DC Velocity - April 2017

8 DC VELOCITY APRIL 2017 www.dcvelocity.com inbound

Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works and donations by companies in the material handling and logistics space.

; Employees at Cookeville, Tenn.-based freight transportation and supply chain management company Averitt Express donated $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. The donation was made possible by weekly contributions by truck drivers and other employees as part of the carrier’s charitable employee-giving program, Averitt Cares for Kids.

; Calgary, Alberta-based transcontinental railway Canadian Pacific (CP) gave $1 million to the Sainte-Justine university hospital center (CHU Sainte-

Justine) to fund stem cell research. The center is working to develop new treatments for children suffering from complex congenital heart defects, a condition that currently has no permanent treatment.

; Pittsburgh-based vertical storage unit manufacturer Hänel Storage Systems has donated an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) to Western Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C. The school will use the Rotomat vertical carousel to store materials and provide live demonstrations as part of its logistics education program.

; Chandler, Ariz.-based transportation broker OnTrac raised $540 for the American Cancer Society after employees completed that number of laps during their second annual Relay For Life on Feb. 23. Inspired by the gift, On Trac’s business partner, Columbia, Md.-based distribution and delivery firm RouteSmart Technologies Inc., matched the donation.

; Employees at Miami-based fleet management and transportation service provider Ryder System Inc. contributed more than 1,000 hours of volunteer time to charities across the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 29. More than 250 employees from some 50 Ryder commercial rental locations participated in #Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back to their communities.

Logistics gives back

Mark your calendars: German transport and logistics giant Deutsche Post DHL Group has declared an all-out war on carbon and has set a deadline of 2050 for eliminating all logistics-related emissions. DHL also said it plans to expand its portfolio of green products and services to help customers achieve their own climate protection goals.

In a March announcement, DHL said its zero-emissions goal applies both to its own activities and those of its transport subcontractors. It also laid out a series of interim goals to be achieved by 2025 as part of its environmental program, GoGreen. For instance, the company intends to increase its carbon efficiency by 50 percent compared with 2007 levels. It also aims to be operating 70 percent of its first- and last-mile services with clean pickup and delivery solutions, like bicycles and electric vehicles, by then. In addition, it plans to train and certify 80 percent of its employees as GoGreen specialists as well as collaborate with partners to plant 1 million trees each year.

Deutsche Post DHL Group’s overall objective is to contribute meaningfully to achieving the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius established at the 2015 Paris climate conference, as well as to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, CEO Frank Appel said in a statement.

The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) will kick off its 40th annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas, at the end of the month. At the event, which takes place April 30 to May 3, attendees can choose from 90 educational sessions on topics that matter to logistics professionals, including workplace safety, technology, metrics, security, labor management, and outsourcing. Conference-goers will also have a chance to network with peers, participate in facility tours, and check out the latest products and technology at the WERC Solutions Center.

Main-stage speakers include David Kwong, an illusionist, puzzle expert, and author; and Isaac Lidsky, an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. The agenda also features TED-style talks by Chad Autry, professor of supply chain management in the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business; Jeff Leclair, vice president for manufacturing and supply chain at Basin Holdings LLC; and Catherine Cooper, president of World Connections.