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Innovation & Technology Request

Solutions for the distribution of the continuous fragmented demand of fresh, chilled and frozen products in an overcrowded city center.

Country of Origin: Netherlands
Reference Number: TRNL20190430001
Publication Date: 22 May 2019

Summary

A Dutch wholesale company specialized in food and drink products is looking for new solutions for the distribution of fresh, chilled and frozen products in an overcrowded city center. Collaboration based on a research cooperation agreement or a technical cooperation agreement. 
This technology request refers to an innovation challenge published on an open innovation platform.

Description

The Dutch wholesale company is  specialized in the sales and distribution of food and drink products for the foodservice market, such as  -bars, restaurants, etcetera. 
In many big cities, for instance Amsterdam, the distribution of these products in the city center becomes a growing problem caused by:
- Customers are used to ordering more and getting delivered quicker, this leads to more logistics movements in the inner city.
- E-commerce / digitization: Digitization is changing the route to the market; think of platforms and marketplaces. Customers order more resulting in more web shops with more logistic movements.
- The growing need of climate neutral distribution especially in city centers.
- Changing consumer behavior, generation of millennials ( more frequent out-of-home eating) and increasing tourism.
- Rising incomes as a result of which more and more consumers are eating in restaurants and the demand is increasing.
- Growing parking problems.
- The laws and regulations regarding the permitted noise pollution, especially in the night hours.
- Changing regulations regarding zero emission in city centers for distribution activities.
The company has formulated the Challenge to solve; how to continue serving customers with increasing demands and restrictions. With changing laws / regulations and consumer demand, customers in the city still have to be served.
The company is interested in new ideas and new solutions for these distribution problems. Given the increasingly crowded city center, the company is striving for as few movements as possible in order to contribute to reducing traffic jams.
Possible directions for these solutions can be:
- From a 'pull' to 'push' system to suit the customer needs
- Hubs
- Cooperation, white labels
- Night deliveries
- Smart ICT solutions for combining deliveries
- Other transport routes. Metro / tram / boat / drones
- More stock on location, which means fewer stops are needed
- Increased speed of unloading leading to less congestion

For this and probably other solutions the company is looking for cooperation with other companies and disciplines regarding:
- Long-term vision of the government
- Technological innovation in means of distribution/ transport and/or cooling
- Supplying parties / Supply chain
- Development in food technology and industry
- Question, behavior and awareness of the client / entrepreneur

Collaboration based on a research cooperation agreement or a technical cooperation agreement.

IMPORTANT: This technology request refers to an innovation challenge published on an open internet platform. If an organization expresses interest before the closing date, it will be guided towards this open innovation platform. After registration participants can browse free through other submissions and engage in discussions. All submissions will get feedback by the company on this open platform. The challenge closes on June 21st, 2019. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential.
Beside open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After that, the firm will select the organizations with whom they would like to cooperate in the development of a solution. Once the challenge is closed, expressions of interest for this technology request will be treated in the traditional way.

Expertise sought

Cooperation sought with creative companies interested in the development of a newdistribution concept or companies in this supply chain interested in cooperation for the development of a new city distribution concept.

Requested partner

Creative companies or companies in the supply chain interested in co-developing a new city distribution concept.

Cooperation offer is closed for requests