Will Coevorden become the logistics hub in the region? With the establishment of a Logistics Knowledge Center Coevorden (LKC), the municipality seems to be making a serious attempt at that title. Thanks to the so-called LKC, education, business and government must find each other better and faster in order to increase their logistical effectiveness. And also important: encouraging young people to pursue a job in logistics. The opening took place this afternoon at the business park in the southeastern Drenthe city.
A drone with a string slowly descends to the grounds of the Institute for Safety and the Environment (IVM) on the Moniersweg. Two children and councilor Steven Stegen grab the plastic key from the rope and legs dangling in front of them towards a truck. They use the key to lower the tailgate and see the name of the logistics center appear. “We are officially open,” the councilor laughs.
With this fun opening, the logistics knowledge center, which is temporarily housed in the IVM building, is a fact. But what will Coevorden and the surrounding region gain from such a knowledge point? Project leader Kasper Heijnen has his own opinion.
Initially, logistics plays an important role in the Coevorden region. He points out the presence of the A37, the N34, the Euroterminal transfer point and the rail connections to the German hinterland. The municipality is already a hub in that respect.
And that role will only grow. “Companies are constantly contacting us with questions about employees,” says Heijnen, who is also affiliated with the Alfa College. Together with the Drenthe College, they offer training courses in transport and logistics. “That is why we also want to encourage young people to work in this sector with the logistics knowledge center.”
To this end, Alfa College has found collaboration with the municipality, but also the province and other schools, from primary education to higher professional education. For example, De Nieuwe Veste, the Vechtdal College, Roelof van Echten College and the Vincent van Gogh Christian school community have joined. In addition to the Alfa College and the Drenthe College, secondary education and higher professional education are also represented by the Noorderpoort College, NHL Stenden, Windesheim and a university of applied sciences in Osnabrück, Germany.
Young people and their parents sometimes have a negative, or somewhat oversimplified, image of logistics. But it’s more than just driving a truck from point A to B. “And that must be made clear,” said Heijen. Within the knowledge center, young people will soon be able to get a broad idea of the possibilities. “Think of inventory management using a drone. Lifting work with an exoskeleton (a type of electric harness that spares the back), a planning simulator and the use of virtual reality.”
Within the knowledge center, young people can become acquainted with the profession through these types of gadgets. The center still needs to be furnished. The LKC expects to have achieved all these things by next summer at the latest. Heijnen: “The dream is to eventually work towards our own location.”
In addition to the schools, twenty companies also support the knowledge center. It is a diverse group: from Intergas to Tuin Deco, from the Saxenburgh Hospital to the Forbo. Such companies can raise issues on themes such as sustainability. For example, a solution can be found together with education and the government, says Heijnen. This also underlines that logistics is more than just transport. “Consider, for example, reducing CO2 emissions at a company, to name just one thing.”
Furthermore, the knowledge center serves as a meeting place for companies that can strengthen each other. “Take Intergas and Tuin Deco. Both companies are neighbors, but never spoke to each other. Through the LKC they concluded that they can help each other optimize their inventory systems.
According to economic councilor Steven Stegen, the hub is a welcome addition to Coevorden’s current logistics offering. “A lot is happening here in the field of transport and logistics. We are also seeing more and more companies choosing to establish themselves here.”
The plan for a point to collect, bundle and share knowledge in this area was received with enthusiasm at the Coevorder town hall. “As a municipal council, we find this initiative not only important but also promising,” says Stegen. A subsidy fund has been created to support the project through the South and East Drenthe Regional Deal.
Stegen also hopes that the knowledge center will help to break the sometimes one-sided image of transport and logistics among young people. “The image of the truck driver who eats a ball of minced meat every day is not correct. There is so much more to it.”