Archive for Metrics and Standards
Benchmarking a Private Truck Fleet
· CommentsThe National Private Truck Council (NPTC), a U.S. trade association focused on the interests of companies with private fleets, conducts an annual Private Fleet Benchmarking Survey. This survey has three goals: (1) to validate private fleet performance based on comparative peer data; (2) identify areas of improvement and opportunity; and (3) identify the significant trends affecting private fleet operators.
In many cases, benchmarking data is difficult to use—i.e… Continue reading
India Says ‘No Thanks’ To Carbon Limits
· CommentsThe big news last Thursday on the “green” front was Walmart’s announcement of its Sustainable Product Index. Just three days later, India’s Environmental Minister, Jairam Ramesh, underscored the large hurdles that exist in establishing global standards and agreements on climate change and sustainability. “There is simply no case for the pressure that we [India], who have among the lowest emissions per capita, face to actually reduce emissions,” Ramesh
Yes, it’s true: ‘Green’ is good for business. But this is true because, for the most part, only ‘green’ projects that are good for business (or required by law or Wal-Mart) get done.
I wrote these words back in February 2008 (see “Inconvenient Truths About ‘Green’ Supply Chain Management”) and the influence of the law and Walmart has grown significantly in recent days. Last month, cap-and-trade legislation (Waxman-Markey)… Continue reading
“Yes, this software may work for other companies, but we’re different, we have unique requirements, we manage our processes differently.” This is probably the most common phrase software vendors hear from prospective clients. We’re different-from other companies in our industry, from other business groups in our company, from other geographies. Consultants and logistics service providers (3PLs) also hear similar comments. The reality, however, is that when you peel back the… Continue reading
Defining ‘Carbon Neutrality’
· CommentsI purposely “disconnected” myself from all news over the holidays, so I’m still catching up on my reading. I came across an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday (published December 30th) highlighting Dell and its claim of being “carbon neutral” (“Green Goal of ‘Carbon Neutrality’ Hits Limit“). In a nutshell, the article highlights the items Dell includes and doesn’t include in its “carbon footprint” (see this… Continue reading
This year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve ball was “green”-i.e., more environmentally-friendly. Instead of the 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs used in previous years, this ball contained 9,576 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs manufactured by Philips Lighting and it used the same amount of electricity as ten toasters. And so began 2009, so green and so bright.
The “green” movement in supply chain management began several years ago and… Continue reading
