STREAMLINING YOUR LOGISTICS
EDITION 01–2022 WWW.DISTRILOG.BE
CONSTANTLY MOVING TOWARDS
SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS OUR ANSWER TO THE
LABOUR MARKET SHORTAGE 30 YEARS DISTRILOG
DHB NETWORK COLLABORATION
Dear Member of the Distrilog Family, First of all, please accept my best wishes to you and your family for 2022! 2021 has flown by. We are happy to say that we at Distrilog have kept ourselves busy. Apart from opening our new depot in Olen, successfully implementing the Tx-flex scanners for the drivers, and rolling out AFAS, we have continued our investments in sustainable logistics. Reducing our energy consumption and CO2 emissions remains an ongoing objective. This magazine offers you an overview of the efforts already made, as well as the investments we are planning to make in 2022. In addition to our 41 LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) trucks, we hope to have our first e-truck by the end of the year.
2 • DISTRILOG
In 2021, we set up the Distrilog Job Center, invested in our own Logistics Academy and positioned ourselves as a major regional employer. Despite these initiatives, finding motivated employees remains a huge challenge, with an unemployment rate of 3.3% and an employment rate of 74.7% in Flanders. In response to this situation, we
are organising three job days in January, implementing a new evaluation policy and continuing to invest in our employer branding. Finally, we are rolling out three major new projects in the first half of the year. I look forward to explaining them in our next magazine. Just to arouse your curiosity... We hope you enjoy reading it! PHILIP SALAERTS
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2009: Start of DHB network collaboration 2021 WAS THE YEAR IN WHICH DISTRILOG GROUP CELEBRATED ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY. BECAUSE OF COVID, WE WILL CONTINUE THE FESTIVITIES IN 2022 AND WE WOULD LIKE TO SPOTLIGHT ONE OF OUR MILESTONES. In 2009, Distrilog Group joined forces with its logistics partners De Graaf (NL), Thijs (NL), Tielbeke (NL), Wesseling (NL), and Charlier (LU) – all family businesses. As a founding partner of DHB – Distribution HollandBelgium – we were and are part of an intelligent and tightly-meshed distribution network throughout the Benelux.
Our strong localisation policy, engaged employees, modern technology, and wide range of services allow DHB to offer each customer the strength of a Benelux company with the service provided by a family business. This unique collaboration guarantees that every shipment reaches its destination within 24 hours. And this applies everywhere in the Benelux.
For Distrilog Group, the establishment of DHB meant scale and consolidation of transports within the Benelux. Moreover, it supported and underpins our objective to provide more sustainable logistics with fewer kilometres and less CO₂. Therefore, DHB is rightly a milestone in our history.
Constantly moving towards sustainable logistics SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS IS ONE OF DISTRILOG’S SPEARHEADS. OUR FAMILY BUSINESS HAS INVESTED HEAVILY IN SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS IN RECENT YEARS. WE WILL REMAIN ON COURSE DURING 2022. WHAT FOLLOWS IS A LIST OF THE GREEN INITIATIVES WE HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED AND WHAT IS STILL PLANNED.
Carton machine
Waste sorting
LED lighting
HVO diesel project
Increased load factor
Freight consolidation Eco-driving
Optimised transport planning
DHB network
Solar panels
Air-emissions heating Multi-modal transport
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Return transport
Paperless service
THESE GREEN SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED AND ARE BEARING FRUIT EVERY DAY:
21 LNG trucks
Rainwater recuperation
IN 2021, WE COMPLEMENTED THESE EFFORTS WITH:
ON SCHEDULE FOR 2022:
• Decreasing our paper consumption Since the introduction of scanners in our distribution vehicles, our paper consumption has decreased remarkably. And we have fully switched to recycled paper for the rest of our paper consumption.
• Additional LED lighting In 2022, we will going ahead with our warehouses in Breendonk (59,000 m²) and Vilvoorde (73,000 m²) for clear savings on energy consumption.
• Plant-based coffee cups Sustainable logistics goes beyond our fleet and warehouses. Our coffee machines are now equipped with coffee cups made from 100% renewable raw materials; they even have a vegetable-based coating. • 10 new LNG trucks Last year, we added 10 additional vehicles to our existing fleet of LNG vehicles. • Additional LED lighting In addition to our depots in Evergem, Bornem, Weversstraat 2 in Londerzeel and Victor Dumonlaan 40 in Willebroek, we also equipped our garage in Westmeerbeek and our sites in Victor Dumonlaan 2 and 3 in Willebroek with energy-efficient LED lighting. • Charging stations for electric bicycles We installed charging stations for electric bicycles in the bicycle sheds at our depots in Breendonk and in Victor Dumonlaan 2 and 40 in Willebroek.
• 10 extra LNG vehicles Just like 2021, our fleet will be expanded with 10 new LNG vehicles in 2022, bringing the total to 41. • Investigation into charging stations for electric cars In addition to charging stations for electric bicycles, we also started a preliminary investigation into the installation of charging stations for electric cars on our sites. • Cooling optimisation in collaboration with Encon Distrilog and Encon are collaborating to determine which technical and infrastructural improvements related to sustainable enterprise can be made to our buildings and cooling installations. • First electric truck We hope to welcome the first electric truck to our fleet in 2022.
As part of our sustainable logistics, this newspaper was printed on recycled paper. However, we can offer you the option to receive this magazine in digital form in the future. Interested? Then please provide us with your contact details and we will add you to our mailing list. marketing@distrilog.be
We wish you
all the best for a prosperous, healthy and successful 2022! WOULD YOU ALSO LIKE TO RECEIVE A DISTRILOG CALENDAR? SIMPLY SEND YOUR ADDRESS DETAILS TO MARKETING@DISTRILOG.BE AND WE WILL BE PLEASED TO SEND YOU A CALENDAR.
Our answer to the labour market shortage 4 • DISTRILOG
IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2021, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE FLEMISH REGION WAS BARELY 4.0% (SOURCE: STATBEL). IN CONTRAST, THE NUMBER OF JOB OPENINGS REACHED RECORD HIGHS. THE DEMAND FOR WORK IS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THE SUPPLY. WE WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU HOW DISTRILOG GROUP RESPONDS TO THIS SHORTAGE.
DISTRILOG JOB CENTER For some time now, the upper floor of our Weversstraat 15 premises in Londerzeel has housed our full-time interim partners. In 2021, this location was restyled into a true Job Center. It is now a full-time base of operations for recruiting – interviewing, testing, onboarding – and following up on all of our temps. This in-house collaboration allows for short lines of communication, fast feedback, and helps new staff start efficiently. For Distrilog, January 2022 is all about recruiting. During our job days, jointly with our full-time temping partners, we will receive potential staff at our sites in Breendonk, Puurs, and Ghent for a guided tour and an interview. Those who are eligible will go home with a job and start date.
INVESTING IN TRAINING AND ONBOARDING In addition to its Transport Academy for truck drivers Distrilog launched in 2021 its own Logistics Academy. This allows us to streamline and expand the training and onboarding of all of our new warehouse workers. And this ensures that staff start successfully and we invest in long-term relationships with our staff. On their first workday, new staff learn about our company, values, and activities. They then receive training on food safety and safe working practices in our warehouses. This session is followed by a short knowledge test, which in turn is followed by theoretical and practical rolling stock training, and the final practical test. It’s interesting to note that all training sessions are conducted by our own instructors, who have themselves previously received the necessary training. After a successful start-up and onboarding, we also ensure that our staff receive the proper follow-up. To this end, we will roll out an updated evaluation policy in 2022. We will also continue to invest in their training. We also provide other training at our Academy, such as for staff who need a refresher course or are interested in training to become reach or forklift drivers.
DISTRILOG GROUP IN THE SPOTLIGHT Our rebranding, new website, and the total revamp of our social media channels will ensure that Distrilog Group stands out as a major regional employer. The updating of our flyer campaigns and ads on façades and in newspapers and magazines strengthen our presence in the Antwerp-Brussels axis. An example of this was the Truck Driver Appreciation Day on 9 December 2021. On that day, we surprised all of our staff and visitors at one of our sites with a nice gift. And our participation in Febetra’s national media campaign did not go unnoticed. Distrilog hopes that actions like the above will make a difference in the current labour market and help form a strong bond with our staff. This remains a challenge in Flanders with the 3.3% unemployment rate and 74.7% employment rate.
DISTRILOG GROUP · KONINGIN ASTRIDLAAN 14 · B-2830 WILLEBROEK (BREENDONK) · T +32 3 860 00 86 · SALES@DISTRILOG.BE · WWW.DISTRILOG.BE