Air Freight Forwarding and the Food Industry

Who could have thought a century ago that fresh products from all over the world would be available for sale at your local supermarket? The change of food consumption habits has broadened the use of air and sea freight forwarding services by the food industry. The offer  is of great variety: pineapples from Ghana, exquisite meat from Argentina, delicious tropical fruits from Asia…etc.  Very seldom do we think about the long distances these products might have traveled before reaching our plate. And we think even less about the complex logistics services involved in making it all happen!

Air Freight Forwarding and the Food Industry

Tastes have evolved. Whereas we used to be limited to local food supplies, we are now fully able to enjoy food products from all over the world. The production base is on a world-scale and the consumption markets are concentrated in Europe and North America. Each product is particular and its logistics must meet a definite set of requirements. When dealing with a perishable product, air freight forwarding is a must, as a long transit time would completely alter the qualities of the food product. When the time factor is a central concern, flying food products from one point of the world to another in a timely fashion is the solution. Airlines are now used to providing such services, and the respect of the cold chain requirements is now a standard met by all. Airport’s special infrastructures, world-class handling services and professional management of the transport chain by freight forwarders, enable exporters and importers to safely ship and receive any kind of food product in theoretically any point of the world.

Shippers’ Checklist (1)

When transporting food, you need to consider two main food safety issues : keeping the food protected from contamination, and keeping it cold (the case of cold chain transportation). It is of greatest importance to protect food from contamination by keeping it covered at all times. This can be achieved by using containers with lids as well as applying plastic film all around the containers. The quality of the packaging is key to ensure that what is shipped is what you finally get! Otherwise, the buyer-seller relationship could be adversely affected. Materials used to cover food should be impeccable and should be suitable for food contact. Previously used materials (for example newspaper), may contaminate food and should not be used. For temperature management, if the journey is short, insulated containers may keep the food cold. If the journey is long, you might need to use ice bricks. Insulated containers must be in good condition, be kept clean at all times, used only for food, be kept away from other items (such as chemicals, pet food, fuel or paint), be filled as quickly as possible and closed as soon as they have been filled. Following these basic packing guidelines drastically decreases the risk of food being contaminated or losing its inner qualities.

Conclusion

The food industry needs a state-of-the-art logistics chain, including air freight forwarding, to keep on satisfying customer requirements. Proper packing of food products is fundamental in order to ensure food safety. Make sure your shippers (or yourself, in case you are an exporter) respect your requirements! In any case, you can count on the help from experienced forwarding agents in improving your food transport operations. Many of them are located in Limburg. Take a look at our website to understand why and to learn more.

______________________________________________________________________SSources:

Image source:

http://entrepicsetpacifique.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/on-se-rapproche.html

Text source (1):

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/ucm203420.htm

Posted in Air Freight Forwarding by patrick

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Valentine’s just-in-time flowers from Holland

Logistics services in action: the flower industry in Netherlands

On the 14th of February, the entire world is going to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the day of lovers. What’s happening before those lovely, colorful and aromatic flowers get to your street-corner shop? Furthermore, what are the processes in place enabling to cope with this day’s peak demand? Millions of flowers have to be supplied to thousands of point-of-sale in an extremely limited amount of time (only a few days), this is the challenge logistics service providers are facing every year and successfully fulfill!

Logistics services for perishable goods

Most of the the flower market consumers can be found in the USA, Japan and Europe. For instance, the flower sales amounted to $35.2 billion in USA in 2010 (1). From the flowers’ cutting all the way to your shop, this perishable good requires a precise and flawless logistics service, including airfreight forwarding and cold-storage warehousing. In this article, we will discuss the Netherlands specialty in flowers trading and the world-class logistics services involved.

Netherlands, the largest flower auction in the world
The Netherlands has always been amongst the top exporters of cut flowers and bulbs in the world, distantly followed by countries like Colombia or Ecuador. Dutch flowers and plants exports amounted to €8 billion in 2011, which represents 2.1% of total Dutch exports against 0.1% in other European Countries (2). The Netherlands remains the center of production for the European floral market, as well as a major international supplier to other continents. The flower auction at Aalsmeer is the largest flower market in the world. Since the mid-1970s, the production and distribution of cut flowers in Netherlands has burgeoned, with millions of flowers traded every day in hundreds of thousands of transactions. This gives you an idea of the flows’ complexity, and the subsequent logistics services that have to be organized !
Logistics services and flowers

But how did a country with little sun, and even less suitable land become such a big player in the flower industry? The answer lies in the fact that in the Netherlands, companies work in clusters. Some companies are specialized in breeding and growing, others in cutting and packing and others in international warehousing and distribution. This cluster effect brings a competitive advantage as it provides customers with an impressive assortment of products (one-stop shopping), the business shifting from being seasonal to a year-round industry.
Furthermore, the Dutch heavily invested in Genetics R&D, with the results we have just presented. Lately, the flower trading scope in the Netherlands is changing from simple Dutch-grown flowers export to the management of global flowers flows, with production in South America and Africa (Kenya for instance). Consequently, we can say that the traditional Dutch flower warehousing and distribution business is evolving into a massive international flows’ management system. This shift’s main enabler consists in the Netherlands’ capability in making the world smaller, thanks to its state-of-the art logistics services, such as air freight forwarding and temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution.
The flower supply chain

The flower trading takes place via an auction system (physical and/or computer-based). Flowers are presented by lot to possible buyers, who decide about the quantity they buy till the lot is sold out. The success of this auction system is largely determined by its logistics organization. Day fresh products sold at the marketplace must be processed and transported to the point-of-sale as soon as possible, flowers being amongst the most delicate goods. Standardization of packaging, containers, the speed of air freight forwarding  and the respect of the product’s cool chain via cold storage warehousing enable buyers from all over-the-world to receive freshly cut flowers from the Netherlands within 24 hours !
Logistics services in Limburg

As you see, time management and specialized logistics services are key enablers of the flower trading business. Furthermore, the Limburg area (a region located southwest of the Netherlands) counts with the presence of such logistics service providers. The region is traditionally a pan-European logistics center, with highly developed logistics infrastructures (airport, extensive road and rail networks, plus multi-modal capabilities) and has a strong logistics industry (major global logistics players and a wide variety of specialized logistics services, including advanced logistics, warehousing and distribution as well as air freight forwarding).

To conclude, we have presented the key role the Netherlands plays in the global flower trading. The latest trend consists in a shift from traditional cut-flower and bulbs distribution to the coordination of international flows, with a worldwide production and consumption basis. Flowers have always been beloved gifts, and sometimes express more than words could. This wouldn’t be possible without world-class logistics in the wold’s biggest flower auction marketplace!

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Sources:

Image source: PonderingbyKris

Text source (1) : US Bureau of Economic Analysis

Text source (2) : CBS.nl

Posted in Advanced Logistics, Air Freight Forwarding by patrick

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Air freight forwarding for perishables

Logistics for fresh products such as fruits, meat and flowers is a complicated undertaking. Not only do the products have to be transported as quickly as possible, it is also necessary to transport these products as cold as possible. Specialized air freight forwarding services for perishables are the perfect way of transporting these products.

Air freight forwarding for perishables is a very specialized service, in which time and temperature are closely monitored. As transport through air is the most rapid way of transport for large distances, it is an ideal way of transporting fresh products between continents.

The Netherlands, for example, is known for its tulips and flowers. For oversea markets, these flowers are mostly transported through specialized air freight forwarding services, which can be found in the Limburg area. Next year there will be a special event that will talk about the flower industry in the Netherlands, called  FLoriade 2012.

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3 key factors that improved intermodal logistics

Companies in intermodal logistics are constantly seeking for the most economical, efficient and environmentally-friendly methods of distribution. New developments in the intermodal logistics field concentrate on technology, infrastructure and transport vehicles.

1. Intermodal logistics technology
The most important factor that influenced changes in intermodal logistics is advanced technology. Information technology made it possible to plan, track  and document intermodal shipments in real time. Therefore it’s easier to connect between different modes.

2. Infrastructure
Concrete improvements in road and rail infrastructure worldwide and better connections between various modes in transport hubs have made important advances in intermodal logistics possible.

3. Transport vehicles
New developments in vehicles concentrate on safety, weight, size and fuel saving.

- Vehicles have become bigger over time, making the shipment of larger cargo easier.
- The weight and use of fuel have been reduced, making transport in general more economic.

These three key factors have been the major drivers of improvements in intermodal logistics. If you want to know more about specific trends, you might consider visiting the Intermodal Europe event.  The Intermodal Europe event will inform you about the newest trends this month and gathers new developments and trends of the Intermodal Logistics Industry.

Are you visiting or have you ever visited Intermodal Europe? If so, please comment on this blog and share your experiences.

Source: Ujwal Kiran, Trends in Intermodal Freight Transportation
Source Images: Goal Transport
Intermodal Europe

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Air Freight Forwarding: what are the advantages?

During the last centuries international trade has become extremely important, mainly because of globalization. However, the international transport of your products is still very complicated, due to complicating factors like different rules and regulations of each individual country. If you want to transport your products across the globe, an air freight forwarder helps you to ease these complexities. (more…)

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