You have only one chance to buy your neighbor's property. That's what Europe Retail Packing (ERP) thought of their site in Poeldijk, the Netherlands. So, this packing company has now doubled the size of its warehouse at ABC Westland. It's added another 5,000m2, bringing total logistics service under one roof. Warehouse manager Arend Solleveld, and commercial manager, John Duijnisveld explain the expansion.
John Duijnisveld and Arend Solleveld.
"Now we can package all kinds of products in one place. We're literally a one-stop-shop for our clients. Van der Linden joined our group on 1 January 2020. They're located elsewhere on the site. But, their activities will also be added to this building. This company specializes in sealing cucumbers and packing citrus fruit. We've specialized in that for years too. So, we can do all this from the same location now. For us, it's very efficient. For our clients, it's very easy to load what they need at one address," Arend explains.
"This expansion means we've added eight loading docks. Naturally, we've ensured a logical product flow route. We have various storage, transshipment, ripening, customs clearance, and transport options. We've, therefore, become a broad logistics service provider. That's interesting for both the growers and trading companies with which we work. Clients are entirely unburdened and can focus on selling their fresh produce. It's not even a must that we package the products."
Fresh herbs flow pack line
ERP has been very busy, especially when COVID-19 first broke out. "Everyone wanted sealed cucumbers. On the other hand, fresh herbs sales to the hospitality and foodservice sectors declined considerably. We'd been making inroads there with our trademark, 5Senses, and our Plukkruidje consumer brand. Nevertheless, we continue to put all our efforts into this. And we've invested in a flow pack line for herbs. This uses far less plastic film because it uses eurolock packaging," says John.
"For now, we have room to spare, thanks to this expansion. But that shows the confidence we have in the future. We're always very busy in the summer. This year, the warehouse will be set up more professionally. We're also going to develop our product specialization further. That's for things like greenhouse vegetables, exotics, sweet potatoes, citrus, and grapes. The various flows will be separated. That's all thanks to our increased size and added refrigeration space."
Independent
John points out that ERP is one of the few remaining independent packaging companies on the market. "Our clients say they still feel like traditional clients. I think that's one of the best compliments we can get. We produce our own greenhouse vegetables and herbs. So, if there's a shortage, we can provide our packaging clients with both the product and packaging. They see that as a great extra," concludes John.
For more information:
Europe Retail Packing
315 ABC Westland
2685 DD Poeldijk, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 174 282 510
Email: Arend@europeretailpacking.nl
Email: John@europeretailpacking.nl
Website: www.europeretailpacking.nl