DC Velocity - November 2015

inbound

Ask any supply chain pro, and most will tell you that it’s hard to get good, clear information about complex legal issues in transportation and logistics.

That need led the Transportation and Logistics Council (TLC) to launch its “Transportation & Logistics—Q&A in Plain English” series of books some years back. The books are based on actual questions submitted to the council’s “Q&A” forum and published in the TLC’s monthly TransDigest publication. The answers, provided by transportation attorneys George Carl Pezold and Raymond A. Selvaggio, are clear, concise, and to the point.

So when the TLC realized that its popular texts on the subject were about to go out of print, the organization seized the opportunity to combine three volumes onto a single CD and reissue them.

Titled “Transportation & Logistics—Q&A in Plain English—Books 7, 8 & 9,” the compilation includes the seventh, eighth, and ninth books in the series, originally published between 2009 and 2013.

The series is intended for use as either a reference for experienced logistics professionals or a teaching aid for students and newcomers. To order the CD, visit www.tlcouncil.org/ node/49.

Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the char-
itable works and donations by companies in the
material handling and logistics space.
b Chelmsford, Mass.-based supply chain soft-
ware developer Kewill will provide comprehen-
sive IT support to Germany-based Humedica
International Aid, a nonprofit organization
engaged in disaster relief. Kewill is providing the
group with an integrated customs and bonded
warehouse solution, allowing it to maximize aid
response while minimizing red tape.
b Raymond Handling
Concepts Corp., a mate-
rial handling equipment
supplier based in Auburn,
Wash., has raised more
than $6,915 for two breast
cancer charities, the
Tina Turner Memorial
Foundation and Northwest Hope and Healing.
The amount includes $4,500 raised via the Pink
Pallet Jack Auction.
b Voice-based technology firm Voxware of
Hamilton, N.J., will donate a set amount of
money for every pick completed by its six U.S.
food bank customers using the Voxware Voice
Management Suite (VMS). The company will
distribute the donations on a quarterly basis to
help food banks serve more hungry families. It is
also soliciting matching donations from its two
dozen cold storage, beverage, and foodservice
customers.
b Cincinnati, Ohio-based
Total Quality Logistics
(TQL) is donating $1,000
to the United Fresh Start
Foundation, supporting
their partnership in the Let’s
Move Salad Bars to Schools
(LMSB2S) initiative. The
program is an effort to increase students’ fruit
and vegetable consumption at school lunch by
donating salad bars to schools.

b Wabash National Corp., a commercial truck manufacturer in Lafayette, Ind., raised $360,000 for 15 community organizations at its annual charity golf outing on Sept. 24. The company donated $150,000 of the total to the United Way of Greater Lafayette and will distribute the remaining funds among various nonprofit groups.

Logistics gives back Got a legal question? New CD may
have the answer

In an effort to eliminate lead-acid batteries in the warehouse, home improvement retailer The Home Depot has deployed a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklift trucks in its new DC near Toledo, Ohio.

Using fuel cell-powered forklifts can boost a company’s sustainability efforts by enhancing productivity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, says Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug Power Inc., the Latham, N.Y., company that manufactures the GenKey solution used by Home Depot.

One challenge to launching the effort was building the infrastructure to support a new fuel source. Home Depot constructed an outdoor GenFuel hydrogen fueling station, installed four indoor hydrogen-dispensing stations, and deployed 172 Plug Power GenDrive fuel cells in the center’s forklift trucks.

Since the fuel cells produce no emissions, the system has put a major dent in the site’s greenhouse gas production. By switching from lead-acid batteries to hydrogen fuel cells, The Home Depot will cut greenhouse gas CO2 emissions by more than 800 tons a year, according to Plug Power.