Yves Van Holsbeke: “On average, we plan 650 national shipments per day”
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Meet our close-knit and dynamic National Distribution team! These five employees form the essential link between international transport operations and national pick-ups and deliveries in Belgium, northern France, and the southern Netherlands.
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This team, led by Yves Van Holsbeke, consists of Mathias and Lahoucine for dispatching, and Michiel and Milan for planning. They work in a flexible shift system with clearly divided responsibilities: from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., the focus is entirely on dispatching, and from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on planning preparation. Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., the final vehicle planning is drawn up, ensuring that all national routes seamlessly connect with the international transports of the following day.
”Customers can place their orders until 4:30 p.m. This is mostly done via our portal, but sometimes also by email, usually for last-minute requests,” says Yves.
650 shipments per day
”Every day, this team handles a major logistics challenge. On average, they plan 650 shipments per day, representing as much as 1,000 loading metres of freight. Most shipments are linked to international transport, but about one third is transported within Belgium,” he adds. ”As much as one third of all goods we handle are ADR goods (dangerous goods). This requires additional expertise from both the team and the drivers.”
A versatile fleet
The goods range from pallets (90% of shipments) to parcels, rolls and long items. To collect and deliver them, the team manages a fleet of 35 tractor-trailers, 25 distribution trucks, and three vans.
”For this, we rely on regular subcontractors with a strong local presence. This allows us to respond more quickly during peak periods,” he explains.
Real-time monitoring
All drivers are equipped with a smartphone provided by Transuniverse with a tracking and tracing application installed. ”Thanks to the app, we know at any moment exactly when a shipment is picked up or delivered, allowing us to always provide our customers with accurate information,” Yves emphasises.
Strong growth expected
The acquisition of most of Ziegler Belgium’s activities will have a significant impact on the department.
”Several Ziegler branches are strongly active in national distribution. Today, all national transport is handled from our cross-dock centre in Wondelgem, but we may adapt this setup to serve our customers even faster and more efficiently. The acquisition is still too recent to have all the pieces of the puzzle in place, but in the coming weeks we will work intensively on further optimising our organisation,” he concludes.