About this episode
What does a missing key really cost a dealership? In this episode of the Car Dealership Podcast, host Maarten Bekkers speaks with Niels Cornette about how running an independent multi-brand dealership led him to build LotFlow. From keys on hooks to a digital twin of the lot, they explore the operational blind spots that hide inside dealership performance figures—and what changes when dealers can track cars and keys from arrival to departure.
From a Family Dealership to Building LotFlow
Niels Cornette is the third generation behind Cornette Automotive, the Belgian family business his grandparents started in 1961. After taking over in 2014, he built it into an independent multi-brand operation. But when the lot passed 100 cars, more than a million euros in vehicle inventory was still being managed with keys on hooks. This episode explores the gap between a growing dealership and a way of working inherited from an earlier generation. Rather than accept that gap, Niels began building a solution himself on a 3D printer above his office. That practical response to his own dealership’s problem became LotFlow.
The Hidden Cost of Searching for Dealership Keys and Cars
Dealers track gross per unit and days to turn closely, yet the hours spent searching for keys and vehicles do not appear as a separate performance figure. The episode examines how that lost time stays buried inside the numbers managers already watch. One wholesaler was spending €7,000 a month on a single symptom of the problem—a reminder that everyday operational friction can carry a substantial cost. For car dealers and dealer-group managers, the discussion brings attention to a part of dealership operations still dependent on memory. It asks what existing reports miss when the movement of cars and keys remains difficult to see.
A Digital Twin of the Lot, from Gate In to Gate Out
LotFlow is a digital twin of the lot that follows every key and car from gate in to gate out, without adding work for the team. It already runs a 500-car compound in The Hague. The episode explores that approach to vehicle and key tracking, including Niels’s deliberate decision to leave GPS off the keys. It also raises a concrete question about vendor billing: if an invoice covers 25 days but a car was there for 21, what evidence can the dealer use? Without data, the invoice sets the terms. The discussion connects lot visibility with the ability to check what actually happened rather than rely on memory.
Key takeaways for dealers
- Time spent hunting for keys and cars can remain hidden inside dealership performance figures.
- Growing vehicle inventory can expose the limits of keys on hooks and memory-based lot management.
- LotFlow tracks every key and car from gate in to gate out without adding work for the team.
- Niels deliberately left GPS off the keys; the episode explores the reasoning behind that choice.
- Vehicle arrival and departure data can provide evidence when vendor-billed days do not match the time a car spent on site.
Frequently asked questions
What is LotFlow, and how does it track dealership keys and cars?
LotFlow is a digital twin of the lot that follows every key and car from gate in to gate out without giving the team extra work. It already runs a 500-car compound in The Hague.
Who is Niels Cornette?
Niels Cornette is the third generation behind Cornette Automotive, a Belgian family business founded by his grandparents in 1961. He took over in 2014, built it into an independent multi-brand operation, and created LotFlow to address the key and vehicle tracking problem he encountered.
Does LotFlow use GPS on dealership keys?
Niels deliberately left GPS off the keys. The episode explores the logic behind that design decision.
How can vehicle tracking data help dealers check vendor invoices?
The episode raises the example of a vendor billing 25 days for a car that was on site for 21. Records of vehicle arrival and departure give dealers evidence to check billed time rather than relying on the invoice alone.
