Maybe it was a sign. Just as the Czech company XTline completed the biggest investment in its history – the construction of a new headquarters in Ruda near Velké Meziříčí, replacing several scattered warehouses in the surrounding area – Michal Duben suffered a sports injury that left him unable to walk properly. “Luckily, it happened only after the facility was fully operational. I can’t imagine handling the move and all the associated changes without being able to walk around the entire operation,” he recalls, looking back a year and a half.

With his physical abilities limited, he decided to slow down the adrenaline, took up yoga, and also learned to manage the company in a new way – using data and management insights that he had never had before. With the help of a new enterprise system, K2, he gained tools not only for logistics and warehousing, but also for managing all company processes.

Michal Duben has never lacked enthusiasm, courage, or passion. Without those, he could hardly have turned his lifelong hobby – tinkering and DIY – into a thriving company with sixty employees. XTline no longer just sells products from other manufacturers. It has successfully developed its own product lines, which today account for 80% of the company’s revenue. XTline has a strong position in the Czech Republic and is increasingly expanding abroad – with partners in Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, and Germany.

Six Million Stock Items per Year

Staying in the old premises with outdated processes was no longer sustainable. So in 2022, the company decided to acquire a new enterprise system. In 2023, they built a new logistics center, and in 2024, they moved in and implemented a new warehouse management system (WMS).

“The idea behind the new warehouse was to use VNA forklifts, which allow narrower aisles. This increases density and capacity, enabling XTline to handle the dispatch of six million stock items per year – that’s 25,000 items per day,” explains Pavel Motan, CEO and Sales Director at K2.

The first three months after launching the system were tough. The combination of handheld scanners, forklifts, vertical lift modules (Kardex systems), and a new way of working didn’t bring the expected results. But from the fourth month on, efficiency began to exceed expectations. Alongside growth, XTline is now seeing tangible gains in the form of significant savings – all thanks to the new logistics center, managed warehouse, and enterprise system. And what’s more, they can now track those results in real time.

Now fully recovered and full of energy, Michal Duben can dive deep into every operation, item, and order down to the last detail. Where he once relied on gut feeling or intuition, today he focuses much more on analyzing the data he now has at his fingertips.

“For the first time in the company’s history, I can break down every detail – every item, order, or activity we perform. I look at efficiency far more than before, because there’s huge profit potential in that too. Yes, we can still grow – in fact, that’s why we bought additional land next to our new hall, where we could eventually build more logistics facilities. But at the same time, I’m discovering areas where we used to waste energy or materials unnecessarily. After a period full of change, I’d now like to calm the company down a bit, stabilize it, and fine-tune it in terms of efficiency,” concludes Michal Duben.