The ORTEC Consulting Group, which is part of the ORTEC Group, is participating in the HubWays research and development project, the goal of which is to coordinate and optimise inter-auction transport flows between floricultural greenport* market places in the Netherlands. HubWays is a collaboration of over 60 producers, trade and transport companies and research institutes, and is supported by the Dutch government and led by FloraHolland and the VGB (Association of Wholesale Trade in Floricultural Products).
The HubWays project, run by and aimed at the Dutch floriculture sector, is designed to enhance sustainability by increasing cooperation within the sector. ORTEC's role in the project is to focus on the modeling and optimisation of transport flows between FloraHolland auction locations. "The model should give an indication of the current situation, and the data can be used as a baseline for quantitative testing of new concepts," explains Arnoud Kuiper, Senior Supply Chain Consultant at ORTEC Consulting Group.
HubWays Project Leader, Michiel van Veen: "HubWays plays a very important role in enhancing and maintaining the leading global position of the floriculture industry's economic clusters. And that's why we're delighted with the 60 participating organisations, which also includes knowledge partners such as ORTEC." According to Van Veen: "The more companies and institutions that participate, the better. By joining forces we can create a strong united front that safeguards the unique global position of the Dutch horticultural cluster."
Why HubWays?
In order to ensure the continuation of the Dutch horticultural cluster's unique global position, it is vital that logistics processes are functioning effectively. Logistics and transport optimization both within and between the greenports is essential. The HubWays project should result in innovations in collective transport that bring about sustainable solutions that can only be achieved collaboratively, and that can anticipate the further digitization of the Dutch horticultural cluster. HubWays provides the sector with an neutral supply chain coordination concept that does not limit logistics, but rather enhances it.
About Hubways
HubWays is a collaboration of over 60 producers, trade and transport companies and research institutes and is supported by the government and led by FloraHolland and the VGB (Association of Wholesale Trade in Floricultural Products). The aim of Hubways is to develop and realize a neutral supply chain coordination concept in which processes at auctions and transport between these auctions will be clustered and optimised. Cooperation within the floriculture sector will result in a collective approach to transport between the auctions, leading to efficiency gains and a stronger, more sustainable Dutch floriculture that also has a positive impact on society.
*About Greenports
In order to sustain, maintain and increase its excellence and competitive position in the future, in 2005 the Dutch government designated five greenports in the Netherlands. These five greenports, together with several agricultural development areas, comprise the floriculture cluster in the Netherlands and they cooperate in Greenport Nederland. In their report, the Committee Van Laarhoven (2008) recognizes the importance of such mainports and central nodes for the Netherlands: "These nodes/mainports have an important role in the supply chain. They are essential in the excellent handling of product flows and often serve as the place where innovation challenges meet. Important nodes (amongst others the flower auction Aalsmeer) and mainports (Rotterdam and Amsterdam Schiphol) can play an orchestrating role, if they are able to organize effectively the processes in their downstream supply chains, or when they are able to obtain a controlling role in the direct collection and distribution at a node." (Report committee van Laarhoven, 2008).
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