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Somerset launches intospace: a company that fully is into logistics real estate
20 September, 2021Oisterwijk, the Netherlands, 20 September 2021 – Somerset Capital Partners, the largest real estate developer in the Netherlands, with distribution centre projects for Zalando, Jumbo, Picnic and Kuehne+Nagel, among others, today launches intospace, a new force in the industry. With intospace, the developer aims to establish a new standard: ‘logistics infrastructure as physical internet', with every link in the chain open to anyone who wants to move goods from A to B as quickly as possible.
Order book of 1.5 billion
With the formation of intospace, investment company Somerset Capital Partners is spinning out all its activities in the field of logistics real estate. As a result, intospace launches with a healthy order book worth some 1.5 billion euros, 16 years of experience in logistics real estate and an established headquarters in Oisterwijk, the Netherlands. Nearly all Somerset’s logistics real estate staff have transferred to the new company as well. The investors behind intospace are Somerset founder Joes Daemen and entrepreneur Raymond Cloosterman.
“The logistics world is changing dramatically, and the way we live and work is evolving faster and faster, with consumer expectations shifting from ‘deliver tomorrow’ to ‘delivered today’. But the challenges do not stop there. We need to replace polluting energy sources with CO2-positive energy systems, the scarcity of land in the Netherlands requires a more creative approach, we need to relieve cities congested with traffic and much more besides. Somerset believes that solving these problems requires a clear vision, which is why we have launched a company that is fully ‘into’ the logistics space of the future, and which focuses entirely on the trends that are defining the market. Intospace, as a new subsidiary of Somerset, includes all of Somerset’s logistics real estate activities.”
CEO Tim Beckmann, on the creation of intospace
intospaceFiber optic technology as the new standard
Intospace’s plans include developing the first logistics real estate in the Netherlands to be fully connected by smart and innovative fibre optic technology. The entire building will be equipped with a super-fast network that can be used for numerous applications. Tim Beckmann: “This will make it possible, for example, to use IoT applications anywhere in the warehouse, creating real-time insight into processes and the quality of goods. This in turn will allow processes to be optimised and productivity to be improved. It will also eliminate the costs associated with installing data cables.”
He continues: “IoT applications offer many opportunities for the supply chain, such as reducing costs, delays and food spoils. Smart sensors on goods or vehicles can process and transmit information, so creating accurate visibility and providing insight into risks that would have previously gone unnoticed. Smart sensors can also improve the customer experience by triggering notifications about, for example, the estimated time of arrival of a package. Having a super-fast network throughout the building obviously creates many more possibilities, such as full and extremely stable coverage for the use of scanning equipment and voice control technology.”
Robotisation and mechanisation
The rapid growth of e-commerce and an increasingly tight labour market are helping to drive the development of mechanised handling systems and robotisation. Tim Beckmann: “More and more parties are deciding to automate their logistics processes. They are doing this to reduce their dependence on personnel while at the same time cutting costs and increasing quality, speed and capacity. In particular, large retailers, such as e-commerce companies and supermarket chains, are investing in automated systems to reduce their dependence on low-skilled workers. This is a response to the increasing tightness in the labour market.”
Intospace has a lot of knowledge and experience in the coordination and supervision of such complex robotisation and mechanisation projects. The company has already built a number of large, mechanised warehouses, including the largest mechanised warehouse in the Netherlands. If requested, intospace can also take care of the financing of automated systems.
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