Introductory speech by Mr. Christian Sautter
Vert chez Vous, the specialist in the distribution ofOn June 28th, the Vokoli barge-warehouse on the Quai des Grands Augustins in Paris and the City of Paris inaugurated the Vokoli barge-warehouse. Launched on 7 May, "Au fil de l'eau", the new Parisian distribution service Vert Chez Vous, combines a floating logistics warehouse with a fleet of electric utility bikes. The inauguration, organized around a round table entitled "Rethinking your distribution in our cities", was a great success with nearly 150 people.
The event brought together Gilles Manuelle, director, and Erick Orliaguet, co-shareholder of Vert Chez Vous, as well as clients and institutional players, who contributed their expertise and experience. And they all came together around the Vert chez Vous project, which also solves the formidable problem of logistics land that is too expensive in the city. With the rounds that are prepared on the barge, the economic efficiency is reinforced by the time savings that this represents.
Christian Sautter, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of employment, economic development and international attractiveness, began the conference by praising the audacity of Vert chez Vous:
"Audacity, audacity, audacity! Only boldness will allow us to get out of the crisis! This project fits perfectly into the Paris of the21st century. A Paris that is energy-efficient, generous in intelligence and creates jobs. »
This enthusiasm is shared by Danièle Patier, Associate Researcher at the Laboratoire d'Economie des Transports de Lyon (CNRS), who has been working on the issue of urban logistics for more than 20 years: "We are delighted with the initiative of Vert chez Vous, which contradicts the preconceived idea that river transport is only suitable for large cargoes or bulk. Vert chez Vous proves that the river can also transport small parcels, provided that the flows are shared. And that's really the future. We all know that there will be – and that's a good thing – increasingly strong constraints to get back into cities, to limit congestion, pollution and particle emissions. So there's a lot of thought to be given to developing "softer" modes like what Vert chez Vous offers. Offering both river and bike riding is the ideal combination! »
During this round table, Vert chez Vous customers were also invited to speak about their experience.
Bernard Amoury, Vice President Supply Chain at Sanofi, said: "We were looking for our own distribution partner and Vert Chez Vous' 'Au fil de l'eau' service met our expectations 100%."
Stéphane Roussel, Transport Director at RAJA, the European leader in the distribution of packaging to businesses, added: "This model allows us to offer our Parisian customers a particularly efficient quality of service on the last mile and meets our priority objectives in terms of environmental policy."
This encouragement bodes well for the Vert chez Vous management team, composed of Erik Orliaguet, CEO of the Tendron Group, André Labatut, Director of the Labatut Group and Gilles Manuelle, Director. Together, they aim to make Vert Chez Vous a high-end and ultra-innovative reference player in the market for the distribution of goods in the city. They plan to offer their service in 25 of the largest cities in France. Next stop: Toulouse from September 2012!
