9 June 2020 | News
Edward Witlox, managing director of Bonded Services, gave an interview about his work at Schiphol Logistics Park in the magazine Logistiek Vastgoed Nederland 2020 (Logistics Real Estate Netherlands). Read his impressive story here.
Airfreight forwarder Bonded Services has been the proud tenant of two units at AMS Cargo Center in Schiphol Logistics Park since mid-2018. It’s an obvious choice, says managing director Edward Witlox. “A beautiful and sustainable building five minutes from Schiphol Airport.”
AMS Cargo Center is located at Schiphol Logistics Park and is a multi-tenant distribution centre spanning a total area of approximately 34,000 m2, divided over five units. Bonded Services rents two units totalling 11,000 m2, and has 13 loading docks. “And actually that’s already getting tight,” says Witlox, such is the speed of the company’s growth.
Deciding factor
Witlox is pleased with the location and the building; it’s well situated in relation to Schiphol and the A4 motorway, has relatively little office space compared to ‘the floor’, and has a high level of sustainability (BREEAM Very Good), which is a key policy of parent company Iron Mountain. “Developer Proptimize was extremely flexible and cooperated well in the start-up phase,” Witlox says. “That was one of the deciding factors in our choice of AMS Cargo Center.”
Customs clearance
Bonded Services is one of the largest independent companies in the clearance and distribution of consumer goods, Witlox explains. Including casual workers, approximately 80 employees now work at Bonded Services, of whom only 20 or so are in the office. The company collects goods arriving at Schiphol from online stores such as AliExpress, eBay and Wish and brings them to the warehouse – or rather, the cross-docking area. Customs handling of the incoming goods is largely automated. “It has to be, because we handle such a high number of shipments.”
Last mile distribution
“We process and sort the packages, and if necessary we label them before the shipments are delivered by last mile carriers such as DHL and DPD.” This happens at a rapid pace in an almost entirely 24/7 operation. “We coordinate last mile distribution in Europe and in principle every shipment has to leave our premises within 24 hours.” Bonded Services also deals with postal delivery for orders. “Because of the coronavirus, we’re not only seeing goods arriving at Schiphol, but also via Liège and Maastricht, for example. And even by lorry from China, because air freight is currently very expensive. Last month we handled 9 million packages, this month more than 12 million. We think the shift in consumer behaviour to purchasing online will continue and we’re already quietly looking at additional cross-docking facilities in the business park.”
Bonded Services Netherlands
- Founded in 1966
- Active in cross-border e-commerce since 2013
- Monthly volume: approx. 4-5 million kg or 10-12 million packages; declarations: 8 million
- Staff: 48 permanent, 10-40 casual
- Opening hours: 24/7