LogistiekProfs wishes you a happy New Year! In order not to run out of reading material these days, we have made an overview with the most striking and best-read news of the past year.
Nike opens distribution centre of the future
Nike's new logistics centre in Laakdal was officially opened in May this year. With a floor area of 250,000 square metres, the Nike European Logistics Centre (ELC) is one of the largest and most extensive distribution centres in Europe. Nike itself speaks of the building of the future, partly because of its minimal ecological footprint.
Docdata largest creditor V&D
After V&D went bankrupt at the end of last year, it became known that the department store chain still had some 52 million euros outstanding with creditors. Docdata was at the front of the queue of creditors. V&D still owed the logistics service provider some 1.5 million euros. Docdata provided V&D with the fulfilment of orders placed on VD.nl. An argument ensued between the trustees of V&D and Docdata, which allowed suppliers to retrieve their stock against payment. According to the trustees, Docdata was asking three times more than reasonable for the return. Nonsense, said general manager Jack Heijkans: "We have to incur a lot of costs to return the items. Because V&D would leave as a customer of ours, we phased out the systems and teams. All that has to be restarted."
Coolblue admits: Mini warehouses are 1 April joke
With the introduction of a new concept, mini warehouses in people's homes, Coolbue kept a lot of minds busy for several weeks. Coolblue took a professional approach, as it even set up a webpage where people could sign up for a mini warehouse. "Whether you have space in your hallway, attic or living room, if you can store packages there, we are happy," Coolblue wrote on its website. As Coolblue was not averse to a good joke before either, , many users on social media already suspected that it was an April 1 joke.
Drivers want higher pay and better working hours
FNV Transport and Logistics pleaded late this year for more appreciation for truck drivers, with the union asking for a three per cent pay rise in the new transport collective agreement. "Employers are jubilant that things are going well again in the sector, but workers are not noticing anything of that yet," said Egon Groen, collective agreement negotiator. Adjusting working conditions would make the profession of driver more attractive to a younger generation.
Infographic: 2016 record year of fatal forklift accidents?
There are an average of 1,700 forklift accidents every year, seven of which are fatal. With seven deaths on the counter in the first seven months of this year, 2016 looked set to pass the average number of fatal accidents in the warehouse.
'Amazon employees sleep in tents'
Employees at Amazon's distribution centres in Scotland are said to earn so little that they have to sleep in tents to cut costs. Workers are allegedly looking to skimp on their fixed costs, travel expenses and travel time by camping near the distribution centre in Fife. According to local activists, distribution workers make 60-hour weeks at minimum wage. Pictures of the tents, published by regional newspaper The Courier, caused a stir in Scotland this month.
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