AMCS unveils Smart Transport solution
AMCS, supplier of integrated software and vehicle technology for the waste and recycling sector, has launched the first major release of the AMCS Platform in 2021.
AMCS Platform 8.5 incorporates significant developments in its transport logistics and materials processing functionality, ensuring users are able to ‘rapidly react to changes in customer demands’ and helping them to stay ahead of market developments, AMCS says.
The new AMCS TMS (Transport Management System) provides highly automated and integrated functionality capable of managing every aspect of waste collection logistics including route planning, scheduling, live tracking and a mobile driver application.
AMCS says this will deliver ‘enhanced productivity’ through improved resource optimisation, operational visibility and service levels.
Elaine Treacy, Global Product Director at AMCS, said: “With new transport management and enhanced materials management solutions, AMCS Platform 8.5 delivers added functionality in areas that allow our customers to drive revenue growth, margin expansion, operational efficiency, service levels and sustainability whilst also reducing their costs.
“Business agility is increasingly important, with organisations needing to generate business insights across their enterprise – Platform 8.5 is designed to do just this. For instance, it offers a new intelligent and interactive dashboard to assist customers in managing their accounts receivable function. This, in turn, helps them make informed and rapid decisions to accelerate the order to cash cycle.”
Improved recycling figures in Lewisham
EPIC Media Group’s changeable graphics system has supported a recycling campaign for the London Borough of Lewisham which it says resulted in a 12% recycling improvement across the region.
In 2018 the London Borough of Lewisham adopted EPIC Media Group’s changeable graphics system on their fleet of 15 refuse trucks. The vehicle graphics campaign provided strong eye-catching guidance and information about kerbside recycling and waste disposal.
In late 2020 the system was added to a further 18 trucks with new graphics across the whole fleet promoting the reduce, reuse, recycle campaign.
Noel Everest, General Manager Fleet and Passenger, from the London Borough of Lewisham said: “We’re really pleased with the results of our recycling campaign, a 12% improvement in household recycling is brilliant. The ‘can-do’ approach of EPIC’s team makes light work of our graphics changes.”
Kevin Murton, Managing Director of EPIC Media Group said: “We love to hear our client’s success stories. Our changeable graphics system has proved to be very successful as the London Borough of Lewisham has shown. Paired with its flexibility and ease of graphic changes they make a great addition to a communications tool kit.”
Vehicle runaways are a thing of the past with VT BrakeSafe
According to research published by the Health and Safety Executive, 48 percent of drivers surveyed indicated that they had personally experienced a vehicle runaway.
Failure to apply the handbrake and/or trailer parking brake was identified as the primary reason contributing to runaway incidents involving HGVs, with technical failures, bad practices and organisational factors such as time pressures also being cited amongst a list of additional contributing influences.
The research acknowledges that in-cab alarms and additional control measures such as automatic braking systems are effective means of preventing these potentially devastating incidents.
With driver, vehicle and other road user safety in mind, Vision Techniques have developed VT BrakeSafe: a fail-safe automatic braking system that instantly applies the vehicle park brake if it’s not applied by the driver when exiting the cab.
Working closely with local authorities and private sector vehicle operators, Vision Techniques said it listened to drivers and observed their behaviour to understand how and where instances of runaways could occur.
Instances of tiredness or time pressure were identified as potential situations where the handbrake could be left off in error. With this in mind, VT BrakeSafe actually applies the handbrake, removing the need for further human intervention and removing the risk of human error, VT BrakeSafe says.
VT BrakeSafe works by receiving data from a variety of inputs, to ensure the parking brake is engaged when it should be and is not activated inappropriately. Multiple sensors have to be activated in order for a scenario to be identified as a potential runaway and the automatic braking to be triggered.
Carbon Savings from Bucher Municipal’s 100% Electric Salt Spreader
Bucher Municipal’s Phoenix Electra Spreader represents the company’s commitment to the environment as well as highlighting the capabilities of its research and development programme, it says.
Electric power within the municipal sector is becoming increasingly important, and commands a lot of attention in many industries worldwide. Bucher Municipal delivered an industry milestone with its 100% electric spreader.
Following fleet trials during winter season 20/21, Bucher measured a 19.2% efficiency saving between a traditional hydraulic and the Phoenix Electra spreader. That represents a 19.2% fuel saving and 19.2% drop in CO2 emissions from the chassis.
Three equivalent hydraulic spreaders and three electric spreaders were tested in live winter operations.
Truck telematics monitored the fuel consumption throughout the trials and the results clearly demonstrated a significant difference in figures between the hydraulic and electric spreader systems.
Up to now, permanently mounted gritters in the UK have relied on a hydraulic system driven by a live PTO from the trucks engine. But it was the removal of the PTO and its constant driving of the hydraulic power system that has ultimately delivered the savings.
Based on the test results, around 1 tonne of CO2 emissions from the truck is saved for every 2,500 miles travelled by the gritter. That figure, multiplied over a fleet of gritters over the course of a full winter season, amounts to what it calls a ‘sizable carbon reduction’.
This is technology that can be incorporated now, to help meet decarbonisation initiatives and keep authorities on track with their climate emergency plans. Bucher says.
