With an API link, you can seamlessly purchase via your own software package on Floriday's supply. Dutch garden center Intratuin recently reached this milestone together with software package Freshportal. Floriday discussed this with Michaïl (supply chain operations manager at Intratuin), Dennis (software implementation consultant at Freshportal) and René (CTO at Freshportal).
Intratuin is a supplier of decorative greenery in the Netherlands and now has 71 franchise shops in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Procurement goes through Intratuin Groencentrum (Intratuin Green Centre). Freshportal is a software company for floriculture companies around the world. Freshportal's software package, linked to Floriday, plays an important role in Intratuin's procurement process.
26,000 product lines
Intratuin has some 26,000 product lines on the system. Shops are free to order through Intratuin Groencentrum's webshop. Michaïl: "Working through Floriday is great. Shops can order up to 10 am, and immediately after that, we have a clear idea of what can be ordered through the Groencentrum and which exceptions need some extra attention. Brochure special offers are purchased in advance and on a large scale. This is done through requests for quotes from growers."
Time savings thanks to links in real-time
Michaïl: "Before the real-time link to our webshop, we aggregated all the stock on an Excel spreadsheet. This involved a lot of work. Now, the details which growers fill in are our 'true reality'. Growers have also become much better at keeping track of this data. For example, there used to be six full-time staff in our organization working on keeping article stock item information up to date. We now save around 80% of this time by using Freshportal, Floriday, and automated processes. That time can now be invested in, for example, sustainability goals for the future."
Purchasing process using Freshportal
Freshportal plays an important role in this process. Michaïl says: "It is important for us that we can do everything in one package, in our case using Freshportal. This retrieves the stock from Floriday, where we can select items and assign the right packing configuration. Armed with this information, we can replenish our webshop before the shops. Being able to invite requests for quotes was recently added in Freshportal. We find that growers also like the fact that everything goes through Floriday. It is less error-prone than single orders by post."
Even more advantage is being taken of orders now moving much faster through the chain, thanks to their cross-dock working practice. Michaïl: "By providing correct customer references, growers can put the trolleys together before they even get to our various locations. Which makes it possible to send trolleys straight from our locations to the shops."
Long run-up to integration with Floriday
Michaïl talks about the implementation process with Floriday: "The process took a long time. That's not a criticism, it's just how it goes. We wanted everything to be tested thoroughly. René adds from a technical point of view: "We have found that the link with Floriday has become a lot more stable and Floriday is also becoming more mature. This is good for us as software developers to work with."
Michaïl: "Meeting the minimum delivery quantity is one example of a change that coincided with our integration process. I welcome this change. It works clearly and is comfortable for everyone. We took time at the start to set this up properly, so implementation did take some time, but we are now reaping the rewards."
Further ambitions with Floriday
Intratuin also sees several future opportunities to operate more efficiently. "We eventually want to use the ASN (replacement for the DESADV) to improve the receiving process even further." There is also interest in starting to do this on Floriday for sending labels. Michaïl: "Growers are increasingly asking whether we can also send the labels straight away. Fantastic if this all eventually goes through Floriday. So we are looking to develop this with Freshportal."
Another big project in 2025 is expansion into Germany. Michaïl: "We also want to use Floriday's working practice as much as possible for expanding into Germany. Naturally, growers will then have to be able to work via Floriday. I hope that moving forward, suppliers from Germany and southern Europe will also see the benefit of working through a single platform. I think it is a really great platform which we in the floriculture industry can be proud of."
Taking the next step with Track & Trace
Freshportal also forecasts a bright future for Floriday's role. René: "Technology has been at a standstill in the sector for quite some time. We like working with new technology. As more and more growers and buyers start using Floriday, we can add more value." Dennis confirms this from a commercial point of view: "I see Track & Trace, for example, as the next important addition. For buyers, this is hugely valuable information about when to expect their orders."
For more information:
Floriday
www.Floriday.io