Back in 2007, I was in a Retailing Today article entitled “Green Growth.” It’s hard to believe that it has been six years. The sustainability concept was fairly new to our industry, and we were all discussing the concept a lot more.
Recently, someone asked whether that focus had diminished; I would have to say no.
In my opinion, it hasn’t diminished, it’s just matured. Many companies have built the principles of sustainability into their daily supply chain decisions and their future planning. The WAVE (Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience) shows how ingrained the concepts are in corporate planning and development.
This video explains more about the WAVE concept truck.
Heavy-duty trucks spend more time on the road than passenger cars, so improving their efficiency is a hotspot for reducing emissions and costs. With its aerodynamic cab, the WAVE doesn't look much like any other large truck currently on the roads. The driver would sit in the middle, the steering wheel is surrounded by LCD screens instead of traditional gauges, and the sleeper is right behind the driver’s ‘pod.’ Like the tractor, the trailer was also designed for aerodynamic efficiency; with a convex nose - that reduces aerodynamic drag and leaves extra cargo space. And, as the first carbon-fiber trailer, it is 4,000 pounds lighter than conventional trailers, which should also increase the freight capacity by almost 10%.
I didn’t hear mention of the expected fuel economy, but I have heard that the AirFlow BulletTruck achieved 13.4 mpg, and the Peterbilt and Cummins' "SuperTruck" did almost 10 mpg. It may not sound impressive compared to your car, but traditional large trucks haul over 40,000 pounds of freight and usually get about 6 mpg.
There is clearly a long way to go, but the initiatives we have already seen are reducing waste, saving consumers money and reducing stress on the environment. The biggest wins are the truly collaborative multi-company process changes …some already accomplished and many more in-progress. Our best contribution to the mix has been developing more collaborative consolidation programs with retailers, so more less-than-truckloads become truckloads, but there is a lot more to be accomplished and a lot more we can all do.
What are your thoughts? Are you seeing sustainability practices being built into forward strategic corporate planning? Are you seeing more cross-functional, cross-business, cross-industry collaboration aimed at delivering results?
Like Comment Share
Start your Freedom click here
Preferrably most impormative blog thanks Mark
ReplyDelete