Tilburg-Waalwijk Logistics Hotspot nr.1 of the Netherlands

April 4, 2019

Tilburg-Waalwijk has had to wait thirteen years for it, but this region of Brabant has finally been declared Logistic Hotspot of the Year. In a survey - an initiative of Logistiek.nl - a panel of logistics experts gave TilburgWaalwijk the most votes. Venlo-Venray ends in second place. West-Brabant, which won the two previous editions, dropped to third place. Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde is the absolute runner up this year, with place 4.

TilburgWaalwijk owes its title of Logistics Hotspot of the Year to the fact that the panel gave the region the highest rating on the criteria of availability of sufficient personnel (ex aequo with Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde, ed.) and the cooperation of the government/municipality in facilitating new logistics activities. Tilburg-Waalwijk received the most praise for the latter criterion in particular. "The top 3 is a close call, but Tilburg is definitely on 1 with its approach", says one of the panel members in his comments on this criterion.

On the criterion of availability of building land and buildings Tilburg-Waalwijk must leave a mark. Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde, West-Brabant and Venlo-Venray are doing better in this area than the Central Brabant region.

Most votes for Tilburg-Waalwijk

In addition to these three criteria, the panel members in the hotspot survey also gave their preferred votes to criteria such as: motivation of personnel, availability of infrastructure, accessibility of the logistics hotspot, the degree of national e-fulfilment, crossborder e-fulfilment and which hotspot is particularly suitable for national distribution activities. On all these criteria, Venlo-Venray just received the most preferential votes for TilburgWaalwijk, which ultimately obtained the most votes on the basis of all these criteria. This is the first time since the start of the election in 2006 that this region has won the coveted title of Logistic Hotspot number 1 in the Netherlands.

Region is optimally accessible

Berend de Vries, Alderman for Economic Affairs of Tilburg, says in a first reaction that winning the Logistics Hotspot of the Year Award is a recognition of the efforts and investments that have been made in recent years. "Logistics is an innovative top-class sport and requires good accessibility by road, water and rail. We are investing heavily in the ports of Tilburg and Waalwijk, and our region is optimally accessible thanks to the train connection with China.

Reception of labour migrants

De Vries, his colleague in Waalwijk, Ronald Bakker, particularly emphasises the fact that the years of commitment and investments have not gone unnoticed within the logistics sector. "This has great added value for us. After all, together with our partners from the education and business sectors, we work every day to create an excellent business climate for logistics and we also tackle the problems. That is why we are at the forefront of the region in realising high-quality, large-scale accommodation for short-stay labour migrants, in order to be able to make a contribution to the need for personnel."

Top region through cooperation

Wil Versteijnen, CEO of GVT Group of Logistics, who has been presenting himself for years as ambassador of Tilburg-Waalwijk, says he is proud to have been at the cradle of this region when it comes to logistics developments. "It's great to see how a partnership can grow into a top region. As GVT, together with the authorities and the municipality of Tilburg, we have achieved various milestones in recent years, such as the first barge terminal in 1998, the rail terminal in 2010 and the setting up of the Huis van de Logistiek (House of Logistics).

Establishment of EDCs

Versteijnen also states that the region has now become the most important corridor for inland shipping in the port of Rotterdam. "And by rail, too, we have recently established unique connections with China and Poland. This position means that 90 percent of the containers that are brought in and taken out by rail or inland shipping are unloaded or loaded directly in our region. This in turn attracts European distribution centres (EDCs) that land in the Tilburg-Waalwijk region."

Close cooperation between knowledge institutions

Twan van Lankveld of Midpoint Brabant Smart Logistics, is pleased to see that all the regional efforts of recent years have led to this great result. But he also looks ahead and states that Midpoint Brabant's logistics programme will mainly focus on 'Smart Logistics': no more, but smarter. "Doing more with the same people and resources to better facilitate sustainable growth. Whether it's about data mining, which has made its appearance in all sectors, including logistics chains, or about smart deployment of people and knowledge". According to Van Lankveld, this will be put into practice in the coming years with, among other things, a data programme in logistics (DALI). "In addition, we are also looking for innovation via startups (Pitch Logistics) and students in close cooperation with the knowledge institutions in Brabant via the Logistic Community Brabant (LCB).

Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde runner up

This year's runner-up is without a doubt the Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde region. This year, the Flevoland region - host of the Summit Logistics Hotspots in 2018 - has entered the top five with a fourth place (2018: place 12). The 'logistic hotspot in the making' was frequently in the news last year and this year due to the arrival of the mega distribution centre of the Spanish clothing giant Inditex and the development of the new Flevokust port on the IJsselmeer.

Top 10 logistics hotspots 2019

During today's Summit Logistic Hotspots in Weert, TilburgWaalwijk has been honoured as logistics hotspots number 1 in the Netherlands. In the top 10 Tilburg-Waalwijk (1), Venlo-Venray (2) West-Brabant (3) are followed by the logistics hotspots, Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde, Rivierenland (Tiel-Geldermalsen-Zaltbommel), Oss-Veghel-'s-Hertogenbosch, A12 Corridor (Lansingerland-Zoetermeer-Zuidplas-Waddinxveen), Twente (Almelo-Hengelo-Enschede), Utrecht (Lage Weide)-Nieuwegein-Vianen, Arnhem-Nijmegen.

Smart Logistics in Central Brabant

Logistics Hotspot of the Year! Of course we are very proud of that. With excellent basic facilities and an excellent working and living climate, we are now working together to make the region even more sustainable. Midpoint Brabant Smart Logistics is the link between companies, governments, educational institutions and social organisations. Through innovative partnerships, we are building state-of-the-art digitisation, robotisation, data mining and smart mobility. Together with our partners, we provide innovations that make the economy 'smarter and stronger' ... and we contribute to a future-proof society.

www.midpointbrabant.nl/smartlogistics

Tilburg: The world at your feet
Tilburg is a powerful economic hub with international connections. A city in full development with innovative transformations and 170 million consumers within a radius of 500 kilometers quickly and easily accessible by road, water and rail. Companies such as Tesla, H&M, Coca Cola, Cool Blue, Sacha, Samsung and The Sting supply their European customers from their distribution centres based in Tilburg. A direct train connection with China provides a connection to the New Silk Road. With room to grow and favourable rents and land prices, there are plenty of possibilities here!

www.makeitintilburg.com

Waalwijk: Absolute national top
Waalwijk is the absolute national top in e-commerce and e-fulfilment, with renowned names such as Bol.com, Apple and large-scale distribution centres such as Spar, van Haren and De Mandemakers Groep. With its strategic location, Waalwijk fits in perfectly with the main arterial roads, is close to the Tilburg rail terminal, is directly connected to the port cities of Rotterdam and Antwerp and has the airports of Rotterdam-The Hague, Eindhoven and Amsterdam Schiphol within a short distance. Tilburg-Waalwijk remains at the forefront by focusing on innovations in the field of labour market (including shortstay care), spatial development (new port of call), applied technology, sustainability and ... cooperation!