In an increasingly automated environment, the control of material handling tasks in a goods distribution centre (DC) is a complex activity. It is necessary to control not only scheduling and routing of goods, but also material handling equipment, which is becoming increasingly autonomous and ‘intelligent’. The problem of devising a control system so that (1) material flow and (2) material handling equipment are both controlled is addressed in this paper. A discrete event modelling formalism is employed, and the concept of fuzzy logic is applied for controlling an automated goods transporting device. This approach is a significant departure from currently used techniques of modelling control in a distribution centre.