Royal FloraHolland is experimenting with a system for ‘Today for Tomorrow’ from the 8th of June. Using this new sales channel customers can buy today using the auction clock and have their goods delivered tomorrow before 6:00 am. This means fresh products every single day, delivered just in time.
The sector has been asking for Today for Tomorrow. Up till now it was called ‘off nursery auctioning’. Its main advantage over the current way of auctioning is the opportunity to uncouple price-setting from logistics.
Before harvesting, the grower already knows which buyers on whick location have purchased his products. The products can be transported during the evening and night, resulting in many ways in lower costs and logistical efficiency throughout the chain.
In Aalsmeer, in June 2017, a test will start using a Today for Tomorrow clock for spray chrysanthemums. After a technical system test in April, we will now carry out a live test. This first experiment started on June 8 2017 and lasts for up to ten consecutive auction days. It is a live test with a limited number of suppliers and customers, around 50 auction trolleys and/or 250 transactions per auction day.
After the experiment, FloraHolland will evaluate the results with the parties concerned and she will verify whether she has met the needs. Further experiments will likely follow throughout 2017, increasing the number of participants, product groups and/or locations, amongst other things. Whether and how fast FloraHolland expand depends on the evaluation of the initial results.
If the experiments are successful the aim is to be able to offer Today for Tomorrow as a commercial service with effect from January 2018.
