Peak in terms of figures: May

May was a month of ups and downs. With two fewer auction days, the total volume of produce on offer was lower than in May last year. Nevertheless, Mother’s Day in the Netherlands and France brought a flurry of activity. Tuesday 26 May stood out in particular: a record number of transactions in Aalsmeer.

The extra early auction days during those weeks were no luxury. They helped to spread the high demand effectively and ensure customers were supplied on time. We succeeded in this. Our delivery reliability was high: the vast majority of transactions were delivered without any complaints.

The availability of transport packaging and empty trolleys was also in order. Packaging and empty trolleys were readily available, ensuring the process ran smoothly. This gives us confidence for the busy periods still to come.

What could have been better? We are taking a critical look at that. We will continue to work on areas for improvement to further optimise our service. In this way, together we ensure a strong supply chain, even during peak months.

The following went well:

• High delivery reliability (number of transactions delivered without complaints).
• Good availability of transport packaging (packages and empty trolley trolleys).
• Better pricing compared to the same period last year (+3.0%, clock and direct), with slightly lower supply (-1.6%).

The following could be better:

• 5 clock malfunctions, including 1 major one, resulting in an auction uptime percentage of 98.68% in May.
• An increasing supply is shifting to Aalsmeer, at the expense of Rijnsburg and Naaldwijk. This is leading to unused capacity there and additional pressure on logistics in Aalsmeer, with a risk of delays in delivery and extra pressure on buyers to ensure their lorries leave on time.
• Forecasting the volume of work and estimated completion times on busy days.