Photo courtesy of Hyster.
A recent blog bemoaned reducing carbon emissions and embracing sustainability in material handling and supply chains as oh-so-challenging. Rubbish! Here are six simple ways to reduce energy, emissions, and solid waste in material handling–from receiving to ship.
You can find many of the solutions on display at the ProMat expo next month, March 23 – 26 at Chicago’s McCormick Place South. Material handling industry leaders will showcase their sustainable manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain equipment and systems.
Step 1: Seal the Dock
Figure 1:
Photo courtesy of Rite-Hite, Milwaukee.
Before any shipments arrive or leave, make sure to seal the big, gaping hole at your receiving and shipping dock. As was pointed out in the article, “Loading dock—big gaping hole, big energy savings potential,” each 8- by 10-foot dock doorway is an escape hatch for conditioned air and a means for outside weather to invade the building. Escaped air is wasted energy. In many busy facilities, the dock door is rarely shut.
Efficiencies and improvements at the loading dock can be made relatively quickly. For example, you can soften the blow with an impactable dock door, compression seals, weather sealed dock levelers and vehicle restraints. Good practices such as scheduling deliveries to reduce fuel-wasting idle time help as well.
You can find energy-saving loading dock equipment, doors, safety barriers, and seals at ProMat at Rite-Hite’s Booth No. 1827, GMR Safety Inc.’s Booth No. 2049, and NORDOCK®’s Booth No. 2384.
Step 2: Reuse Pallets, Racking
Figure 2:
Photo courtesy of Monoflo Intl, Winchester, Va.
Establish a system of reusable pallets, racking, and component holders for supplier-to-customer and customer-to supplier components transport.
Using reusable racking and component holders eliminates pallet and packaging waste, and reduces or eliminates dunnage. Subsequently this reduces the energy and water consumed in manufacturing and constructing new pallets, packaging, and dunnage.
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC), Gaffney, S.C., was the local landfill’s best customer, hauling two truckloads “slam-packed full” of trash per day. Today, it has achieved zero-waste-to-landfill status, in part by insisting that its suppliers use reusable packaging to reduce waste generation. (Read, “Chassis builder achieves zero-waste-to-landfill using reusable packaging.”)
Where to find reusable component holders and pallets? Georg Utz Inc., Booth No. 3526, manufactures multiple-use containers, pallets, and component holders and custom systems. In addition, Monoflo International Inc., Booth No. 3650, manufactures injection-molded reusable plastic packaging, pallets (both nestable and rackable), bulk containers, distribution totes (nestable totes with attached lids), bread trays and dollies, and dairy crates. In Booth No. 3844, Sonoco Protective Solutions showcases the TransGuard™ product line, a returnable material handling system designed to protect fragile or complex items.
Step 3: Use Green In-plant Material Moving Equipment
Figure 3:
Photo courtesy of Kinetic Technologies, Wickliffe, Ohio.
Manufacturers can cut energy and emissions significantly by using tugger-cart systems, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and low- and no-emissions lift trucks with extended-range rechargeable batteries and recycled batteries.
Tuggers, Carts. Tuggers toting nonpowered carts—tugger-cart systems—are an energy-efficient alternative to fuel-powered lift trucks. Tugs consume less energy than forklifts because forklifts require two electric motors—one to lift and another to operate the drive—while tugs need only one motor. Tugs and carts can deliver multiple loads per trip, improving energy efficiency. Read “Tugger-cart system is green approach to in-plant material transport.” AmericartUSA, Booth No. 3093, manufactures motorized carts, tugs, and lifting systems. And National Cart Co., Booth No. 3850, manufactures handling carts and equipment that provide ergonomic and efficient product flow solutions.
AGVs. AGVs use supervisory software and sensors to navigate autonomously through facility pathways, transporting components energy efficiently. Frog AGV System, Booth No. 452 has deployed more than 1,300 AGV’s since 1984.
Low-, No-emissions Lift Trucks. Manufacturers have many green options in their choices of lift trucks, including electric and hydrogen fuel cell-powered lift trucks that have no emissions and diesel-powered trucks that meet the EPA’s Tier 4 standards, including Hyster® Distribution.
At ProMat 2013, Hyster launched its 74-horsepower Tier 4 Final-compliant diesel engine equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and a diesel particulate filter to achieve near-zero emissions. EGR technology eliminates the need for urea or diesel exhaust fluid-related equipment and its costs, according to the company.
NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc. (NMHG) acquired Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc. in January, which positions Hyster and Yale Materials Handling Corp., operating divisions of NMHG, to become the first OEMs to integrate and factory-fit hydrogen fuel cell technology directly into their products. Hyster and Nuvera Fuel Cells are exhibiting at Booth No. 1503. Nuvera hydrogen fuel-cell power is designed to eliminate inefficient battery infrastructure.
Purchase lift trucks from a sustainable lift truck manufacturer like Crown Equipment and you can include their stats in your corporate sustainability report (CSR). Crown Equipment Corp.’s, Lexington, Ky., location has achieved zero landfill status. The efforts are part of the company’s ecologic™ program that is based on the principles of minimizing waste, managing energy, and maximizing lifespan. Read “Environmental management system formalizes zero landfill achievement.”
High-efficiency Battery Chargers. Energy efficiencies can be gained by using energy-efficient chargers that last longer between charges. Power Designers USA LLC, Booth No. 4133, released a full line of high-efficiency modular battery chargers that save energy and cut costs, including its Revolution chargers, using modular power design that delivers efficiencies greater than 90 percent throughout the entire charge cycle.
Applied Energy Solutions, Booth No. 2081, designs and manufactures battery chargers for forklifts, pallet jacks, and other battery-powered transportation equipment, including its Maverick high-frequency chargers and Superion lithium ion battery and charger pack.
Battery Regenerator. Flight Systems Industrial Products, Booth No. 337, offers Xtender lead-acid battery regeneration that extends motive battery life. The machine, driven by patented high-frequency pulse algorithms, safely discharges, tests and recharges lead-acid batteries, restoring most of them to within 80 percent of their original charging capacity (+/-10 percent), according to the company.
Step 4: Green Your Facility
Figure 4:
Photo of Gordon Foods/Perkins plant courtesy of Orion Energy Systems, Manitowoc, Wis.
Energy-efficient Lighting. Installing low-energy lighting in your plant is the lowest-hanging fruit. Orion Energy Systems, Booth No. 1994, manufactures, develops, and installs LED intelligent lighting, solar daylighting, and solar photovoltaic products and systems.
Digital Lumens, Booth No. 303, supplies enterprise-scale intelligent LED lighting systems for commercial and industrial customers.
HVAC. Big Ass Solutions, Booth No. 431, offers both High-bay LED lighting and high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans to help control energy costs while enhancing human comfort. The company also offers a HVLS fan/LED light combination.
Berner Intl. Corp., Booth No. 4745, manufactures air curtains and air doors that contain heated or air conditioned air to save energy.
Step 5: Use Ecofriendly Packaging, Dunnage
Figure 5:
Photo courtesy of Dell, Austin, Texas.
Use ecofriendly packaging material that is biobased, biodegradeable, reusable, or recyclable, such as fiber-molded packaging, PET blister packaging; or—most likely to help you achieve low-carbon material handling goals—carbon negative packaging, such as Newlight Technologies’ AirCarbon(TM) plastic. AirCarbon is certified carbon negative and costs less than traditional plastics, according to Dell’s Oliver Campbell. Read more about making plastic from the CO2 in the air in, “Dell’s magic trick: Pulling carbon out of the air.”
You can find sustainable packaging options at ProMat. CON-Pearl North America Inc., Booth No. 2391, offers sleeves for effective and economic multi-way returnable packaging. International Contract Molding LLC, Booth 4225, manufactures returnable and reusable plastic packaging. Sonoco Paper Products, Booth No. 3393, produces FlatStack® recycled paperboard sheets as an alternative to corrugated board for tier sheets, liners, and top covers. Made with 100 percent recycled fibers and fully recyclable, the sheets are accepted in recycling programs that include paperboard.
Use on-demand packaging to reduce dunnage and packaging waste and energy. Packsize On Demand Packaging®, Booth No. 622, and Box on Demand, Booth No. 4419, give manufacturers the ability to produce custom-sized corrugated packaging in their own facilities, which reduces packaging material and dunnage.
Step 6. Low-carbon Transport
Figure 6
Finally, look for sustainable freight transport options. For more information, read “6 alternatives to diesel for freight transport.”
Uncover the opportunities to discover simple steps to moving material sustainably at ProMat.
For more on sustainable material handling using conveyors, read “Cherry-picking conveyor components to optimize energy efficiency.”
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