The Belgian New Fruit Wharf, part of the Fruit and Food Division of SEA-invest, has in recent years increasingly focused on automating their business. The main product for the Belgian New Fruit Wharf in Antwerp is the banana. BNFW is officially the largest banana terminal in the world and annually receives 2 million tonnes of fruit and 1.5 million tons of bananas. Big brands such as Fyffes, Chiquita, Dole, Bonita, Del Monte, Compagnie Fruitière are received five days a week. The BNFW is responsible for unloading, treatment, storage and delivery of the products, Belfruco provides full administrative and customs procedures.
In early February there was a strike by the Belgian pilots which had an impact on the port and some banana boats went temporarily to other destinations. According to Johan Claes, BNFW this caused problems for a week but no lasting damage. "In the longer term we haven't seen any bad effects. For our customers it was of course disappointing, but such things happen and we have no influence on it. We have ensured that they were served and everything arrived at the destinations. It is particularly disturbing when something occurs, but soon the peace returned. Nevertheless, such interference can not occur often, because it will have significantly more influence."
The Director indicates that the volume of bananas is expected to remain stable this year. The demand does not suffer in Antwerp from other "banana ports," replied Johan negative. "We are the largest and we will continue to be but we remain alert. In comparison with other ports much less is unloaded in Antwerp. In the future we will work hard to give customers no reason to seek other horizons. In Zeebrugge, we have also a good alternative for customers who prefer a 'coastal port'.
For now, the Belgian New Fruit Wharf is not planning any major expansion or changes. "The fact is that everything is increasingly automated. Late last year we continued to invest in an automatic warehouse service and currently 80% of the tasks BNFW performs at terminals are automated. This is also an important distinction for us. We are the only ones in the business that focus on this. Almost everything is done automatically and we can deliver our customers perfect products because there is little to no chance for damage. In addition, each individual pallet can be delivered at the right time and we are working on ever faster ways."
www.sea-invest.com