Line driver Jaap Rietveld: “We have to work together to improve efficiency.

Line driver Jaap Rietveld has been working with Floriday for two years now. Son Jeffrey Rietveld, in charge of procurement: “We were sceptical about the platform to begin with, but we have since embraced the benefits of going digital. Looking ahead, we see plenty of opportunities, but we have to work together.”

The independent operator has been delivering quality plants from its vans for more than 30 years, mostly in eastern Germany. Ever since it was set up in 1991, Jaap Rietveld has been renowned for its expertise and quality products for florists, garden centres and DIY stores. Jeffrey came on board five years ago, initially joining sales and then progressing to purchasing. He uses Floriday for purchasing.

Short lines and personal contact

The company is renowned for its direct contact with growers. Jeffrey: “We visit growers as independent operators, to put together our unique stock. We don't have a webshop for our customers, but we know where their needs lie. They can buy directly from the van, which saves a great deal of time and effort. About 95% goes in casual sales from the van and 5% is ordered in advance and included specifically for that customer."

From scepticism to greater efficiency

When this independent operator started with Floriday, Jaap Rietveld was sceptical. He was still driving the van himself at the time, arranging everything by phone during the long drives to Germany and keeping lists. Nowadays, Jaap is no longer on the road. He now places standing orders through Floriday using, among other things, the contract module in Floriday. “We record agreements with a variety of growers in Floriday's contract module electronically. We work together with the growers to draw up the contract and then rely on that,” Jeffrey says. “We find it works perfectly and efficiently.”

Although there are fewer phone calls these days, there is still a lot of personal contact, not least because we always pick up our stock direct. Jeffrey: “We now put our stock together by combining selecting through Floriday with our visits to the growers. This works very well for us, and means we can guarantee to supply high-end stock.”

Stock needs to be correct on Floriday

Both Jaap and Jeffrey see opportunities in the development process Floriday is undergoing. Jeffrey: “We currently have to call growers fairly often because at times the stock is not listed correctly on Floriday. There is room for improvement there. When contract and other stock are in good condition, we can reduce our purchasing time by about 20% to 30%. We buy produce from 60 to 80 different growers and need to be happy that the produce is ready at the nursery when we go to collect. Also, the Floriday Messenger will soon start saving us time because we will have to make fewer follow-up calls.”

Working together for greater efficiency

''The sector needs to work together to achieve success. If growers list their stock on Floriday consistently and correctly, use of Floriday will increase and efficiency will improve. This will lead to more reliable processes, where both growers and Jaap's company will reap the benefits. “For the time being, we will continue to make follow-up calls, also because we value personal contact. But we are also definitely looking forward to the efficiency gains we can make together in this sector.