Logistics Meeting Attracts Over 70 Industry Leaders
Sustainability is the key to ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the entire supply chain. That was a key message delivered at a recent meeting to launch a report on logistics and the environment authored by Supply Chain & Logistics Association Canada (SCL).
RBC partnered with SCL to develop the report, which includes inspiring stories and a compelling business case for making the transition to a cleaner, greener approach to supply chain management. Ann Bowman, RBC Regional Vice-President, was pleased with the turnout of over 70 logistics industry professionals, noting that the issue of sustainability is an important one that touches all parts of the sector.
A panel of three industry leaders, Paul Cooper of SLH Trucking, Virginia Garbutt of Walmart and Bob Armstrong from SCL responded to questions about the report posed by David Cross of RBC.
Paul Cooper explained the challenges in implementing green practices in an industry with every increasing costs and pressure to lower rates. Still, he acknowledged that SLH is "committed to the environment because its the right thing to do."
Virginia Garbutt offered a glimpse at the importance that Walmart places on the environment and announced that the Cornwall regional distribution centre will be adapting its material handling equipment to hydrogen fuel cells. Walmart is a key proponent of this leading edge technology which offers a cleaner more efficient option over traditional batteries.
The report can be downloaded from the SCL website by clicking on the following link:
Bob Armstrong also provided attendees with an overview of another SCL research paper, Global Business Strategy and Innovation: A Canadian Logistics Perspective. SCL's comprehensive research uncovers the main factors driving Canadian logistics operations. A couple of key points made by Mr. Armstrong include that investment in the construction of new Canadian distribution centres has increased by 106% from 2005-2010, to an annual value of over $1 billion. Investments in Ontario increased 123% during the same time period. Click on the following link to download the report:
The availability of land is a key site selection factor when it comes to establishing distribution centres, according to Terry Landon, co-owner and Broker of Record with REMAX Cornwall. Mr. Landon noted that Eastern Ontario is becoming an attractive location for logistics activity, especially for those companies looking to access Central and Eastern Canadian markets. Mr. Landon identified some key cost benefits to locating in Eastern Ontario as opposed to the Greater Toronto Area:
- Land acquisition savings as high as $40 million (100 acre acquisition)
- Development charge savings as high as $20 million (1 million sq.ft. building)
- Annual lease savings as much as $750,000 per year (500,000 sq.ft.)
You can view the Mr. Landon's presentation here:
The meeting was sponsored in part by the Ontario East Economic Development Commission, which provided attendees with a copy of the Eastern Ontario Logistics Directory. You can download the directory here:
Finally, Bob Peters of Cornwall Economic Development provided the audience with an overview of recent development activity in Cornwall, including the current construction of two major distibution centres for Target and Boundary Properties, to go along with already established facilities for Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart.
You can view the Cornwall Presentation here:
The meeting was held at NAV CENTRE, a premiere conference centre located along the banks of St. Lawrence River in Cornwall, Ontario.
