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Corona may be on the decline in Europe, but its economic consequences are still quite uncertain. In more than a year, many fixed routines have been completely turned upside down. At the same time, we’ve rigged up new ways of working together in no time to survive. For me, the big question is which certainties and achievements from before corona return and which new factors we have to learn to live with. The logistics world after corona? Everything is possible!
The picture among our relations is diverse. Some clients seem unaffected by corona, others do notice the consequences, both in a negative and positive sense. Many logistical certainties have also been lost due to corona. For example, the seasonal influences that we had been able to take into account for years have completely disappeared. Fixed patterns seem to have completely changed. The big question is, will it stay that way?
In addition to corona, the complex aftermath of Brexit also plays a major role in our daily logistics life. The UK has long been the largest e-commerce country in Europe. Many providers therefore chose the UK as their base of operations. From there they also supplied the mainland of Europe. Due to the customs-technical obstacles that Brexit poses, there are now annoying hiccups in the logistical chain.
Our decision to work with an agent in the UK is now bearing fruit. English clients either want a warehouse with stock on the mainland or they send us consolidated orders on a weekly basis, for example. We clear these in and then distribute them directly to the customers from our cross-dock function. This means that the processing of cross-dock orders offers a more important volume than before. In short, we are seeing major logistical shifts from the UK that have resulted in several new and interesting leads and even new customers.
Incidentally, we recently experienced a remarkable growth in new customers, not only from the UK, but also from America, Australia and of course the Netherlands. This growth offers a healthy and diverse geographical spread. This leap forward means that organizationally SILS is currently rapidly preparing for ‘the next level’. For example, we have rented extra warehouse capacity in Amsterdam. This is an up-to-date adjustment as a bridge to a possible new construction of a second SILS location in the Rotterdam region. We also recently filled the position of warehouse manager under the logistics director. Those adjustments are now rock solid.
However, new customers have a great need for intensive contact with our Customer Service department, especially in the beginning. We see this especially when it concerns foreign customers. Oot of the nine new customers we are now starting up, no fewer than seven come from outside the Netherlands. This means that we will also strengthen the Customer Service department. All in all, SILS is taking strong organizational steps to be able to facilitate the growth that we are currently experiencing.
Finally, I would like to wish you a nice and relaxed summer, with hopefully a holiday ahead. Mentally, corona has demanded a lot for over a year, from employee to manager. Both professionally and privately, people have had to accept many adjustments in a short period of time. More than ever, the holiday is well deserved! I hope to meet you again in the autumn well rested and with your sights set on the future.
Willem-Jan Cramer
