Press OfficeLatest Axios News

Business blooms for Axios with flower auction deal

May 24, 2004

The world’s largest flower auction has moved to meet growing demands on its computer systems by upgrading its IT Service Management.

Flower Auction Aalsmeer (VBA), which sells five billion flowers and 600 million plants each year, has accepted a bid from Axios Systems (www.axiossystems.com) to supply its new ITSM tool

Its existing software solution is outdated and no longer supported by the supplier, and the organisation needed additional functionality to support several ICT Service Management processes, Cluster Quality Manager Jan Wetering explained.

He said the auction firm had chosen Axios’ assyst solution "because of the wide support it offered as well as Axios Systems’ reputation as a reliable, professional supplier which delivers, installs and supports its own product. Integration of diverse functionality and support for configuration management with graphical screen displays were other important selection criteria."

The Axios tool assyst will be used for its Helpdesk, Service Level Management, Change Management, Incident Management, Configuration Management and Problem Management. These will support the flower auction’s Infrastructure and Applications Management Service section as well as other in-house production systems. VBA also intends using some functions for other ICT sections.

Aalsmeer, on the outskirts of Amsterdam near Schiphol airport, is the ‘flower capital’ of the world. The auction complex covers some 450 acres, with the auction building alone occupying 250 acres. Each day approximately 20 million flowers and two million potted plants are auctioned there.

A high level of computerisation and management efficiency have made the co-operative Dutch system so profitable that over 6,000 Dutch and foreign growers send their products to Aalsmeer. More than 75% of goods auctioned are exported all over the world.

"VBA and its customers can now expect better performance, more integration and greater flexibility from our enhanced ITSM system," Wetering added. "In the longer term we hope also to extend its functionality and further improve the service we provide to internal and external users."

Hans Huntelaar, Axios Systems’ Acting Manager for the Benelux and Nordic regions, commented: "The smooth operation of the largest flower auction on Earth depends to a large extent on its computer systems. We are privileged to have been chosen to support such a world-renowned organisation and hope to help it create even more growth in future."

Share this

More information from: