Eelde Future-Proof was officially launched on Monday, 21 September, 2020. After a year of thorough preparations, distribution took place for the first time according to the fulfilment concept. In addition, auctions were conducted through Remote Buying (KOA) only. With the support for image auctioning in the auction room, the auction had a good attendance during the first week.
Eelde is the first Royal FloraHolland location to switch entirely to order picking. This makes it possible to offer customers tailored logistics services. There were a couple of hiccups during the first auction days due to technical problems in the order-picking process. As a result, distribution did not run perfectly yet, and buyers did not receive their products at the desired time, especially on Monday. Thanks to the constructive attitude and great effort of the whole Eelde team, Royal FloraHolland have been able to improve the lead times on each auction day since last Monday. They are now back to the regular lead times.
Implementation of Image Auctioning and Clock Presales
The implementation of image auctioning in Eelde is a success, according to Royal FloraHolland. Buyers in Eelde now trade through Remote buying (KOA) only. A life-size projection of all the trolleys can now be seen in the auction room. Specially for Eelde, the company developed a photo corridor where they photograph each trolley before auction. They will soon, in conjunction with buyers, evaluate the use of the photo corridor to determine whether any further development is needed.
They are currently providing support to buyers who need help with the new auction method, both in the auction room and beyond. It has been positively received.
Clock presales (KVV) have also been available since last week, and the auction can see that several transactions are already taking place.
'The Future Starts in Eelde'
The Royal FloraHolland location in Eelde is to become the main auction and logistics centre for the north of the Netherlands and north-western Germany. That is why, over the past year, they have worked closely with buyers and growers to ensure that the new services with regard to auctioning and logistics meet customers' needs. In order to make this possible, the location has been fully connected and integrated with Royal FloraHolland's corporate systems. The link with the digital trading platform Floriday will make it possible to further digitise and expand services in the future. Thanks to the preparations they have made over the past few months, including an adapted layout of the building, Eelde has now become a modern hub.
Source: Royal FloraHolland