Kick-off meeting for the Montpellier pilot
Contributor
Organization
FAB'LIM
Name
Hugo Juillard
Your article for the newsletter
Language
English
Long title
Kick-off meeting for the Montpellier pilot: initial discussions on pooling logistics flows with 7 food solidarity associations
Theme
- Pilot site
- Short food supply chain
- Last mile logistic
Summary (500 words)
- This first meeting was held at the Montpellier Marché d'Intérêt National (MIN) on 25 April 2025. It
- brought together the 7 associations selected as part of the Call for Expressions of Interest launched on 17 March 2025 by FAB'LIM for any food solidarity association active in the Montpellier metropolitan area wishing to participate in the development of an optimised logistics solution with low environmental impact and controlled costs. The objectives of this first meeting were to enable initial exchanges between the seven associations involved in the Montpellier pilot project, to present the project and its ambitions in detail, to enable everyone to express their expectations and to initiate a shared reflection on the pooling of logistics flows through two workshops.
Detailed content
Firstly, the associations had the opportunity to introduce themselves and talk about their motivations for taking part in the pilot. FAB'LIM took the opportunity to go back over the origins of the project and the objectives of the Montpellier pilot: to reduce the environmental impact and costs associated with last-mile logistics for food solidarity associations.
Then, a two-stage workshop have been organised, highlighting the proximity of the collection points and the existence of common suppliers between the associations. This exercise enabled the first avenues for pooling to be explored. Firstly, each organisation was asked to plot its flows on a map of the city, indicating the point of departure and the collection points. This exercise revealed two areas where flows were concentrated, to the north and south of Montpellier, confirming the strategic importance of setting up a consolidation point to the north, to complement the existing M.I.N.. Secondly, the associations were asked to work in groups to consider the possibilities of pooling their resources on the basis of the flows shown on the map. The groups had been set up beforehand on the basis of their data, collected by form during the call for expressions of interest.
It emerged from these initial discussions that all the participating organisations need to rationalise their flows. The creation of consolidation points, the use of grouped orders and the coordination of collection days were mentioned as operational levers to enable the pooling of transport.
Then, a two-stage workshop have been organised, highlighting the proximity of the collection points and the existence of common suppliers between the associations. This exercise enabled the first avenues for pooling to be explored. Firstly, each organisation was asked to plot its flows on a map of the city, indicating the point of departure and the collection points. This exercise revealed two areas where flows were concentrated, to the north and south of Montpellier, confirming the strategic importance of setting up a consolidation point to the north, to complement the existing M.I.N.. Secondly, the associations were asked to work in groups to consider the possibilities of pooling their resources on the basis of the flows shown on the map. The groups had been set up beforehand on the basis of their data, collected by form during the call for expressions of interest.
It emerged from these initial discussions that all the participating organisations need to rationalise their flows. The creation of consolidation points, the use of grouped orders and the coordination of collection days were mentioned as operational levers to enable the pooling of transport.
Work package
WP3