FEATURE Warehousing & Materials Handling
The leaner, greener and meaner
approach to sustainability Alexander Baal, Director of Sales Operations at Jungheinrich in the UK, discusses the roadmap that businesses should seek to adopt in order to achieve environmental and economic business sustainability.
T
hree elements to consider when it comes to business sustainability within supply chains are social, econo mic
and environmental. However, in the warehouse, businesses should start with addressing the economic and environmental factors as a priority. The environmental pillar often gets the most attention with government pressure higher than ever on companies to reduce their carbon footprints, electrical or water usage and their overall impact on the environment. For example, the removal of the Red Diesel business entitlement in 2022 means that many companies will need to quickly overhaul their diesel equipment and consider more energy effi cient power alternatives. But while this may appear to be a logistical headache, those companies that invest in their environmental CSR efforts also fi nd this unlocks signifi cant fi nancial benefi ts. For example, businesses using materials handling equipment powered by lithium-ion batteries have found this can also deliver productivity and effi ciency benefi ts, such as opportunity charging and supporting 24/7 operations.
The economic pillar provides a counterweight to challenging measures that corporations are pushed to adopt, such as abandoning fossil fuels rather than phasing in changes. In today’s robust competitive industry and turbulent economic environment, the goal for most factories is to make the production process more effi cient, productive and ultimately – sustainable So, what remedies can businesses take to
improve not just their environmental credentials, but also their bottom line?
THE CATALYST FOR AUTOMATION COVID-19 and the global economic shut down has accelerated the need to operate in a seamless fashion, whilst also ensuring that companies are prepared for any potential disruption in the future. Due to lockdowns, social distancing, combined with changing consumer habits, such as the rise of ecommerce, today’s warehouses must now look to fi nd ways to operate effortlessly and economically while adhering to new post-pandemic health and safety protocols.
18 January 2022 Irish Manufacturing
The reality of COVID-19 and its impact on the
warehouse and supply chain management industry has uncovered gaps and ineffi ciencies in supply chain and warehouse automation strategy. But these types of hurdles have served as the catalyst for warehouse managers to adopt and implement automation technology, to shift and adapt to peaks in demand and the need for effi ciency. Warehouse automation drives value, but although robotics aid the warehouse for the monotonous tasks such as picking, packing and transporting, they can never replace humans to do the more intricate tasks. This will not only provide ROI and continuity during a crisis, but in the long- term to meet long-lasting business goals as well. Pre-pandemic, automation was viewed as a
luxury; now it’s a necessity. With the booming ecommerce intralogistics market, warehouse managers can’t afford to let productivity slide. They need to create leaner, greener and more streamlined operations while continuing to contribute to sustainability.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Lithium-ion is at the forefront of the electric transport and energy storage revolution. Businesses already using lithium-ion can continue to demonstrate and grow their environmental credentials through productivity and effi ciency
gains. As with all batteries, those from electric vehicles are eventually destined for recycling. The energy storage market is growing dramatically, which bodes well for opportunities for second-life battery systems. By deploying lithium-ion batteries in a secondary market application, such as deploying a wall charge solution with second-life batteries to supplement charge from the grid, the environmental footprint created by their manufacture, both in terms of metals extraction and energy required in production, can be signifi cantly minimised. Especially with lithium- ion as it allows the opportunity to charge for a longer lifetime, with higher energy density thus increasing the lifespan of the equipment. The European Commission acknowledges that batteries will play a fundamental role in delivering the EU’s 2050 net-zero ambition. However, to ensure a competitive and sustainable industry, businesses should encourage reuse, improving batteries collection and recycling of materials. By adopting environmental, social and economic perspectives in strategy planning and execution, companies are seeking to harness environmentally- friendly and effi cient measures to respond to challenges that further maximise their business landscapes in an all-round sustainable way.
Jungheinrich
www.jungheinrich.com
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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