Importing company OZ Import from Aalsmeer has for the first time ordered a refrigerated container with Salix from China by rail. The specially designed cooling container departed from Chengdu with OZ Import as final destination.
This route is possible because the Chinese railway network was recently reconnected to the Kazakh railway system and thereby also to the European rail network. The railway Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe (called YuXinOu railway) passes through Kazakhstan, Russia and Poland to finally end in Duisburg, Germany.
OZ Import already imported Salix from China, but until now organized the logistics by transport via container ships. This meant that the transport of the products took five weeks. By train the travel time, despite the distance of over 11,000 kilometers, is reduced to seventeen days.
Don van der Meer, (commercial manager) is reacting enthusiastically: "This new logistics structure is not only more flexible and faster, but also offers us the opportunity to enhance the freshness and hence quality of floriculture products with conditioned containers."
Christina Zhang, (Supply Chain Manager) of OZ Import: "The Chinese government, together with us, has used the existing supply chain to give a first boost. If these initial shipments are successful, we will work together to further development the floriculture sector."