21 June 2019 | News
This year the Amsterdam Logistics Board (ALB) is developing a wide-ranging vision for the logistics hubs in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Apart from an overview of the collective opportunities open to the hubs – seaport, airport, green port and data port – the comprehensive vision will also provide for concrete measures.
The logistics hubs in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (AMA) are bursting with innovation. During the Green Logistics conference on 20 June (the WeMakeThe.City festival), Maaike van der Windt (Head of Aviation Marketing, Cargo & Customer Experience at Schiphol Group) stressed that ‘smarter, cleaner and faster’ should be the guiding principle.
Current projects include Holland Flower Alliance (improvements in efficiency in the floriculture chain), Amsterdam Connected Transport Corridors (aimed at improving accessibility to the regions and faster, safer and more sustainable road transport), the North West Central Corridor (cargo combination in inland navigation in and between regions), and the development of carbon neutral business operations at the airport and of a green hydrogen cluster in the port.
Femke Brenninkmeijer (Director of Energy, Cargo & Offshore at the Port of Amsterdam) stressed the importance of cooperation in the freight transport corridors. “By bundling capacity, knowledge and freight loads, operators can really make a difference, resulting in a better, more sustainable logistics product. That makes this collaboration unique.” The major players in the regional hubs – Schiphol Airport, the Port of Amsterdam, Greenport Aalsmeer and data port AMS-IX – function as promoters, facilitators and funders. Port of Flevokust is also developing as an important hub.
Cooperation in logistics innovation
The AMA has traditionally been a pivot in the world economy. Maintaining this position calls for constant innovation. Up to now, the four hubs and various public sector players have collaborated wherever opportunities arose, but they also often operated independently. This can and must be managed more intelligently, because the logistical challenges for the region and the sector are increasinf, according to the ALB.
There are quantitative developments, such as population growth and construction work, and thus a growing demand for passenger and goods transport. This is putting pressure on the accessibility of cities and regions. Qualitatively, there is call for logistics that are smarter, faster, cleaner and safer. As a result of growth, there is now an overlap and connection between the logistics hubs and the cities in the AMA, and cooperation is needed to take optimal advantage of opportunities now and in the future. This is taking place through data and knowledge exchange, for instance. The partnership between Schiphol Airport, Royal Flora Holland and KLM in the Holland Flower Alliance is a concrete example. A second example is the partnership between Schiphol Airport, Royal Flora Holland, Port of Amsterdam and public players within the Amsterdam Connected Transport Corridor. North West Central Corridor and Noord West Connect are joint initiatives to combine freight loads or to shift freight transport from road to rail or waterways by making intelligent use of different transport modalities.
New vision with a common direction for logistics hubs
This year the ALB is developing a comprehensive vision for the logistics hubs in which the projects, opportunities and contemporary demands converge. The basic principle is still that organisations should organise what they can themselves and work together where necessary. But as ALB, with a vision and concrete measures, we are seeking a new, common route into the future, based on a triple helix or multi-helix. Jeanet van Antwerpen (Director of SADC) has devoted extra attention to the human factor. We might have plans and ambitions, but they will only be realised if we really want to achieve this together, and reinforce one another.
About the Amsterdam Logistics Board and Space & Infrastructure round table
The aim of the ALB is to improve the competitive position of the logistics hubs in the AMA, and of the AMA as a region, by collaborating to make logistics hubs smarter, cleaner and faster. The ALB provides direction at strategic level and actively communicates the vision and measures in order to add weight to their implementation. The partners in the ALB are Royal Schiphol Group (chair), Port of Amsterdam, Royal FloraHolland, Municipality of Haarlemmermeer, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and SADC. It is the aim to strengthen the ALB with other organisations, including public organisations. The ALB’s executive organisation is the public-private Space and Infrastructure round table. Jointly the ALB and the Space and Infrastructure round table work on identifying bottlenecks, facilitating networks, lobbying, stimulating initiatives and sharing knowledge to promote innovation.