DC Velocity - June 2017

inbound

When they look at ways to cut packaging and shipping costs, most shippers focus on trimming the outer wrappings, like the carton, packaging film, and dunnage. But researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Tangible Media Group are approaching the problem from a different angle. They’re looking to streamline the product itself.

In a bid to reduce food packaging and shipping costs, the scientists created what could be described as “edible origami” or “shape-shifting pasta”— flat sheets of gelatin and starch that transform into three-dimensional shapes when submerged in water. For instance, the sheets can be engineered to fold into common pasta shapes like macaroni and rotini, MIT said. The edible films would be stacked together and packed flat for shipping, allowing for more efficient—and presumably less costly—transport.

“We did some simple calculations, such as for macaroni pasta, and even if you pack it perfectly, you still will end up with 67 percent of the volume as air,” Wen Wang, a research scientist in MIT’s Media Lab, said in a release. “We thought maybe in the future, our shape-changing food could be packed flat and save space.” The researchers created their invention using a laboratory 3-D printer, printing strips of edible cellulose over a layer of gelatin. But a 3-D printer wouldn’t necessarily be required. In a paper presented at a conference last month, the authors noted that users could achieve the same results via less-expensive production methods, such as screenprinting.

“Edible origami” could
cut shipping costs

Parcel delivery firms have proved endlessly creative in their quest to trim last-mile delivery costs, experimenting with everything from airborne drones to self-driving robots. But if the drones and droids don’t work out, they might find inspiration from another—albeit unlikely—source: residential garbage pickup.

Swedish automaker Volvo Group has developed a self-driving garbage truck that automatically backs down neighborhood streets while its driver walks ahead of the vehicle, collecting garbage cans and tipping them into the waiting truck bed. Reverse that process, and you just might have a model for automated package delivery.

The garbage truck follows a preprogrammed route, using sensors to continuously monitor the vehicle’s immediate environs and avoid obstacles. In the name of eco-friendliness, the vehicle’s gear-changing, steering, and speed are constantly optimized to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. Volvo will test the truck through the end of 2017 through a partnership with Swedish waste and recycling specialist Renova.

Self-driving garbage truck could offer glimpse
into parcel delivery’s future

UniCarriers Americas Corp. has begun manufacturing transmissions for its internal combustion forklift models in the company’s 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Marengo, Ill. As a result, the engines and transmissions are now manufactured together, and in the same location where the forklifts are assembled.

“By manufacturing the major drivetrain components together, we have far more control over the quality of the product and the reliability it provides to end users,” said UniCarriers Americas President James J. Radous III in a statement. “This was a strategic decision driven by our focus on quality and to improve upon our industry-leading reliability.” The move has also resulted in greater production efficiency, lower costs, and reduced leadtimes, he said.

According to Dale Mark, the company’s vice president of manufacturing operations, manufacturing in-house allows UniCarriers to control costs, manage inventory for just-in-time replenishment, and eliminate the cost of shipping the transmissions to the factory. “All of this contributes to improved efficiency, more control over leadtimes, and lower inventory and manufacturing costs,” he said.

UniCarriers Americas Corp. (UCA), a subsidiary of UniCarriers Corp., sells and supports UniCarriers-branded forklifts and supports legacy products under the Nissan Forklift, TCM, Atlet, and Barrett brands. UCA has seven factory-owned locations and a network of over 130 authorized dealerships with 250 locations across North, Central, and South America.