inbound
Fuel cells for forklifts:
How’s it going?
In 2010, the third-party logistics company Genco
Supply Chain Solutions embarked on an ambi-
tious three-year fuel cell pilot. It bought 25 hydro-
gen fuel cell power units from Plug Power Inc. and
proceeded to convert every lift truck to hydrogen
at a 450,000-square-foot DC it operates in
Graniteville, S.C., for
Kimberly-Clark Corp.
The test project is now
drawing to a close. So how
has it all worked out?
Though the final
results aren’t in yet, the
company has definitely
seen some benefits,
reports Bob Simon,
Genco’s senior director, contract packaging, and
project manager for the fuel cell implementation.
For one thing, it only takes four or five minutes to
refuel, far less than fast-charge battery charging,
Simon said in an interview. Because the ware-
house is a 24-hour, five-day operation, Genco is
saving an estimated 20 to 30 minutes per day per
truck. With 25 vehicles, that adds up to a lot more
productive time on the floor, he says.
Another benefit has been the consistent energy
level afforded by hydrogen fuel cells. “You don’t
have the loss of power like when a battery degrades
or loses its charge. You get the same output even
when the fuel cell is almost empty,” Simon explains.
But the technology is changing so quickly that
Genco and other adopters must consider
whether to move to a newer type of cell before
the original equipment wears out. Fuel cells have
a longer expected lifespan than batteries, and it
may get costly to obtain parts for older versions.
The next generation, moreover, will refill in two
to three minutes, further improving productivity,
Simon notes. Newer versions will run cooler than
the current generation—a benefit for operators
working inside trailers or in hot climates.
Genco wants to introduce hydrogen fuel cells
to other facilities when appropriate. Size will
matter, though: For now, at least, the initial cost,
including hydrogen filling infrastructure, may be
too high for smaller fleets. But, says Simon, “I
think you can make the solution work in large
fleets that run lots of hours.” ;
DC managers learn to speak up and
speak well
For warehouse and distribution center managers, verbal
communication is a critical part of the job—whether it’s
conveying information to colleagues and warehouse associates or making presentations to superiors. But speaking
up—and speaking well—is not something that comes naturally to everyone. That’s why Kenco, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based third-party logistics company, makes training in public speaking available to supervisors and managers.
“Public speaking is very important; it helps [people] do
their jobs better,” says Jeff Tanner, Kenco’s vice president,
risk management. “You have to give [employees] the tools
they need to accomplish what you expect of them.”
Kenco teaches supervisors and managers how to make
effective presentations and gives them opportunities to
speak during monthly management calls and other in-
house meetings. The company also encourages employees
who want to move up in the organization to take outside
classes or join groups like Toastmasters International, a
nonprofit organization that helps people develop public
speaking skills. ;
Logistics gets the celebrity treatment
PHOTO COURTES Y OF PLUG PO WER INC.
It’s pretty much a given that most people are oblivious to
what goes on in freight transportation or warehousing. So it
was surprising indeed to happen across a couple of
instances of TV and film stars connecting with our industry.
The Irish-born film star Liam Neeson has been quoted as
saying, “Some mornings you wake up and think, ‘Gee, I look
handsome today.’ Other days I think, what am I doing in the
movies? I wanna go back to Ireland and drive a forklift.” He
wasn’t joking: Neeson did just that at a Guinness factory
when he was younger. The actor last year told a British
newspaper that a fellow driver (whom he described as a “guy
who could make a forklift truck speak. He was so brilliant at
what he did”) encouraged him to follow his dream and
become an actor.
A Netflix ad campaign promoting new episodes of the television series “Arrested Development” includes the show’s
oddball family posing inside a bright orange ISO shipping
container. Stacks of ocean containers and a crane tower
behind the tag line, “Now the story of a family that couldn’t
be contained.” An online “poster” for the new season invites
you to “Ship the container to your friends!” via Facebook,
Twitter, and other networking sites. ;
