Solar Netherlands – LINK

For technical wholesaler Solar Nederland, logistics is one of the most important requirements for success. In addition, from its Dutch head office in Alkmaar, the company will focus on further developing added value propositions and providing the right solutions for its customers in the coming years. ‘We are determined to make big steps towards sustainability, in our own operations and throughout our entire chain – from suppliers to customers.’

Solar Nederland combines sustainability and logistics

Solar, part of the Danish company, serves as a wholesaler SolarGroup, a wide range of customers. “We work in many different sectors,” says Arjan Schotsman, industry sales director at Solar. ‘We sell to the industrial, installation and trade sectors. Within the industry, our target group consists of machine and panel builders, but we also visit production locations and supply to offshore and marine companies.’

In recent years, Solar has invested heavily in its distribution center. For example, the Duiven and Alkmaar locations have been merged into Alkmaar. “We have gone from 30,000 to 40,000 square meters,” says Schotsman proudly. ‘An additional outdoor area of ​​10,000 square meters has been added, where we store, among other things, large cable reels and PVC long goods in the open air.’

The expansion of the central warehouse also involved considerable automation. “Previously, we needed a lot of space and people to display and collect items,” says André Lankhorst, warehouse operations manager at Solar. ‘Now we have a smart system, Autostore, where robots bring the goods in our warehouse to production employees. That makes the entire process much more efficient.’

‘We are really at the heart of the electrification of our market’

Previously, there was a chance that a colleague would pick up and send the wrong product. ‘After all, it was human work,’ Schotsman adds. ‘We have now reduced that chance of error by almost 100 percent through our automated system. It improves our services.’

Smarts

Efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand, according to Solar. ‘We have introduced more smart features to, among other things, reduce CO₂emissions,” says Schotsman. ‘Take packaging. We have special box folding machines, so that we transport minimal air. This allows us to stack more efficiently and transport more boxes per truck. We also do not use plastic bubble wrap as filling material, but recycled paper. We take a pioneering role in everything we do.’

Sustainability is a priority for Solar. ‘Our ambition is to have all our eighteen locations gas-free by 2025 and in Alkmaar by 2030 net zero to be,” Schotsman explains. ‘We are now already running on 100 percent renewable energy.’ Solar installed 1,240 solar panels on its warehouse. These largely cover the energy needs. ‘We are currently setting up an energy storage system so that we can store the excess capacity of our solar panels for later use, for example for charging our forklifts. In this way we want to reduce the footprint of our logistics operations.’

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Solar’s environmental ambitions are far-reaching. ‘We also pay attention to the existing nature around our site,’ says Schotsman. ‘We protect and further expand the local flora. For example, there are beehives. Every time I enter Alkmaar, I see jars of honey at the reception. In addition, there are flower meadows that are not mowed to allow all kinds of insects to thrive.’

Impact in the chain

With these actions, Solar wants to inspire its customers and include them in a sustainable story. ‘Making our business more sustainable is extremely important for now and the future,’ says Schotsman. ‘If we want to remain significant in the market, we must do this. We are also firmly convinced that we must do our part to make the world a better place. For example, we can now use the CO₂-provide insight into the impact of our products. This helps our customers with their own sustainability challenges. We are really at the heart of the electrification of our market.’

Collaborating with customers and suppliers in the chain is crucial for sustainability, according to Solar. “We are a knowledge partner for our customers to meet their sustainability ambitions,” says Lankhorst. ‘A lot of the impact of industrial sectors such as mechanical engineering is in their chain. A wholesaler like us can play a major role by sharing knowledge and taking action ourselves.’

Link magazine February/March 2024 Theme: The chain in order at local level.
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Proper documentation

There are still major sustainable shifts to come in the future. This concerns changes in legislation and regulations, but also within the chain. “As a broker, we also clearly see the effects of new regulations,” says Schotsman. ‘Consider the EPD certificates (Environmental Product Declaration, ed.), which manufacturers must now link to their products. It is important for mechanical engineering that our products have correct documentation.’ Schotsman sees it as a joint responsibility for Solar and its manufacturers to make those EPDs available. ‘For us, this means, for example, integration with the webshop. Under European legislation, we are responsible for CO together with suppliers and customers₂reduction’, Schotsman knows. ‘We also fulfill an advisory role with regard to legislation and regulations, such as the Recognized Lists of Measures (EML) and the energy saving obligation.’

Solar is now also more resistant to any shortages in the chain. “We are now much more attentive to where products come from,” says Lankhorst. ‘In the past, we just looked to see if it was a good quality product. If a large part of our products came from China, that was no problem. Nowadays we want to be less dependent and we spread it out much more. Our products have shorter chains and we try to guarantee delivery security from different suppliers. We no longer focus everything on Asia.’

Growing green

Here too, automation makes it possible to respond better to more complex supply chains. “During the corona years, the motto was: build up stock,” says Schotsman. ‘With our new systems, which also work around lead time and planning, we are better prepared for shortages and shocks. Of course, we don’t know what will happen to us in the future, but we have learned a lot from the corona period.’

With all these investments, Solar is ready to grow further in an environmentally friendly manner. “We supply the entire range of installation materials, sustainable logistics and services,” concludes Schotsman. ‘We see opportunities in all markets. Growth is coming our way. But we want to do this in a climate-neutral way. This combination of focus on sustainability and growth is our and our customers’ priority. We are more ready than ever to respond to this.’