Dinalog, the Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics, was profiled in yesterday’s diary.
Its offices in Amsterdam are right in the middle of the Schiphol airport – one of the great logistical hubs on this planet.
Its offices in Amsterdam are right in the middle of the Schiphol airport – one of the great logistical hubs on this planet.
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But the main campus is a hundred kilometres away, in Breda between Rotterdam and Antwerp. By 2020, several hundred thousand square metres are expected to accommodate 4,000 international logistics professionals, receive 400,000 visitors a year, and be one of the world’s centres for studies in logistics.
At the moment it is largely a greenfield site next to the A16 motorway:
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How do you get there? Well, you could catch a bus, with a stop just visible on the centre right that looks like this:
Or cycle there to the parking lots of the Dinalog building.
Let’s face it: you’re expected to drive. Just as in Amsterdam. Because when it comes to logistics for logisticians, apparently things in Europe aren’t much different than they are in North America.
It’s crushing to see that The Netherlands, fabled in transportation circles for their commitment to the bicycle and transit, has been building an ex-urban environment that appears to be practically as car-dependent as what we are doing.
Here’s this afternoon’s traffic in Breda, the home of Dinalog:
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Note that black-and-red band in the lower left, marking some of the worst congestion in The Netherlands a few hours ago. Yup, right next to the Dinalog campus.
I asked about that issue in the session with some of the institute’s staff. They are not unaware of the irony. Bemused smiles all around, and a recognition that this is ‘political’ problem. The Dutch like to drive too, and their leaders are sensitive.
A helpful reminder, I think, that when it comes to logistics, the problems are not just those can be solved by analysis, technology and a consensus-based process. But one would have thought that when Dinalog was doing its own planning, the results would have been more, um, innovative.
Really interesting, thanks !
Given your interest, I think you’ll be very much interested in this list of emerging Open Innovation research:
http://www.openinnovation.eu/07-05-2013/768/
I recall meeting with the Dutch Minister of Transportation while I was working on the Downtown Transportation Plan, and he made the point that ~85% of growth in transportation in The Netherlands was auto, most of it from suburb to suburb. Knowing what I thought I knew about cycling and walking and use of public transport, I didn’t know whether to believe him or not. Maybe he was correct.
He states there exists no less than one similarity among Nenshi, Redford, and Findlay they required to run on major recommendations. As well as in Findlay’s circumstance, Carter argues she is not going to again down from sticking to them, even in regions where by it would be a lot less trendy. Carter also thinks the Liberal management system (which gives every using equivalent excess weight, in spite of how many people today vote) could job against Trudeau, who’s got pockets of robust assist.
http://www.billgrierblinds.co.uk/images/project.asp?p=46 http://www.billgrierblinds.co.uk/images/project.asp?p=46