When the first pile is played on Thursday, October. On the 27th, at dhl Global Forwarding’s new location in the Netherlands, it was a real milestone for the logistics company. “We are looking forward to moving into our new premises at Schiphol,” begins Ivo Koopmans.
“Of the 23,000 square meters, 1,300 square meters will be dedicated to the handling of perishables. This new building will bring all disciplines together. Furthermore, we will be able to provide all services under one roof, but with separate cold storage room to maintain any desired temperature. All in all, the dream will come true in the fourth quarter of next year.”
Eelco Ouwerkerk of Segro Nederland (left) and dhl CEO Henk Venema (right) celebrate the opening of the new building.
Ivo (pictured right) is in charge of air freight for perishable goods at dhl ACE (Advanced Coolchain Experience). Thanks to its global network, the division can guarantee door-to-door logistics services.
“The network means we can guarantee entry to almost every European airport through our offices or with the help of our partners,” says Ivo.
According to him, the air freight export market situation varies greatly for each destination. “Generally, there is high demand for perishable airfreight cargo. This is evident in the airfreight contract orders for this winter.”
However, destinations like Qatar remain challenging. “Almost all flights going there are loaded with FIFA-related cargo, which affects rates and capacity. Our charter solutions offer solutions in multiple destinations. We can offer more capacity and flat rates .Customers like the certainty,” explains Ivo.
Significantly increased availability of refrigeration equipment
His colleague Mario Volkers at dhl, responsible for ocean freight, also sees a clear difference in the market. “Routes from South America are a particularly hot topic at the moment and shipping lines have organized several additional routes. However, trade to and from Asia is still lagging.”
“Conveniently, shipping lines have been dropping prices almost every week. In an earlier interview, I was quite picky about shipping lines. Since then, the relationship has improved a lot. Due to the huge increase in import and export opportunities , we can pass on the improved availability of refrigeration equipment to our customers.”
dhl has started operations in the South American reefer market. “There, our company has a reefer in each country,” Mario continues, “We will start later in Asia, then Europe, and Rotterdam immediately becomes an important (transit) port. A lot of fruit comes in Or through there. In the meantime, our cold storage rollout continues to develop further. For example, we recently opened cold storage offices in the UK and South Africa.”
“This definitely advances our strategy. We want to ease the burden on existing and potential import and export customers in countries of origin and destination. This local presence really works. By working with native speakers, but most importantly, through brief Communication channels, where you build a relationship of trust. This applies on a commercial and operational level. People don’t want to be stuck on a dial-up number; they need a direct connection,” explains Mario.
one stop shop
“The strength of dhl Global Forwarding is that our air and ocean freight solutions complement each other perfectly. Where there is an opportunity, Ivo and I always highlight the possibility of another model. A perfect example is our large volume of Fruit Attraction in Madrid The showcase. dhl was there with about 30 colleagues from different countries, which allowed us to promote our range of services as a one-stop shop as widely as possible. It was very popular.”
Ivo stressed that all parties should not hesitate to turn to dhl for out-of-the-box solutions, including import and export. “Every day, we still notice that some companies see dhl as a big company and shy away from it. But for us, no shipment is too small. The other day, we were entrusted with the big Panda handles a small batch of bamboo shoots. We have as much fun doing it as 24 trays of vegetables,” he concludes.
Left: dhl ACE Air Freight Team.Right: dhl booth
fruit appeal
to know more information
Ivo Koopmans / Mario Volks
dhl Global Forwarding
Email: Mario.volkers@dhl.com / Ivo.koopmans@dhl.com
Website: https://www.dhl.com/nl-en/home/our-divisions/global-forwarding/special-expertise/perishable-logistics.html
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