Things are getting busier and busier at Dock Services, where Royal FloraHolland (RFH) receives international supplies of mostly flowers and sorts them for unpackers and import agents. It is one of the reasons the auction has mechanized its sorting process, leading to a substantial production increase, among other benefits. The increase was necessary, because RFH expects the supply from its current Dock Services growers to grow considerably.
On this Thursday afternoon after two o’clock, things are relatively quiet at the Aalsmeer Dock Services. Several air trays with boxes of flowers from Africa are waiting at the dock doors for the forklift driver to take them to one of the new sorting machine’s two inlets. It is the calm before the storm that regularly rages at Dock Services. Logistics Manager Aalsmeer Ron van ’t Hoog has seen the supply pattern change in recent years, with peaks sharpening.
The international supply chain is under pressure, according to Van ’t Hoog. Freight prices are volatile, he explains. Freight forwarders are looking to load flights as efficiently as possible, leading to more and more large and mixed shipments arriving at Dock Services’ doorstep.
