LISTEN: Jan van Casteren, head of Europe, Flexport, speaks to Estates Gazette at WIRED 2016 on how modern supply chains could rely less on distribution warehouses.
Freight forwarding company Flexport is looking to send shipments directly to retailers, rather than to distribution hubs, so that the shops get their products much faster, explained Flexport’s head of Europe at WIRED Retail 2016 at the British Museum.
By using the company’s vast data capabilities, it can calculate how to get items to stores much faster. In some instances, using a distribution hub can cause a delay, he said.
The proposed method, called distribution centre bypass, would then enable retailers to save warehousing space for surplus stock.
Flex port is also proposing a direct to consumer fulfillment method, which would see the fulfillment centre put at the front of the supply chain, rather than at the end.
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