A successful spring peak
July 3, 2025
The peak period is always an intense, busy time of year. Fortunately, we can look back on a very successful spring peak. The market response has been positive, and I have also noticed that we were able to provide good service in virtually all areas of our logistics process.
Every year starts off exciting, as we are of course heavily dependent on when the volume starts to come in. For many rose growers, and therefore also for our Dock Services department, Valentine's Day is the first important peak moment. It turned out to be a positive start; the agents I spoke to complimented us on how the process of distributing the supply from Kenya and Ethiopia, for example, went. Meanwhile, pricing was also positive for many growers.
Only two extra early auction days
When the 'real' spring peak began at the end of March, it went very smoothly. Fortunately, we had sufficient staff available during this peak and there were no significant IT disruptions. It was remarkable that we only needed two extra early auction days during the entire peak period to process the volumes on time. In other years, there were five or six early auction days. This meant that buyers and transport companies in particular did not have to adjust their schedules as often.
The first early auction day was on 5 May, the Monday before Mother's Day in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Italy, among other countries. The second was on 10 June, the Tuesday after Pentecost. We organised another early auction day on 25 June, but this was not related to the peak period. It was intended to allow buyers to receive their products early on the day of the NATO summit, when the most severe traffic restrictions were in place.
Transaction record
On Monday 5 May, we also set a new record in Aalsmeer. On that day, we processed the highest number of flower transactions ever: 93,317. More transactions mean busier days for us. We are seeing that transactions are becoming slightly smaller every year. We carry out increasingly detailed sorting of flowers and plants for our buyers. Delivering as much fresh produce as possible and therefore purchasing smaller quantities and less stock is important in the sector.
During this spring peak, we achieved good scores for our delivery reliability. We achieved our goal of delivering 98% of all trade on time in the various time slots, both for clock sales and direct sales.
Logistics resources well organised
In terms of logistics resources, this peak also went well. We always prepare well in advance to ensure that we have sufficient containers, stacking trolleys and CCs available. During this peak period, we again delivered an enormous quantity of CCs and containers and did not have to turn any orders away. There was no need to impose a distribution freeze or internal night rental, which only happens when there is a shortage of stacking trolleys.
To illustrate, we issued approximately 2 million CCs, with over 6 million plates. We issued 10 million of the relatively new flower bucket, the Fc588, and around 2 million of the new reusable stacking rack, the Fc595, which we introduced last year. In total, we have issued more than 80 million containers. And they all go through our car wash in a continuous rotation to our growers.
Peaking together
All in all, I am very satisfied with how this peak period went and how the cooperation with the chain is going. Not only us, our growers and buyers, but also all the floriculture transporters ensured that everything went smoothly. Of course, we tackle peaks together! This year, we also succeeded in scaling up our logistics manpower with office staff who came in to help during the peak period.
Evaluation
As we do every year, we will thoroughly evaluate the spring peak. This allows us to further refine our plan for this period. Our main challenge is to further improve our forecasts. We want to know what is going on in the market among buyers and growers so that we can make accurate estimates of volumes and how they will develop. Although we remain dependent on the weather, making the peak a success for everyone requires thorough preparation together with the sector. I am fully committed to this for next spring.
Every year starts off exciting, as we are of course heavily dependent on when the volume starts to come in. For many rose growers, and therefore also for our Dock Services department, Valentine's Day is the first important peak moment. It turned out to be a positive start; the agents I spoke to complimented us on how the process of distributing the supply from Kenya and Ethiopia, for example, went. Meanwhile, pricing was also positive for many growers.
Only two extra early auction days
When the 'real' spring peak began at the end of March, it went very smoothly. Fortunately, we had sufficient staff available during this peak and there were no significant IT disruptions. It was remarkable that we only needed two extra early auction days during the entire peak period to process the volumes on time. In other years, there were five or six early auction days. This meant that buyers and transport companies in particular did not have to adjust their schedules as often.
The first early auction day was on 5 May, the Monday before Mother's Day in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Italy, among other countries. The second was on 10 June, the Tuesday after Pentecost. We organised another early auction day on 25 June, but this was not related to the peak period. It was intended to allow buyers to receive their products early on the day of the NATO summit, when the most severe traffic restrictions were in place.
Transaction record
On Monday 5 May, we also set a new record in Aalsmeer. On that day, we processed the highest number of flower transactions ever: 93,317. More transactions mean busier days for us. We are seeing that transactions are becoming slightly smaller every year. We carry out increasingly detailed sorting of flowers and plants for our buyers. Delivering as much fresh produce as possible and therefore purchasing smaller quantities and less stock is important in the sector.
During this spring peak, we achieved good scores for our delivery reliability. We achieved our goal of delivering 98% of all trade on time in the various time slots, both for clock sales and direct sales.
Logistics resources well organised
In terms of logistics resources, this peak also went well. We always prepare well in advance to ensure that we have sufficient containers, stacking trolleys and CCs available. During this peak period, we again delivered an enormous quantity of CCs and containers and did not have to turn any orders away. There was no need to impose a distribution freeze or internal night rental, which only happens when there is a shortage of stacking trolleys.
To illustrate, we issued approximately 2 million CCs, with over 6 million plates. We issued 10 million of the relatively new flower bucket, the Fc588, and around 2 million of the new reusable stacking rack, the Fc595, which we introduced last year. In total, we have issued more than 80 million containers. And they all go through our car wash in a continuous rotation to our growers.
Peaking together
All in all, I am very satisfied with how this peak period went and how the cooperation with the chain is going. Not only us, our growers and buyers, but also all the floriculture transporters ensured that everything went smoothly. Of course, we tackle peaks together! This year, we also succeeded in scaling up our logistics manpower with office staff who came in to help during the peak period.
Evaluation
As we do every year, we will thoroughly evaluate the spring peak. This allows us to further refine our plan for this period. Our main challenge is to further improve our forecasts. We want to know what is going on in the market among buyers and growers so that we can make accurate estimates of volumes and how they will develop. Although we remain dependent on the weather, making the peak a success for everyone requires thorough preparation together with the sector. I am fully committed to this for next spring.
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