DC Velocity - August 2018

4 DC VELOCITY AUGUST 2018 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.

b Chandler, Ariz.-based logistics solutions provider American Group hosted its fifth annual “Loopers Against

Leukemia” fundraising golf tournament on June 2. The event raised $10,000 for Rady’s Children’s Hospital, a San Diego pediatric facility that is the largest children’s hospital in California.

b The Port of Los Angeles has allocated

$1 million in grant funding to local non-
profits through its annual Community
Investment Sponsorship Program. The
program disburses up to $1 million annu-
ally to projects benefiting the commu-
nities surrounding the port and the Los Angeles waterfront. Among the
30 organizations that received grants were the Boys & Girls Club of Los
Angeles Harbor, the Marine Mammal Care Center, and the Los Angeles
Parks Foundation.
b Dallas-based logistics
service provider Transplace
held a silent auction at
its 16th annual Shipper
Symposium, raising $20,000
for Kidd’s Kids, a local char-
ity that supports families of
children with life-altering or
life-threatening conditions.
The funds will help recipients spend five days in Walt Disney World and
have a chance to experience the exuberance of being “normal” kids.
b Transport and logistics giant UPS Inc. awarded over $10 million in
grants to advance diversity and inclusion programs this year, funding 44
different organizations focused on economic empowerment, education/
scholarships, work training, and social and gender equality. Recipients
included groups that support diversity and inclusion through econom-
ic and educational empowerment,
capacity building, and human traf-
ficking prevention.
b Calgary, Alberta-based

Canadian Pacific Railway’s “CP Has Heart” charitable arm donated $100,000 to the Heart Beats Children’s Society of Calgary, a charity supporting families dealing with congenital heart disease. The funds were raised through the railroad’s supplier golf tournament. Logistics gives back

As any dedicated online shopper can tell you, furniture and apparel retailers today often offer augmented reality (AR) apps that allow shoppers to “try on” clothing or “see” how furniture and appliances would look in their homes or offices before buying. Now, a transportation and logistics company is getting into the act as well.

Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO Logistics Inc., which is a major player in the heavy-goods last-mile delivery sector, says it will be adding AR to its Ship XPO consumer self-service smartphone app later this year. Shoppers will be able to use the technology to visualize how heavy goods, like sofas, beds, and appliances, will look in their living rooms, bedrooms, or kitchens. Among other benefits, the virtual preview will allow customers to determine the ideal placement inside the home in advance of delivery. It will also alert them to potential problems with the product’s shape, size, color, or fit, enabling them to cancel the delivery before drivers carry a heavy couch up three flights of stairs, XPO says.

“The technology creates a virtual image of how an item will look in a given room, dramatically decreasing the likelihood of returns,” Troy Cooper, president of XPO Logistics, said in a statement. “Augmented reality enhances the efficiency of the entire last-mile process, reducing time inside the home and the risk of product damage.”