Pick the low hanging fruit first!

If we were writing this services section in mid-2007, we would start by making the case for more attention to designing sustainability into supply chain. It seems like the world has changed though, with high priced diesel fuel and reports from early adopters of green strategies combining to generate more interest and action in a growing list of companies. The published reports on the leaders in green logistics have tended to stress the major technological leaps forward they have made. Not to say that larger investment and long term payback investments aren't worth doing, but companies that pick the low hanging fruit first, are more likely to recognize the benefits earlier of a sustainable supply chain.

We believe in a gameplan of going after the easy to implement and low investment process and mature technology changes first; while exploring the more expensive and longer term innovative strategies. For example, investing in computer controlled warehouse lighting can be a more appropriate first step, rather than jumping to installing a large solar array at the same locations. In another example, taking steps to optimize the current transportation routing and other processes may have a much faster payback, with lower investment, than converting an entire truck fleet to the latest fuel efficient equipment. (See our Practical Tips for Dealing with High Priced Fuel for why driver training and lower highway speeds can be your best cost reduction strategy, with higher payback than large investments in new equipment.)

What gets measured gets improved. The accepted metric for sustainability is a company's carbon footprint (for a definition of the carbon footprint see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint). TriPoint Interactive can help you calculate your carbon footprint, help assess your organization; then identify a step by step set of strategies for reducing costs and improving the sustainability of your operations. Contact us to discuss your situation and to brainstorm potential approaches. When you are ready for the more aggressive sustainability strategies, the TriPoint Interactive team of operations executives, industrial engineers and systems analyst can assist you to avoid the pitfalls in this area and generate the improvements that not only add to the environment, but drop to the bottom line.

• Green Logistics Consultants Group
  The Green Logistics Consultants Group is an international collaborative network of supply chain consultants with a proven general or specific expertise in areas where companies or local and national governments can improve the environmental performance of their supply chains and transport infrastructure
• EPA Smart Way
  In 2004, EPA launched SmartWay — an innovative brand that represents environmentally cleaner, more fuel efficient transportation options.