Royal FloraHolland reached a milestone in the modernization of its auction system. Step by step, the organization is transitioning from the old Remote Buying (KOA) to the future-proof Floriday. Following a successful test auction earlier, the technology behind clock N5 in Naaldwijk was migrated to RFH Auction on Floriday last Thursday.
For many buyers, this change is barely noticeable. For now, they will continue buying via KOA as usual. The only difference is that they need to log in to both KOA and Floriday. Behind the scenes, however, major technical changes are taking place. For instance, this morning the auctioneer conducted the auction for the first time using the new RFH Auction app on Floriday.
A Future-Proof Way of Auctioning
Thomas Bugel, Chief Grower Value Management, responsible for clock trade, on the development: “The systems that have supported clock sales for many years have served the sector well. At the same time, this technology is becoming outdated and brings with it limitations and risks. With RFH Auction on Floriday, we are creating a single, future-proof digital platform for the entire floriculture sector. Rather than making a ‘big bang’ transition we are doing so step by step, together with users who test the system and providing feedback based on their practical experience.”
An Important Step, Not the End of the Line
The technical migration of clock N5 is an important milestone, but definitely not the final step. Over the coming weeks, Royal FloraHolland will be migrating the other clocks step by step. The next clock in line is A3 in Aalsmeer, scheduled for 3 September. In the meantime, the organization will continue to monitor how the new technology is performing and what support buyers need. It won’t be until later this year that the front-end is updated, allowing buyers to buy via RFH Auction on Floriday.
First Experiences from the Auction Floor
Auctioneer Marco Alberti was the first to use the new RFH Auction system. “It was of course a bit exciting when the auction started. You want the trading to go smoothly. But the basics worked well and we were able to auction as normal. We also came across a few minor issues that still need attention. That’s to be expected in the first few days. The most important thing is that we’re now gaining practical experience and will scale up from there. My fellow auctioneers and I have been involved in developing the setup and have already done a lot of testing and practicing. We’re moving forward with confidence towards the further roll-out.”
Buyers are also generally positive. Rob van Groeningen, of Molenaar & van Groenigen BV: “During testing, I initially had no sound. That was quickly resolved by briefly switching to a different clock. After that, everything worked as I’m used to. I haven’t really noticed any difference. I’d expected we’d already be working with the new RFH Auction layout, as I’m also involved in testing that. But I understand that transition will only take place at a later stage. I’m also already using RFH Pre-Auction for marking and scanning, and that works very smoothly.”
As with any major change, there are also lessons to be learnt. For example, some buyers noticed that there was no audio during the auction. In almost all cases, this appears to be linked to settings on the computer or browser. That is why it is important to always have the latest updates installed. Buyers can use a simple tool to check whether their hardware and software are compatible and use the test clocks to check whether everything is working properly.
Royal FloraHolland also noticed that, for some customers, their workstation had not yet been linked – or had not been linked correctly – to their Floriday account. Main users within organizations can easily sort this out by following the step-by-step guide. A major change in this project is that the organization is moving from unique workstation numbers (KOA) to personal accounts on Floriday. This also makes things much easier and more personalized for the auctioneer.
