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Supply
Chain by the Numbers |
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- June 5, 2014 -
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Amazon Rolling Out the Kiva Robbots; Reductions in Powerplant Emissions not as Large as it Seems; Paired Truck System Improves Diesel Mileage; Buy American Program at Walmart |
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10%
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Reduction in diesel fuel consumption in the trailing tractor-trailer in a pair of trucks operating in tandem, using a new system from a company called Peloton Technology, according to reports this week after recent tests relative to improved safety achieved from the concept in Nevada. The system uses radar-based collision mitigation equipment and truck-to-truck communication to automate the platooning relationship between two trucks, also controlling braking and acceleration systems. The lead truck can gain as much as a 4.5% increase in diesel mileage as well, a previous test in Utah found. In the Nevada safety test, the trailing truck ran just 40 feet behind the lead truck, possible because of the millisecond response time of the automated braking system. Human drivers still control the truck's steering, and can turn off the automated system at any time. Peloton says the system will be commercially available in 2015.
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150 |
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The number of active "reshoring" projects, in various stages of development, that Walmart says it is currently engaged in with US suppliers, stemming from the retail giant's announced plan last year to source an additional $250 billion in US made goods over the next 10 years. That news according to a report this week from Reuters. That said, the Reuters report says that many US suppliers are struggling to gain traction with the program, due to issues ranging from a lack of US domestic suppliers to challenges meeting Walmart cost targets. One clear success, however, comes from a company named Element Electronics, which has moved production of flat screen TVs from Asia to South Carolina - using US production as a differentiator at Walmart in today what is largely a commodity-like category. |
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