INBOUND
Any college professor knowsit can sometimes be hard tokeep students motivated. Butwith serious prize money atstake, motivation was no problem for a group of supply chaingrad students from 18 universities who recently participated in a competition at TexasChristian University (TCU) inFort Worth.
Competing for $20,500 intotal prize money, the studentteams were challenged to designan expanded distribution network for the fast-food chainChick-fil-A to support growing customer demand in sevenWestern states. The studentswere given one day to brainstorm ideas before presentingtheir recommendations thefollowing day to supply chainexecutives from major corporations who judged the competition. To help them withtheir calculations, the teamswere provided with geographicinformation system (GIS) software from event sponsor Esri.
When the dust had settled,the team from Georgia Techwas declared the winner, walking away with $10,000 in prizemoney and four Apple iPadtablet computers. The sec-ond- and third-place finishers,Brigham Young University andthe University of Washington,also took home cash prizesand iPads. “The supply chainexecutives got to see how theyused opportunities to overcome obstacles and pave theway for a successful result,”said Morgan Swink, executive director of the Centerfor Supply Chain Innovationat the TCU Neeley School ofBusiness, in a release. ;
Food for thought
Containerships are the backbone of global trade, ferrying literally tons of cargo
between international ports every day. But those frequent trips come at an envi-
ronmental cost, with maritime transport generating about 3% of global green-
house gas emissions.
Now, two Scandinavian companies have developed adevice to reduce that pollution by scrubbing barnaclesand other aquatic growth off the hulls of vessels, allowing them to slip through the water with less resistanceand, thus, burn less fuel. Norway-based paint andmarine coatings company Jotun has teamed up with theSwedish product development specialist Semcon to create an underwater robot that uses magnetic wheels to crawl along the submergedhulls of containerships, scraping them clean as it goes.
Known as the “HullSkater,” the tool is a remotely operated robotic vehicle thatinspects the underwater hull and removes any biofilm detected, the partners say.It works by using cameras and sensors to document any “fouling” on the ship’shull, sending that data stream to a human operator through a cable. After thistype of “proactive cleaning,” a typical bulk carrier can cut its carbon dioxideemissions by around 12.5% over a 60-month period, according to the companies.
The partners say they are now in the final “verification” phase of the device’s
development and plan to launch a fully commercialized version in 2021. ;
Travelin’ clean
While many American workers shelter in place, the nation’struckers have been in overdrive, delivering essential suppliesto grocers, healthcare centers, and businesses across thecountry. But that can put the truckers themselves at risk,given the potential for exposure to unfamiliar bacteria andviruses during their travels.
So what can truckers do to protect themselves during an
unprecedented health crisis? A recent blog post by ATBS, a Lakewood, Colorado-
based tax and accounting firm for truck owner-operators, offered some advice in
that regard, listing six tips for reducing their chances of getting sick on the road.
Most of it was the standard advice we’ve been hearing all along: wash your
hands, get enough sleep, avoid close contact with other people, stay hydrated, and
get the flu shot.
But one that caught our attention was “cook in your truck.” Noting that drivers
risk infection by eating alongside other—possibly sick—diners at restaurants and
truck stops, the company urged them instead to stock up on groceries and prepare
meals in their own trucks—on sanitized surfaces, of course.
To help them get started, ATBS has shared a free online “Rolling KitchenCookbook,” filled with cooking tips as well as recipes that can be prepared withsmall appliances like a convection toaster oven, George Foreman Grill, microwave, rice cooker, or electric skillet. As for the kind of fare we’re talking about,sample recipes include easy chicken pot pie, Ken’s teriyaki pineapple bowl, truckermeatloaf, and sausage and shrimp jambalaya.
You can find both the blog and the cookbook by going to the “Knowledge hub”
section of the ATBS website, www.atbs.com. Bon appétit! ;
A different take on meals on wheels
