Rail transport of ornamental plants is picked up by the industry
FLORAHOLLAND, July 2010 (press release) – Last year GreenRail proved that there are sustainable and economic prospects for intermodal transport in the fresh sector. More than 170 logistics service providers, knowledge institutions, exporters, growers and worldwide shippers from various sectors attended the concluding seminar in June, and underscored the importance of this logistic development. The results, the knowledge gained and especially the future of transporting fresh and time-critical products by rail were discussed in detail at this seminar.
"Six exporters from the GreenRail consortium have joined forces to take on the rail transport of ornamental plants. The relaunch is scheduled for 1 September,” announced Marco van Delft, commercial manager at Vida Verde. Vida Verde, Quattroplant, Waterdrinker, Hamiplant, OZ Planten and FPP have joined forces to take over the rail transportation of plants on the route to Italy. There is sufficient sense of urgency among traders to overcome barriers and to cooperate in the logistics field.
Rail transport: sustainable, reliable and economical
The transport of ornamental plants by rail became a reality in June 2009, when the first containers reached their final destination in Italy. Since then, GreenRail has carried out the weekly rail transport of ornamental plants, as well as fruits and vegetables, to Italy and Romania. “Rail transport offers a solution to the growing need among retailers and wholesalers for sustainable enterprise, to the limitations of the infrastructure, and to the steadily rising fuel prices. It simultaneously pushes the boundaries of accessibility,” says Michiel van Veen, FloraHolland chain consultant and project manager at GreenRail. GreenRail has demonstrated that rail transport is more environmentally friendly (-50% CO2 emissions), cheaper and reliable. 95% of the containers were delivered on time, while the quality of the products is of the same level as with road transport.
Rail transport: important step towards an intermodal logistics system
The floricultural industry is changing rapidly and faces the challenge of strengthening the competitiveness of the Netherlands as a floriculture country. Optimization and innovation of the logistics system is essential to this. GreenRail has shown that transporting plants and other fresh products by rail is a viable option as part of the logistics system. The gap between the 'slower' rail freight sector and the 'fast' trade of fresh products has definitely been bridged. "The slowing down of the chain is one of the keys. Better coordination between trade and marketing organizations makes rail a very suitable modality for fresh produce," explains Prof. Dr. Lorike Hagdorn, employed by TNO and a professor at the VU University Amsterdam.
Importance of cooperation
Initiators FloraHolland flower auction and the VGB (Association of Wholesalers in Flower Nursery Products), founded a consortium of 34 companies in early 2009. The consortium consists of floriculture companies, logistics service providers, knowledge institutions, a rail operator and an independent chain manager. This has proven to be an intensive, pragmatic and constructive partnership. Rail transport to Italy will be continued next year by a number of consortium parties. The exploitation and wider integration of rail transport is the next step.
Apart from the GreenRail project, FloraHolland and the VGB also play an active role in a number of other railway initiatives, such as HST Cargo (part of Amsterdam Connecting Trade) and Sneller Spoor (faster track). FloraHolland is also actively involved in the development of a GreenRail terminal.
For more information about GreenRail: www.greenrail.nu.
Photo caption: The GreenRail project has brought the fast fresh produce logistics and the slower rail transport branches together. Rens Buchwaldt, Director of Logistics at FloraHolland, presents the GreenRail book, in which all know-how of the past year has been recorded, to Max Phillips, director of the information service Rail Cargo Information Netherlands and also chairman of the concluding seminar.