“The chain's becoming shorter,” Willem van Leuveren of Mandersloot realizes. “Supermarkets are increasingly moving towards local produce." But he’s noticed this shortening even in imported goods. For example, soft fruit goes directly from suppliers in Spain or Greece to buyers in countries like Poland or Romania. Mandersloot focuses mainly on conditioned transport to and from the Benelux and Central Europe. This Dutch company considers groupage transport as its strength. Because of the long distances, speed is vital.
That’s to guarantee quality for their clients, who are mostly retail chains. "That's why we work with hubs. We have them in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. These have cold stores. You can cross-dock if necessary and then quickly drive on."
During the day, all products go to the company’s Dutch site for groupage. These shipments leave in the evening for Central Europe, where they arrive at the hub the next day. "We can, for instance, supply all retailers in Poland in two days. That’s a Unique Selling Point (USP) for Mandersloot and products’ freshness," Willem says.
Combinations
“In groupage transport, you have to consider several factors. That makes planning a challenge.” For example, not all products may be transported together. Mandersloot, therefore, developed a customized, automated planning system that filters orders as they arrive. So, bananas and flowers won’t be combined, nor can products accidentally end up on the wrong route. The planning system has been expanded to include a sales portal. Here, clients can view documents and continuously follow the shipment.
Different transit temperatures must also be kept in mind. Mandersloot transports fruit at +2°C and, products like fruit-vegetables at +10°C. But supermarkets are increasingly tightening slot times. These are the windows in which specific suppliers can unload. That’s proving challenging for this logistics provider.
"Say you have three different supermarkets’ products in the truck. Then, on a bad day, you might have to use several vehicles instead of one. That’s because of these various slot times." Willem considers that a reason to focus strongly on combinations. "We already transport considerable volumes to Central Europe," explains van Leuveren. "So, we can offer customers very competitive prices for deliveries to large retail organizations."
Sustainability requirements
Sustainability is an important focal point for Mandersloot. The company’s anticipating this by investing in LNG and LHV trucks. "These extra-long trucks will reduce emissions because we can load more on one truck," Willem concludes. Their Dutch site is also CO2-neutral and has solar panels. Another point of attention is guaranteeing quality. Both their Dutch headquarters and the foreign branches are IFS certified.
illem van Leuveren
wvanleuveren@mandersloot.eu 
Mandersloot’s Expeditiebedrijf
’t Zwarte Land 10
3925 CK Scherpenzeel
Tel. +31 33 277644
sales@mandersloot.eu
www.mandersloot.eu