A collection hub consolidates goods from one or more production regions.
It coordinates collaboration with connected producers, prepares goods for transport, and ships consolidated deliveries to distribution hubs or regional consolidations .
The collection hub forms the Europe-wide consolidation level of goods logistics.
Many farms, one consolidated delivery Glossary: Production Region Production Region Farm Farm Farm Farm Farm Collection Hub Receiving Quality Control Sorting Picking Palletizing Glossary: Distribution Hub Distribution Hub Glossary: Regional Consolidation Regional Consolidation Pallets / Loose Goods Individual deliveries arrive, consolidated deliveries depart. The collection hub typically does not supply main communities or intermediate hubs directly.
The collection hub gathers the harvest from many farms and forwards it in consolidated form. Clicking on a box opens the glossary entry.
A collection hub is responsible for, in particular:
Coordinating connected farms,
Receiving products,
Quality control,
Sorting,
Picking,
Compiling consolidated deliveries,
Palletizing,
Temporary storage,
Shipping to distribution hubs,
Shipping to regional consolidations,
Implementing or coordinating PGS (Participatory Guarantee Systems), where used regionally.
The collection hub connects production with national and regional logistics structures.
It supplies:
Distribution hubs,
Regional consolidations.
It typically does not supply main communities or intermediate hubs directly.
flowchart TD
%% Production
P[Producers]
%% Hubs
S["Collection Hub
• Farm coordination
• Quality control
• Sorting
• Picking
• PGS
• Palletizing"]
V["Distribution Hub
• National distribution"]
RB["Regional Consolidation
• Regional distribution"]
Z["Intermediate Hub
• Parcel shipping"]
%% Communities
HG[Main Community]
UG[Sub-Community]
MG[Micro-Community]
%% Goods Flow
P --> S
S -->|Pallets / Loose Goods| V
S -->|Pallets / Loose Goods| RB
V -->|Loose goods delivery| HG
V -->|Loose goods delivery| RB
V -->|Pallets| Z
RB -->|Loose goods delivery| HG
RB -->|Loose goods delivery| RB
Z -->|Parcel delivery| MG
%% Organization
HG -. organizes .-> UG
%% Colors
classDef producer fill:#d9ead3,stroke:#38761d,stroke-width:2px;
classDef collection fill:#ffe599,stroke:#bf9000,stroke-width:3px;
classDef distribution fill:#9fc5e8,stroke:#3d85c6,stroke-width:2px;
classDef regional fill:#ead1dc,stroke:#a64d79,stroke-width:2px;
classDef parcel fill:#d9d2e9,stroke:#674ea7,stroke-width:2px;
classDef community fill:#f4cccc,stroke:#cc0000,stroke-width:2px;
class P producer;
class S collection;
class V distribution;
class RB regional;
class Z parcel;
class HG,UG,MG community;
¶ Collection Hub as a Quality and Logistics CenterThe collection hub not only handles logistics but also bears responsibility for the quality and traceability of goods.
Depending on the region, this includes, among other things:
Goods receipt inspections,
Sorting by quality classes,
Compiling consolidated deliveries,
Documenting origin,
Implementing or supporting PGS,
Coordinating with producers and communities.
This makes the collection hub the link between agricultural production, quality assurance, and Europe-wide logistics.
A collection hub coordinates producers, consolidates goods, ensures their quality, and prepares them for Europe-wide distribution to distribution hubs and regional consolidations.