Empty Logistics

The use of glass bottles for beverages remains popular in Belgium. The costs of sorting out, transporting and storing these empty bottles is not to be neglected and often not very transparent. In this project VIL aims to analyse and reduce these non-value adding costs.

status: Closed | theme: Green Supply Chains | type: Regional

A significant share of the logistic activity in the beverage and retail industry consists of managing the flows of empty bottles. With its project Empty Logistics, VIL wants to reduce the total cost of the supply chain of returnable empties, either by improving current flows and processes and by introducing totally new service concepts, like managing the entire flow of empties independent of a particular brand or retailer. Such a full scale logistics service package would include collecting, sorting and putting empties back at the disposal of beverage producers.

OPPORTUNITIES

The reduction of cost in the total logistic chain of returnable empties.
New concept(s) for logistics services including the associated business model(s).
A shift to railway and/or inland shipping between consolidation points and producers.

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

The current flows of returnable empties in Flanders are being analysed, both quantitative and qualitative. The total cost of the logistic chain will be made transparent.
Analysis: Which impact does a partial or complete removal of empties flows from existing return flows of other goods (e.g. trolleys, packaging waste) have on the cost of those returns?
Search for cost savings, within the existing flows and processes as well as within new concepts and business models.
Practical tests: improvement proposals and new concepts will be tested in actual practice, including modal shift opportunities.

PRACTICAL DETAILS

Planned launch: February 2017

Total lead time: 15 months

Participating companies

Eight companies: AB Inbev, Belgische Brouwers, Chep, Coca Cola European Partners Belgium, Delhaize, FeBeD, Jost Logistics (Verbessem) en Retail Partners Colruyt Group.

deelnemers-empty-logistics-vil-18-04-2017

Press (in Dutch)

18/04/2017 – VIL persbericht: ‘VIL zoekt logistieke oplossingen voor hoge kosten leeggoed.’

News

18/06/2018 – Business Logistics – Een vat vol uitdagingen: VIL onderzoekt efficiëntie van retourstromen in de drankensector
05/06/2018 – NVC Nederlands Verpakkingscentrum – Behoefte aan standaardisatie glazen statiegeldflessen
29/05/2018 – VMT Food – Sortering van de flessen grootste pijnpunt
28/05/2018 – DG Industries – Minder verschillende tarieven voor statiegeld nodig
28/05/2018 – DG Retail – Minder verschillende tarieven voor statiegeld nodig
25/05/2018 – Susanova – AB Inbev, Delhaize en Coca-Cola combineren flessentransport
23/05/2018 – Inshore & Yachting – Nood aan standaardisatie glazen drankflessen met statiegeld
23/05/2018 – Tech2day – Sector vraagt standaardisatie glazen drankflessen met statiegeld
23/05/2018 – Engineeringnet – Sector vraagt standaardisatie glazen drankflessen met statiegeld
23/05/2018 – Gondola – Drankensector pleit voor standaardisatie glazen flessen
23/05/2018 – Transportmedia – Speciaalbieren verstoren retourlogistiek glazen drankflessen
11/05/2017 – Nederlands Verpakkingscentrum – Glazen statiegeldflessen: project Empty Logistics van start
29/04/2017 – Inshore & Yachting – VIL zoekt logistieke oplossingen voor hoge kosten leeggoed
19/04/2017 – Gondola – Logistieke oplossingen gezocht voor hoge kosten leeggoed
19/04/2017 – Transport Media – VIL lanceert Empty Logistics project om logisyieke kost leeggoed te reduceren
19/04/2017 – FEBED – Kick-off meeting Empty Logistics bij VIL
18/04/2017 – Engineernet – Logistieke oplossingen gezocht voor hoge kosten leeggoed

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