The French tropical fruit producer SIIM (Sociéte Internationale d’Importation), a division of the Omer-Decugis & Cie group, and logistics service provider Kloosterboer began their cooperation at the end of 2020. Initially, Kloosterboer began by handling containers of pineapples from Ecuador at its Cool Port Rotterdam facility, followed by containers full of bananas that are being processed at Kloosterboer’s banana hub in Vlissingen. Starting in June, SIIM will also have its mangoes, which are coming in from West Africa, routed through Vlissingen for further distribution.
In order to increase flexibility while at the same time creating a more sustainable supply chain, the containers that arrive in Antwerp and Rotterdam are shipped by barge to Vlissingen. During this trip, the containers are plugged in to guarantee the quality of the product. This means of transport is unique in SIIM’s history. Vincent Omer-Decugis, CEO of SIIM, said: “Kloosterboer is offering us an integrated service by taking care of container transport, customs formalities and cold storage. This new logistics constitutes a significant innovation of our supply chain from Ecuador, reducing transit time and carbon footprint (using barges instead of trucks for the harbor logistics). Better for our products, our customers and the planet!”