With new sorting system, Dock Services is ready for international growth
January 9, 2024
Royal FloraHolland has invested in a new mechanised sorting system for Dock Services in Aalsmeer, more than doubling processing capacity. This way, we meet the long-cherished wish of customers and employees to process international volumes more, faster and more efficiently.
From 1 January, we started using the new sorting system at another location, C079. A fully refrigerated area. The system offers many advantages, says Michael Denton, manager Dock Services. "Processing can now take place in a fully refrigerated chain, from the moment of arrival on an aircraft pallet or sea container to being prepared for the customer. This benefits the quality and shelf life of the products."
Faster lead time and less physical strain
"In addition, the physical load for employees is less. Previously, all merchandise was sorted out by hand, which was ergonomically heavy and also meant that the lead time of our process was sometimes too long, especially during peak times like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. With the new system, we can process more than double the number of boxes per day. That really is a big improvement.
Data-driven work yields interesting insights
Another big advantage is the ability to work data-driven, he says. "Previously, we did temperature sampling and we hardly weighed at all. Now every unique box is weighed, read and we measure temperature and processing speed. All this data provides interesting information. Many customers focus mainly on cost, but know that quality is also very important. What if we can show that a certain carrier takes only 10 hours from Liège airport instead of 14 hours? And manages to keep the temperature much lower and more constant? Temperature is most important for the quality and ultimate vase life of the product. These insights can help customers tremendously."
Customised
The machine was developed especially for Royal FloraHolland by BEUMER Group, a specialist in logistics solutions for transport, packaging and sorting. Michael: "Not only the machine itself but also the software for planning is truly customised. This is also necessary, because with us the diversity of shipments is huge: no customer is the same. The machine has been developed based on all these different customer needs and that is unique."
Ready for the future
The manager is therefore pleased that Royal FloraHolland has made this investment. "If you look at the numbers we receive, it was very clear that this system had to be there. Moreover, we are now better prepared to accommodate international growth in the future." Currently, Michael and his team are fully testing and preparing so that the system is ready for use for the 2024 peak.
From 1 January, we started using the new sorting system at another location, C079. A fully refrigerated area. The system offers many advantages, says Michael Denton, manager Dock Services. "Processing can now take place in a fully refrigerated chain, from the moment of arrival on an aircraft pallet or sea container to being prepared for the customer. This benefits the quality and shelf life of the products."
Faster lead time and less physical strain
"In addition, the physical load for employees is less. Previously, all merchandise was sorted out by hand, which was ergonomically heavy and also meant that the lead time of our process was sometimes too long, especially during peak times like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. With the new system, we can process more than double the number of boxes per day. That really is a big improvement.
Data-driven work yields interesting insights
Another big advantage is the ability to work data-driven, he says. "Previously, we did temperature sampling and we hardly weighed at all. Now every unique box is weighed, read and we measure temperature and processing speed. All this data provides interesting information. Many customers focus mainly on cost, but know that quality is also very important. What if we can show that a certain carrier takes only 10 hours from Liège airport instead of 14 hours? And manages to keep the temperature much lower and more constant? Temperature is most important for the quality and ultimate vase life of the product. These insights can help customers tremendously."
Customised
The machine was developed especially for Royal FloraHolland by BEUMER Group, a specialist in logistics solutions for transport, packaging and sorting. Michael: "Not only the machine itself but also the software for planning is truly customised. This is also necessary, because with us the diversity of shipments is huge: no customer is the same. The machine has been developed based on all these different customer needs and that is unique."
Ready for the future
The manager is therefore pleased that Royal FloraHolland has made this investment. "If you look at the numbers we receive, it was very clear that this system had to be there. Moreover, we are now better prepared to accommodate international growth in the future." Currently, Michael and his team are fully testing and preparing so that the system is ready for use for the 2024 peak.
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