapijri, icebreaker and Smartwool.
The distribution centre in Sint-Niklaas handles logistics for The North Face across the EMEA region. Each year, the site dispatches more than 26 million items to wholesale customers, company-owned shops and e-commerce customers.
Products used in this case
