DC Velocity - January 2018

4 DC VELOCITY JANUARY 2018 www.dcvelocity.com inbound

Three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology has caught the logistics world’s attention for its potential to save on warehouse and shipping costs by producing items on demand at any location. For instance, UPS Inc. is reportedly building out a nationwide network of 3-D printers for use by its customers, and General Electric Co. has spent nearly $600 million to buy a three-quarters stake in a 3-D printing firm.

Recently, transportation companies have begun turning to the same technology for another application, creating the actual hardware used in vehicles that move freight. For instance, global aircraft maker Airbus S.A.S. has contracted with one of its suppliers to provide 3-D–printed metal parts for its commercial planes.

Now comes word that a Dutch consortium has brought 3-D printing to the maritime— or at least, the shipbuilding—world. Late last year, the Dutch firm Damen Shipyards Group unveiled what it called the world’s first class-ap-proved 3-D–printed ship’s propeller. Known as the WAAMpeller, the triple-blade prop was fabricated using the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technique, which deposited 298 layers of nickel aluminum bronze alloy to create the item. Damen then installed the 4.5- foot diameter, 880-pound WAAMpeller on one of its “Stan Tug 1606” tug boats, where it passed tough tests such as speed trials, a bollard pull, and a crash stop scenario, which stresses the propeller by going from full throttle ahead to full throttle reverse.

In addition to Damen Shipyards Group, partners in the project included the Port of Rotterdam’s RAMLAB (Rotterdam Additive Manufacturing Lab), Autodesk software, the Promarin marine design firm, and the Bureau Veritas certification agency.

Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works
and donations by companies in the material handling and logis-
tics space.
b Calgary, Alberta-based transcontinental railway Canadian
Pacific (CP) donated $75,000 to the University of Ottawa Heart
Institute (UOHI) and helped raise another $130,500 through
fundraising initiatives carried out alongside UOHI and the
Canadian Football League. The funds will support the largest
expansion in the hospital’s history and are part of the broader
Beautiful Hearts initiative, which includes funding to refurbish
cardiac facilities that benefit patients at the Children’s Hospital
of Eastern Ontario.
b Atlanta-based non-emergency medical transportation bro-
ker LogistiCare has donated more than 42,000 food items
collected during its eighth annual food drive, surpassing its
previous record of 30,000 food products distributed in 2016.
The food donations were provided to local churches, rescue
missions, soup kitchens, and shelters for women and homeless
people.
b Miami-based vehicle rental and leas-
ing firm Ryder System Inc. said that over

450 employees participated in activi-
ties in support of #GivingTuesday, the
global day dedicated to giving back. On
Tuesday, Nov. 28, workers from over
50 Ryder locations across the U.S. and
Canada volunteered a total of 1,000-plus
hours to support local charities of their
choosing, such as food banks, toy drives,
and centers for the elderly.
b Third-party logistics service provider NFI Industries; truck-
load, logistics, and intermodal company J.B. Hunt Transport
Services Inc.; telematics technology vendor Omnitracs LLC;
and freight tracking and predictive analytics company FourKites
donated services and provided volunteers to Wreaths Across
America, a charity that delivers 1. 5 million wreaths to veterans’
gravesites across the country each December. The organization
brought wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery and more than
1,300 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states.
b Joplin, Mo.-based full-truckload
carrier Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI)
said its employees raised $54,000 for 23
charities across North America during
the company’s annual Truckloads of
Treasures holiday giving campaign.
Now in its 24th year, the campaign
collects funds exclusively from employees and independent
contractors, with proceeds going to charities such as Wreaths
Across America, the Salvation Army, the Boys and Girls Club of
Southwest Missouri, and “shop with a cop” events at local police
departments.