Transplace, a provider of transportation management services and logistics technology, and Sunny Delight Beverages Co. announced the successful implementation of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet in Southern California. The CNG fleet, deployed by Glacier Transportation, has effectively lowered greenhouse gas emissions and reduced fuel costs for the beverage company.
The five-year arrangement transports Sunny Delight products to customers across the Southern California market to cities such as Los Angeles, Mira Loma, Carson and Riverside. To date, the program has met the company’s goals; and long-term, Sunny Delight expects the transition from diesel power to CNG fuel for its fleet operations will result in substantially fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced transportation costs.
“Transplace, our strategic logistics partner, helped us find the best way to take advantage of alternative fuel source savings in our network,” said Ellen Iobst, senior vice president, manufacturing and technology and chief sustainability officer at Sunny Delight. “Transplace has executed a transportation plan that has supported our sustainability initiatives without adding costs.”
Transplace has been a long-time provider for Sunny Delight, and this newest sustainability partnership came to light during the 2011 Shipper Symposium, an annual Transplace-hosted event focused on sharing innovation and best practices between Transplace customers, partners and industry leaders. Sunny Delight’s CEO Billy Cyr spoke at the conference, and while networking with Transplace and Clean Energy Fuels he recognized a sustainable opportunity that would also positively impact his company’s bottom line.
Clean Energy estimates a greenhouse gas savings of 23 percent on CNG versus diesel powered engines when looking at the fuel from extraction to tailpipe. In addition, Sunny Delight’s network stands to save an estimated 400,000 gallons of diesel fuel in 2012 due to the conversion to CNG in Southern California.
