DC Velocity - May 2011

Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on

It’s probably no surprise that exhibitors at the ProMat 2011 Show in Chicago found themselves fielding a lot of questions about their products’ ability to withstand earthquakes. The show opened just 10 days after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and about a month after a similar quake shook New Zealand.

Exhibitors of pallet racks, mezzanines, and other storage systems were ready with answers. That’s because manufacturers that sell warehouse storage equipment in areas prone to seismic activity like the U.S. West Coast must offer versions of their products that meet earthquake-related specifications in state and local building codes. Those versions must also be able to resist the horizontal motions that translate into the “moment forces” that earthquakes typically exert on a structure and its base, said John Moore, vice president, marketing and systems development for Cubic Designs, a manufacturer of storage mezzanines.

On mezzanines, for example, this affects the design of the column tops, the column bases, the way the columns are attached to the framing, and the strength of the framing. Welds must be longer and stronger, and plates and framing members typically must be thicker than on ordinary versions, Moore said in an interview at ProMat. Building codes also specify minimum load capacities and minimum degrees of “deflection,” or flexing, required to ensure the integrity of these structures. In addition, mezzanines’ footings might be required to have extra bracing, depending on the flooring and soil conditions beneath the warehouse, he added.

Similarly, pallet racks used in seismic areas must have certain types of bracing, welding, anchoring, and connections. One rack manufacturer, Ridg-U-Rak, has developed a patented “seismic base isolation” system to prevent racks and their contents from falling during a quake. To watch a test of the system and a separate video showing the system’s components and installation, go to DCV-TV ( www.dcvelocity.com/dcvtv) Channel 4 and scroll down to the video labeled “ Ridg-U-Rack Seismic Base Isolation.”

inbound

Ag shippers’ conference
offers food for thought

It’s not easy being an agriculture exporter these days. Along with the problems facing all international shippers (such as container shortages and rising rates), shippers of agricultural products—vegetables, fruit, grains, cotton, and the like— must also deal with product-specific regulations, quality and safety standards, perishability, quotas, and fluctuating commodity pricing.

If you manage transportation and logistics for agricultural products, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition is there to help. Among other activities, the group, which is led by trade expert (and DCV Thought Leader) Peter A. Friedmann, organizes a conference each year, where attendees can get advice, answers, and a look at what’s ahead.

This year’s event, the group’s 24th annual conference, is slated for June 9 and 10 in San Francisco. Sessions will include a panel discussion on how importers and exporters are addressing transportation problems such as poor service; a carrier panel on rates, capacity, and equipment; a look at China’s growing appetite for U.S. ag products; and a practical guide to dealing with the current shortage of ocean containers.

For more information or to register for the conference, go to www.agtrans.org.

After a decade of vigorously promoting the “aerotropolis” concept, it appears that John D. Kasarda is finally getting somewhere. Kasarda, a professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business, is the developer and leading backer of the idea of an aerotropolis—a city built around a major airport that connects the community to the global marketplace. Although it’s been cited in numerous magazine and newspaper articles over the years, the concept has remained little known outside the freight community.

Now, it’s attracting a great deal of popular attention, thanks to the book Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next, written by Kasarda and journalist Greg Lindsay. As one reviewer who was familiar with the aerotropolis idea said, Lindsay’s explanations “helped me understand … how the world has caught up with Kasarda’s vision … and [to] connect it to what’s going on more broadly in the global economy.” The book has been favorably reviewed in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times, among others. And in early April, Time magazine cited the aerotropolis as one of “ 10 Ideas That Will Change the World.”

Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, sells for $30. It is available from online booksellers and in bookstores.