21/10/2024
Gateway to Rotterdam?
Boy did we get some awesome requests for the past week!
Let me tell you about this specific one:
🚆
The Belgium Railways came over to Rotterdam with their development team; a group of mixed experts: logistics, IT, branding, finance.
🎓
Main innovation topics: mobility supply customer experience
🎳
We arranged several experts at Central Station shared tons of ‘ooohh’ and ‘aha!’ information. I got to join myself and loved the following striking intell!
💫 the Albert Heijn To Go supermarket sells out 3 (!) times a day....
imagine the supply dynamics from the hidden corridor running behind all shops
💫 this AH is franchised by Nederlandse Spoorwegen...
so this supermarket personnel is working for NS. These retail activities show to be significant for NS Concern, a completely new concept to our guests. The staff of Kiosk and Julia’s are NS personnel as well. These concepts are developed and owned by NS (not franchised)
💫 the ‘smart tram’ driving around Rotterdam is a testing lab, while being part of the daily network...
this was a new idea to the visiting innovation team, triggering lots of questions
💫 the (free!) bike parking stores 4.000 bikes, also positioned underground....
the group loved the double stack sliding-system,
and the fact that these racks ‘feel’ being occupied, enabling that real-time availability is shown at the front of each row
💫 the letters CENTRAAL STATION where re-used (okay okay 3 had to be re-produced 😉) ....
during the transition period from the old station (so loved but too small) to the new station, the letters said TRAAN LATEN (shed a tear)
💫 logistics in Markthal are hidden. No-one ever sees a roll container......
the supply of the Markthal units is very different than of the Albert Heijn supermarket on -1 (with a ‘street elevator’) ánd far from similar to the AH shop at Central Station. More over, at CS, the NS herself (!) is in charge of all logistic schedules to and from the stores
🍽️
To top it off, lunch is ready!
💚
This same week we hosted the development team of ‘Sweden’s most populair shopping mall’. Same topics, completely different bespoke programme.
