Farm Trans & Sustainability: Interview with Tjaco Joon – Business Development

Merely’ a transporter of food products, selling ‘kilometres’ to our customers? Or do we take inspiration from our motto, ‘Driving Food Forward’, to take the next step: optimising and making the entire supply chain more sustainable? This is the question Tjaco Joon from Business Development tackled last year. The answer, as you might expect, is clear…

How does Farm Trans combine its growth plans with its sustainability ambitions?

“Our ambition is clear: to become the leading specialist in moving food around the world. At the same time, we are aware of our surroundings and the impact we have on them. We want to grow, but in a responsible manner. We do this by investing in more sustainable transport, such as electric trucks. But merely ‘selling’ more vehicles and kilometres won’t help us achieve our ambitions. More is needed. Together, we have developed a strategy that combines our market knowledge, experience in food transport, and smart IT systems. We aim to unburden our customers and make the logistics operation even more efficient through chain integration. This is also known as Fourth Party Logistics (4PL). As a supply chain director, we can manage the entire logistics chain.”

What does 4PL mean in practice for Farm Trans and its customers?

“We will start working with chain partners to tailor our services to the logistical needs of our customers even more. This includes packaging and storing products for example, but above all, it’s about more efficient transport. From our ‘control tower,’ we make inbound and outbound flows more transparent, allowing us to consolidate them where possible. This reduces ‘empty kilometres.’ Why only deliver potatoes to a factory if there’s also room for other goods? And why drive back empty when we can take the finished product with us? The goal is not to make more kilometres as Farm Trans. Depending on the customer’s specific needs, we choose the most efficient, fastest, or cleanest option.”

How far along is Farm Trans with the rollout of 4PL and what are the challenges?

“We presented our plans to our sister companies in December 2023 and tested them with several clients. The response was positive, and we have already started at one of the factories. However, there is still much to be done. One step is further digitalising all flows. This also presents a significant challenge: is everyone willing to share all their information about the various flows with us? Companies often find this concerning from a security perspective. So it is up to us to prove in the coming years that our intelligent platform has excellent security. Another challenge is dealing with unforeseen circumstances. For example, if it is impossible to harvest potatoes due to heavy rainfall, do we source the product elsewhere or fill the space with other products? The continued development of our smart IT should eventually provide answers to these questions. Based on weather forecasts and historical data, we will be able to predict and plan more accurately. The platform is ready in its basic form, and we will continue to develop it in the coming years.”