Micrologistics: a return to the past may be the future

ccording to an exclusive article in Expresso, this business model is already beginning to be felt in the interior of the country , applied to bread, milk, newspapers and books. At first, businessmen replaced couriers in the delivery of goods, but the solution imposed by the pandemic was to adopt this door-to-door micrologistic service, carried out by small operators, or through municipal solutions.

One of the advantages of the pandemic was to have accelerated home deliveries, saving costs and increasing revenues for local businesses, but according to the source there is still a lack of municipal plans and broadband networks to speed up access to electronic platforms and reduce travel.

More and more couriers in a variety of vehicles are being seen delivering goods to towns and cities in the interior of the country, taking advantage of the confinement caused by the pandemic. These are goods forwarded by small businesses, which have changed the way goods are distributed and stored.

The Expresso also explains that one of the main micrologistics centres is in Beiras, on national highway 229, a few kilometres from the road that connects to the Douro, and sells everything from groceries to agricultural products and fuel.

Agostinho Oliveira, Janeira's director, tells us that "we deliver everything to the surrounding municipalities, from Sátão to Aguiar da Beira, sometimes Trancoso or even Penalva do Castelo". This huge warehouse is responsible for supplying this rural region, without much commercial supply, and satisfies the needs of clients, which can range from fertilizer to firewood, or sugar. Every day, in small vans, "the deliveries are loaded at the shop and sent on to the clients".

This article is republished under the partnership between Nova SBE Executive Education and Supply Chain Magazine " Read the original article