Leading Fleets, Vol. 9, 2016

St Louis Mayor Francis Slay commends Anheuser Busch for its environmentally friendly practices 12 LEADING FLEETS VOL 9 2016 COVER STORY from diesel to compressed natural gas CNG in 2014 The tractors are all powered with Cummins 119 liter ISX12 G engines These engines are expected to emit 23 fewer greenhouse gases than diesel engines This reduction in GHG levels is equivalent to removing 420 passenger vehicles off the road The new engines are also predicted to reduce 2000 tons of CO2 emissions per year when adjusting emissions reduction for consumption rates These vehicles are being leased by Anheuser Busch from Ryder and are operated by J B Hunt Houston currently has 15 CNG fueling stations according to the U S Department of Energy The existing fueling infrastructure along with generous state tax incentives totaling to an estimated 3 million helped the company decide where to start in its alternative fuel vehicle conversions And Houston was just the starting point for the switch to natural gas Its latest greening efforts have made its way back to the city where its headquarters are located St Louis The company transitioned 97 diesel fueled tractors into new CNG vehicles last year All of the St Louis tractors are fueled at one station located near its flagship brewery Although the rollout appeared seamless James Sembrot Anheuser Buschs Sr Director of Transportation stressed the importance of starting with a solid plan CNG conversions are still in the early stages especially for heavy haul shippers like Anheuser Busch Having an extensive implementation and communication plan that includes all stakeholders with clear lines of accountability is critical as many people involved are still learning Sembrot says The conversion to natural gas vehicles has been years in the making We carefully look at any business decision from all angles and this was no different We had been considering various scenarios that would involve CNG tractors for several years Sembrot says We always look for ways to improve the way we do business and how we can have a positive environmental impact After the second full fleet conversion the company now has 30 of its heavy haul fleet running on natural gas In addition to full CNG conversions the company is evaluating a dual fuel technology that utilizes both CNG and diesel to power its engines These ambitious sustainability goals resulted in Beverage World naming Anheuser Busch the 2015 Fleet of the Year which is not the first time the company has received accolades for its sustainability efforts In 2014 Heavy Duty Trucking highlighted Anheuser Busch as one of its Top 50 Green Fleets Even the companys facilities have been acknowledged for their environmentally friendly operations In 2013 the Anheuser Busch Fairfield brewery was named the Green Plant of the Year by Food Processing magazine for its use of solar arrays wind power and anaerobic digestion Making Use of Big Data Since Sembrot has started his career in transportation one of the more noteworthy changes he has witnessed in the industry is how big data has come into play What use to be a buzzword is now something he says practitioners can actually see value in Technology is a driver of change within transportation The ability to track and trace loads has compelling value for the customer Sembrot says Although Sembrot has been with Anheuser Busch for only five years he has a total of 20 years of strategic planning process improvement and P L management experience He says there are many benefits to utilizing big data including everything from improving cost management to better customer service Anheuser Busch works with a third party provider for its telematics solution Sembrot says the switch from spreadsheets and reports to more graphical and visual interfaces makes it easier to identify abnormalities and develop solutions Anheuser Busch InBevs European fleet has learned many of its best practices from participating in a pilot program called Lean and Green AB InBevs Lean and Green program reduced GHG emissions across its European logistics operations by 18500 tons The program is sponsored in the Netherlands by Connekt Anheuser Busch is also truck sharing with its retail partners in Brazil to reduce empty mileage on return trips and to take advantage of complementary supply chains INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY