IFTEX 2019: Holland Flower Alliance and the Ideal Flowerbox

As the import of flowers continues to account for one quarter of cargo at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and the Kenya-Amsterdam route remains an important trade lane for the Netherlands, IFTEX is a key date on the flower industry calendar.

This year, a contingent from Amsterdam including Eline van den Berg, Program Manager Holland Flower Alliance (HFA) at Royal FloraHolland, Roos Bakker, Director of Business Development at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and Wico Santbulte, Director Cargo Development at Air France-KLM Cargo, visited the expo to network with industry colleagues and gather feedback on the ongoing Ideal Flowerbox project.

“The focus at IFTEX is on products from Kenya, and we met with many of our industry partners such as growers, buyers, and freight forwarders,” said van den Berg.

Game changer

The Ideal Flowerbox is an HFA project focused on optimising the floral logistics supply chain by standardising the size and shape of the pallets to reduce damage and waste, and it has already undergone a successful trial on the Nairobi to Amsterdam route. The concept gained a lot of attention at IFTEX.

“We received very positive feedback about the Ideal Flowerbox and we are hoping it will be a game changer for the transportation of flowers, but first we need to alter our approach to supply chain to accommodate the new box design.

“The key to success will be in upscaling our processes, bringing more partners on board, and increasing the volume to make the change and start using the Ideal Flowerbox,” said van den Berg.

Watch this space for more updates about the project as it progresses.

For more information about the HFA, visit the website of Holland Flower Alliance.