Inbound Logistics recently joined Flanders Investment & Trade on a tour of Belgium's ports and distribution facilities, and learned a little something about running shoes and waffle irons.
For all Belgium's medieval charm, reputation as a gateway to continental Europe, and esteem as headquarters of both the European Union and NATO, its neighbors often draw all the attention. The country's federal monarchy is a mélange: the Flemish-speaking region of Flanders, French Wallonia, and bi-lingual Brussels. Dutch, German, and English are equally influential—all squeezed into an area roughly the size of Maryland.
Identities aside, in the transportation and logistics world, Belgium has few equals. Given a paucity of natural resources, the country's economy relies on manufacturing, value-added services, and re-exportation. In the northern region of Flanders—home to Brussels Airport and the seaports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent—transportation and logistics is fundamental.
And it shows. Belgium is home to a who's who of American multinationals, with the U.S. Top 50 alone contributing more than $2.3 billion to the country's economy, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium. Companies such as Nike and Stanley Black & Decker have located their European distribution hubs in Flanders, largely because of the region's multimodal strengths and the efficiency with which they can dispatch cargo into, through, and out of the European market.
WAFFLE IRONS AND WAREHOUSING
When University of Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman developed a revolutionary new running shoe in the 1960s, his inspiration was a waffle iron. The self-cleaning, batter-dripping mold—which, when applied to footwear, provided better traction than traditional circular designs—kick-started the Nike brand.