Flourishing business from home
The owner of Ideas 4 Seasons, Rudolf Vergeer, works from home. But you would not say that based on the size of the business… His company is a wholesaler for the wholesale florist market. It supplies nearly all the florists’ needs, except for the flowers themselves. With nearly 90 containers from China last year and 200 monthly shipments to its customers, his company is likely to grow 10-20% a year.
The entrepreneur created a successful, lean model for his company. He realized that working efficiently and eliminating overhead was the only way to survive in the competitive market. His idea is: “The more you outsource, the more time you have for the customers, sales and product development. If something happens regularly, someone else should do it”.
Rudolf Vergeer is still managing his company with limited permanent staff in their home offices. To make the company as efficient as possible, he outsources nearly everything from logistics, purchasing, sales, marketing, IT and even back-office activities.
Since almost a decade the logistics of Ideas 4 Seasons has been outsourced to Raben Netherlands. From their location in Oss the logistic provider takes care of all logistic activities for the quickly growing wholesaler. This includes, among other things, receiving goods from suppliers, maintaining storage in the warehouse and distributing products to florist wholesalers throughout Europe.
Partnership between Raben and Ideas 4 Seasons
Raben Netherlands convinced me with its scale of business and the individual approach. As an entrepreneur, I was looking for a logistics partner that is big enough to cope and small enough to care. While working with Raben’s contract logistics team, I have trust that they take care of my daily business and help me to face the logistics challenges. In my dynamically growing business, flexibility is essential and reliable supply chain is a basis for further growth - said Rudolf Vergeer - Owner of Ideas 4 Seasons
Ideas 4 Seasons’s business model with short communication lines allows for an open, honest and efficient cooperation. Their lean organisational structure synchronizes well with Raben’s flat organisational structure. This allows us to adapt swiftly to the changing needs of our customers, ensuring a solution that is tailor made to their needs and providing the expected flexibility to growing businesses. - said Rob Verhoeven, Warehouse Supervisor at Raben Netherlands
Raben Netherlands handles inbound deliveries, stock management, picking and order preparation, as well as value added services and outbound distribution throughout Europe, through its own network of 165 depots. By combining contract logistics and cross-dock activities under one roof, picking times and handling costs are reduced for its customers. With the opening of a brand new Zero Emission Warehouse across the road from the existing depot in Oss, Raben Netherlands increases its domestic storage and handling capacity significantly, further increasing its customers’ potential to grow together with their partner in logistics.