Peak in terms of figures: May

In May, Mother’s Day in the Netherlands and France generated extra demand. Tuesday 26 May stood out in particular, with a record number of transactions in Aalsmeer. The total supply was slightly lower than in May last year, partly because there were two fewer auction days this year. The availability of logistic means was well organised. There was a sufficient supply of packaging and empty pallet trolleys.

The two extra early auction days during these weeks proved valuable. They helped to spread demand more evenly and subsequently ensure that buyers were supplied on time as far as possible. At the same time, there was an additional increase in supply at Aalsmeer in May, which put pressure on on-time delivery and its predictability for our buyers on some days.

For flowers at Aalsmeer, 96.4% were ultimately delivered within the time slot chosen by the buyer or by the cut-off time. For plants, this figure was 98.2%. Overall, our delivery reliability was in line with May last year, with the majority of transactions delivered without complaints: Aalsmeer 99.8%, Naaldwijk 99.7% and Rijnsburg 99.7%.

RFH is aware that later cut-off times and delivery orders have an impact on buyers and their processes, such as putting extra pressure on them to ensure their transporters leave on time. We regret this and are therefore taking various measures during the peak period to maintain delivery reliability as high as possible and to forecast expected delivery times as accurately as possible. We are constantly reviewing our logistics process for areas of improvement and working to address them.

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:

• On 7 and 8 May, we experienced a brief disruption to the clock.
• 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.