CARU Containers

About CARU Containers

Whether you’re a consumer shopping online or a company transporting goods worldwide, dependable shipping solutions are crucial. That’s where CARU Containers comes in—a major force in international logistics. Established in 2000, CARU has grown into a top supplier of shipping containers for sale and rent, supporting key sectors like logistics, construction, and defense. Operating in more than 70 countries, CARU distributes over 125,000 containers each year and continues to expand rapidly. The company’s growth is driven by a commitment to efficiency, innovation, and outstanding customer service, solidifying its position as a cornerstone of global trade logistics.

Business Needs

As a global frontrunner in the shipping container sales and rental industry, CARU Containers has ambitious international growth plans and a strong commitment to maintaining a competitive edge—especially within a logistics sector that’s rapidly undergoing digital transformation. To support their continued expansion and the increasing complexity of worldwide logistics, CARU recognized the need for a modern, flexible digital infrastructure capable of scaling with the evolving demands of their business. “As the industry moves faster and goes more digital, we need a system that grows with us,” shared CARU’s COO, Carlo Zaalberg. 

In 2022, CARU began evaluating low-code development platforms to build seamless integrations between its legacy systems, CRM, and external applications. “We had big ambitions for things like portals, automatic field filling, and digital improvements that the old system couldn’t support,” shared Wesley Van Nes, product owner at CARU. 

The company initially selected OutSystems as its platform of choice, but after two years of development, it became clear that a different solution was required to meet its goals. CARU changed its’ IT team, with Carlo Zaalberg stepping in, and created its new ERP system Nova with low-code platform Mendix and strategic partner The Orange Force. “I wanted to salvage what worked from the past three years and transition to a platform that suited us even better. That’s when we partnered with The Orange Force and Mendix. Each brought deep technical competence, transparency, and trust,” Zaalberg explains.  

This move brought CARU the reduced system complexity and accelerated progress it was aiming for. “Many businesses still underestimate low code’s potential, often seeing it as more suitable for smaller tools or add-ons,” Zaalberg said. “However, our experience with Mendix has shown that it can be a solid foundation for major ERP changes that align with our unique processes.” 

Improved Custom-Built ERP System 

In order to achieve CARU’s goals, a migration of their ERP system to Mendix was critical. This process was done meticulously and consciously, making sure the renewed custom-built ERP system called Nova, was not just a replica of the previous system. Data migration was handled by the developer team from The Orange Force with precision. Only active, essential data was brought into the new system, while historical information remains accessible via Power BI. This pragmatic approach ensured a smooth go-live strategy and performance stability. “We’re no longer reacting to problems. We’re shaping our future,” said Zaalberg. “Mendix, combined with The Orange Force’s hands-on partnership, gave us exactly what we needed, a system that works the way our people work.”  

To build a platform truly designed around its users, CARU gathered input from employees across its global offices in the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, and Brazil. “Our salespeople create sales, rental, and transport orders, sometimes all connected to each other,” Van Nes explained. “Most teams are working in this system 95% of the time.” 

The new version of Nova retains the strongest capabilities of the previous platform while introducing a range of enhancements guided by continuous feedback from real users during development. “With the new system, we have hundreds of custom views tailored to different roles, from sales to maintenance, that mirror how the business operates day-to-day,” said Operations Project Manager, Andrew Berlanga. 

“Improving speed and responsiveness is one of the most noticeable wins, especially for those handling inventory and sales management tasks,” Berlanga added. 

People-First Change Management 

For the CARU team, using Mendix wasn’t just about adopting new technology. It meant rethinking how the entire organization approached digital transformation. Some of the key tactics the team put in place to facilitate new ways of working included: 

• More frequent and consistent touchpoints between business and IT, including weekly demos, email updates, and open feedback sessions. 
• Enlisting a team with diverse perspectives, from a range of IT backgrounds, nationalities, and genders, to foster new ideas and more inclusive collaboration. 
• Keeping the same core development team in place from project start to finish which increased trust, ownership, and understanding. 
• Rallying business users around the development of Nova and making them feel more invested in the project’s success. 

Berlanga stepped in as the voice of the people and stressed the importance of promoting internal engagement across departments. “We’re bringing people along for the full transformation journey. It’s a company-wide project, not just an IT initiative,” said Berlanga. 

Flexibility, Speed, and Future-Readiness Ready to Go Live 

Since partnering with Mendix and The Orange Force, CARU Containers is already seeing the tangible benefits of its strategic technology shift. In less than a year—just 10 months into development—the company is well on schedule for a go-live launch of its custom ERP system in August 2025. This milestone reflects the speed, accuracy, and efficiency behind CARU’s transformation initiative. “This is our central system supporting our business activity worldwide; we’re not talking about a side project. Replacing the system is the first step to achieving our long-term business objectives,” said Van Nes. 

The new ERP system serves as a strong digital core for CARU’s future innovation. Already, CARU is exploring exciting expansions that leverage the flexibility of the Mendix platform. A customer portal, seamless web shop integration, and real-time container tracking are all in development. Beyond digital storefronts, automation and AI are on the horizon. From predictive maintenance to smarter workflows, CARU sees significant opportunities to boost efficiency across its global operations. Still, the focus remains on getting the foundation right – starting with an ERP system designed around how their people actually work. 

“Our decision to go with Mendix was not just about replacing legacy systems. It was a strategic investment in flexibility, speed, and future-readiness. By working with partners like Mendix and The Orange Force, we’re confident we can move in sync, delivering real value all around. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come,” Zaalberg concluded.