DAVINC3I: moving towards responsive hub network designs

Abstract

The Dutch floricultural sector is generally appreciated for its world leadership; the Netherlands is the flower trading hub for the European market. There are two trends affecting this position. First, virtualisation makes trade flows relatively footloose and flexible. Moreover, it enables the use of better and more information in logistics decision making. Second, internationalisation of markets and production has increased the size of the global market and associated distances. To maintain leadership, the Dutch floricultural sector has initiated the Dinalog DaVinc3i project. In this paper we outline the activities we are currently undertaking and some of the outcomes achieved so far. This includes the effects of orchestration in floriculture logistics and the development of a new logistics network model for floriculture logistics. Subsequently we will provide a brief overview of some of the student projects carried out within the DaVinc3i project: reasons for outsourcing floriculture logistics in export flows, pooling of inventory by florists and collection of flowers in a small network. Finally, aspects of collaboration for product quality are addressed, as well as recommendations for a cooperative business model for a B2C web shop for plants and flowers