Where most employees are used to receiving a Christmas gift personally, this will be different this year. The corona measures ensure that many people work from home whenever possible. Employers who want to give their employees a Christmas gift will probably have to send it. But how do they ensure that the package arrives at the recipient without damage, while retaining quality?

3.5 million tons of pharmaceuticals per year are transported by ship, 0.5 million tons per year by air. Although the majority of the drugs were produced in Europe, America and Japan 20 years ago, today, China and India are the leading suppliers. The main reason for this is that pharmaceutical companies were no longer able to make large profits because of too small margins. Producing in a country with low production and labour costs seemed the solution. Unfortunately, this method has been causing problems in recent years, with the current corona crisis as the lowest point.

Today is the International Polar Bear Day. This has been organised annually since 2011 on 27 February to draw attention to the habitat of the polar bear. It is of vital importance to become aware of the impact that global warming and sea ice has on polar bears. For that reason, attention is requested to find ways that could reduce CO2 emissions.

For many a day to celebrate love, give each other gifts, cards and flowers, for some, it’s a real commercial thing. No matter how we think about this day, 14 February is worldwide known as Valentine’s day.  This is one of the most import days in the flower industry. The weeks before Valentine’s day are hectic days at the flower auction, because during these weeks there will be sold twice as many flowers than in an average week. The role of the Netherlands in flower export is enormous, especially at days like these, so where does that leave us? 

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is China’s most important holiday and this year it takes place on January 25. Everything is standing still around this date, and for that reason, this will cause the necessary production and transport problems.

National Tulip Day is on January 18. Not surprisingly, this flower has been given its own day, because like mills and clogs, tulips are inextricably linked to the Netherlands. These beautiful spring flowers, found on many bulb fields in our little country, are in the top 10 of Dutch export products; almost 2.5 billion tulip bulbs are exported abroad every year. But not without a struggle. Because how do we ensure that our tulips end up in the vase of good quality anywhere in the world?

We know that climate conditions in a sea container have a major impact on cargo during the transport of goods. Moisture problems, in particular, can lead to damage and therefore rejected loads. It is therefore important that those involved have sufficient knowledge of the risks when it comes to temperature and moisture. The decision to transport certain goods by standard sea container is determined by three important factors:

• External conditions (temperature, humidity, sun, rain, wind)
• Load (moisture content, temperature)
• Type of container (open/closed, ventilation/no ventilation, insulated/not insulated)

Before you can enjoy a good glass of wine, a lot of work has already been done. The production of wine in the vineyards in France or Argentine, for example, the transport with the various links in it, the sale to the company or consumer. Before the glass can be filled, we can state that the bottle has already had a long trip, with all the associated risks. Breakage, temperature and moisture are common risks in wine transportation. 

Internal discussions about under which budget the application of a container pack falls naturally occur regularly. Do they fall under the transport costs? Alternatively, the packaging costs? Does the container pack have to be added to the value of the load? Also, how does the value of the solution (preventing loss) relate to the investment? These issues are very logical because the costs for such a solution must be included under a specific budget.

The Netherlands is a real beer country. Not only is beer the most popular alcoholic beverage, but th...