VBA flowers
Verenigde Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer (VBA) (United Flower Auctions), Aalsmeer, Holland
VBA is the largest flower auction operation in the world comprises two main parts. The first is the sellers' area known as the 'auction section' where flowers are received, held in cooled storage areas and auctioned. The second is the 'buyers' section' where around 300 buyers, exporters and wholesalers rent space to prepare flowers for shipment. Trucks leave Aalsmeer every working day with destinations (including airports) throughout Europe. On a typical day there are about 10,000 people working at the centre (1800 of whom work directly for VBA), together handling 17 million cut flowers and two million plants. This large and complex operation is held together by its information processing technology.
Flowers are extremely perishable, so dealing with them in such large quantities makes the speed, accuracy and dependability of the operation critical. During the evening and overnight, flowers are brought into the operation in standard containers which are subsequently handled in standard wheeled cages (there are over 124,000 of these 'troIleys' in circulation). Each lot of flowers is assigned a reference number, a quality inspection is made by VBA staff, and a description is entered on the 'delivery forms' attached to each trolley. The trolleys are then held in cold storage until they are collected for the auctioning process the following morning.
The auction takes place every weekday in five separate halls, specialized by category of flower or plant. The largest flower auction hall has tiered desks for up to 500 buyers, each linked to the auction computer. Each buyer has an uninterrupted view of the flowers (which are automatically conveyed through the auction halls in their trolleys), and of the four auction price 'clocks' behind the auctioneers. Buyers can then choose the clock of their choice at any time using a selection switch. The auctioneer in charge of each clock may
VBA is the largest flower auction operation in the world comprises two main parts. The first is the sellers' area known as the 'auction section' where flowers are received, held in cooled storage areas and auctioned. The second is the 'buyers' section' where around 300 buyers, exporters and wholesalers rent space to prepare flowers for shipment. Trucks leave Aalsmeer every working day with destinations (including airports) throughout Europe. On a typical day there are about 10,000 people working at the centre (1800 of whom work directly for VBA), together handling 17 million cut flowers and two million plants. This large and complex operation is held together by its information processing technology.
Flowers are extremely perishable, so dealing with them in such large quantities makes the speed, accuracy and dependability of the operation critical. During the evening and overnight, flowers are brought into the operation in standard containers which are subsequently handled in standard wheeled cages (there are over 124,000 of these 'troIleys' in circulation). Each lot of flowers is assigned a reference number, a quality inspection is made by VBA staff, and a description is entered on the 'delivery forms' attached to each trolley. The trolleys are then held in cold storage until they are collected for the auctioning process the following morning.
The auction takes place every weekday in five separate halls, specialized by category of flower or plant. The largest flower auction hall has tiered desks for up to 500 buyers, each linked to the auction computer. Each buyer has an uninterrupted view of the flowers (which are automatically conveyed through the auction halls in their trolleys), and of the four auction price 'clocks' behind the auctioneers. Buyers can then choose the clock of their choice at any time using a selection switch. The auctioneer in charge of each clock may