Stagiair Business Change | The perfect product fit

## Do you solve the ultimate 3D puzzle with AI and IT architecture?

At Wehkamp Retail Group you work as an intern in the Business Change department optimizing our cubing process. We ship millions of packages per year and are looking for ways to pack complex multi-item orders as efficiently as possible.

### The Challenge

Determining the ideal packaging for orders with, for example, 20 different items is a huge mathematical and technical puzzle. We have all the exact data on our items thanks to our Cubiscan equipment, but the step towards the "perfect fit" offers plenty of room for innovation. The real challenge lies in integration: a brilliant algorithm is worthless if it does not seamlessly fit into our IT landscape.

### What will you do?

Market Scan & System Analysis: You start with a broad view of the market. Which existing software solutions, smart tools or suppliers can (partially) solve this cubing challenge? You weigh pros and cons.

Algorithm Check (Build vs. Buy): You investigate advanced open-source or custom AI models (such as 3D Bin Packing algorithms) to determine whether building in-house performs better than available market systems.

Smart Packaging Choice & Constraints: Based on specific product properties you determine the most efficient packaging form. Can an item fit in a flexible polybag or must it go in a box due to fragility? You factor in hard constraints such as fragile products, weight distribution and logical packing order.

IT Landscape & Integration: You map how the model can be integrated into our IT architecture. How does the algorithm perform under high pressure (real-time processing)? Which data flows are needed?

Simulation & Impact Analysis: You build a simulation model demonstrating that the AI-driven and integrated approach performs better than the current standard. How much air do we save on an annual basis and what is the ideal ratio between boxes and polybags?