The company is offering the service to help reduce powered equipment loss and streamline fleet management.
Lytx Inc., a San Diego-based video telematics solutions provider, has launched the Lytx Asset Tracking Service to augment its fleet management solutions. The company also announced several new maintenance enhancements for its Fleet Tracking Service, which are slated to be released later this year.
Available now in the U.S. and Canada, the Asset Tracking Service can be used by fleet managers looking for a streamlined approach to locating and managing their powered equipment. The Lytx Asset Tracking Service is designed for fleet managers who need timely information about their powered equipment. The service consists of the Lytx Asset Tracker hardware and a monthly subscription per unit that grants customers access to the customizable software via a Lytx account.
The company says asset tracking is essential for customers with mixed fleets since the location of assets can change quickly. Without a means of locating and tracking equipment, companies can be exposed to theft and loss of equipment.
By installing a Lytx Asset Tracker device into a powered asset and using the tracking software, companies can obtain data like the asset serial number, estimated location, last connected time and the last movement date. Customized real-time alerts provide additional visibility including how long the equipment has been dormant, the current battery level and when an asset enters or exits a defined area.
Paired with Lytx’s Fleet Tracking Service, asset tracking can provide fleet managers with the peace of mind of knowing where both their vehicles and essential powered equipment are always. This full-view visibility gives fleet managers and business owners the ability to track history and travel patterns to determine vehicle and equipment usage and whether they need to buy more equipment or offload some.
Lytx says its Fleet Tracking Service provides a seamless solution for fleet managers who need to regularly access fleet status, manage driver efficiency and keep their vehicles running in top condition.
Lytx’s GPS fleet tracking software allows companies to manage and monitor their vehicles and assets in the field to respond faster, complete more jobs, decrease theft and improve customer satisfaction. With an installed GPS-enabled device, fleet managers can gain visibility into arrival, idle and departure times, leading to faster decision-making and reduced fuel costs.
Lytx Fleet Tracking Service can be customized to suit all fleet needs, including setting defined areas called geofences, configuring interactive maps and analyzing specific trends and performance. Video-enabled devices can enhance asset tracking by providing video evidence to help protect drivers and reduce claims costs in the event of a collision and support investigations of damage incidents or missing equipment.
New maintenance enhancements are in development and will be added to Lytx’s Fleet Tracking Service later this year. Those new capabilities include:
diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) support for heavy-duty vehicles using Lytx DTC Insights, which can identify potential vehicle malfunctions and help managers resolve issues before they become more dangerous and costly,
preventative maintenance by calendar that allows fleet managers to proactively configure and schedule vehicle service intervals with due dates set by calendar day, helping with performing time-based vehicle maintenance, resulting in fewer vehicle failures; and
preventative maintenance by engine hours that enables managers to track and schedule maintenance by engine hours, which can help measure the wear and tear on vehicles.
The manufacturer explains the differences between various sorting methods and the technology that goes into identifying recyclables.
Robotic technology is rapidly evolving in the recycling industry, especially in the area of optical sorting equipment. Drawing from deep datasets, optical sorters using different ejection methods process material fractions more efficiently and with higher purity rates than at any other time.
But what exactly constitutes a robot in the recycling industry and how do these machines leverage the deep learning subset of artificial intelligence (AI) to benefit today’s recycling facilities?
“Recycling Robots, Take Two,” the latest eBook from Norway-based Tomra Recycling, a global leader in sensor-based sorting, explains the similarities and differences between optical sorters with valve block and robotic arm ejectors and details how, when implemented as part of the holistic system design, both can improve plant sorting performance.
The eBook describes what is at the heart of AI, how everyone experiences it every day and opens the reader’s mind to recognize the term “robot sorter” is not just a machine with sorting arms.
Readers also learn the four critical components shared by all-optical sorters, what different sorting technologies are available for the recycler’s toolbox and the software’s role in sorting. Processing software, in particular, is critical to the sorting process, and it should be developed specifically for the type of sorting technology employed so the recycler can maximize material recovery.
The eBook concludes with the message that, while not new to the recycling industry, the use of AI and deep datasets is expanding, resulting in faster processing speeds, higher recovery rates of the most complex material fractions and maximum circularity by bringing more high-quality recyclates into the loop. Together, optical sorters–both with valve block as well as robotic arm ejectors–allow the workforce to be used more efficiently to lower overall operating costs for the recycler. To be most effective, however, these sorters must be positioned in the line as part of a holistic approach to the automated circuit.
Click here to download a copy of the ebook.
The company plans to create an international business development team as it steps into new markets.
Buffalo, New York-based Wendt Corp. says its international expansion plans are supported by an internal promotion of Ethan Willard to global director of business development and the hiring of industry veteran Dennis Law.
“Our expansion to enter new markets and geographies and introduce our world-class products and services marks a milestone moment in the growth of Wendt Corporation,” says Tom Wendt, president. “Leveraging Ethan and Dennis’ deep expertise and valuable perspectives along with the strength of our existing teams and capabilities will help us unlock new global markets and foster sustainable growth.”
In his new role, Willard will help develop Wendt’s product line and oversee the company’s entry into new markets. He will provide strategic leadership and structure to an experienced team of business development professionals. This team establishes performance specifications to ensure Wendt’s equipment meets customers’ expectations as markets evolve. Willard has spent his 10-year career at Wendt in various roles from sales engineer to most recently managing shredder business development. He led the discovery, sale and execution of automobile shredding and aluminum shredding plants around the world while also pioneering efforts in the development and implementation of auto shredder emissions control systems.
Two members of that business development team will be William Close and Mike Woodward, each with more than 30 years with Wendt. They will merge Wendt’s core areas of shredding and separation into a single team, their experience setting the foundation for global expansion as worldwide demand for the company’s technology grows. Over the past five years, Wendt has experienced record sales growth.
“Wendt is well-positioned for exponential growth internationally, and I am excited to lead the expansion efforts,” Willard says. “Our shredding and separation technologies have received an influx of interest, and we have a tremendous opportunity to deliver our innovative plants and technologies around the world that help on the path toward a sustainable future. We will look to maintain our leadership position while leveraging our new team and trusted partners to grow our global footprint.”
Bolstering the international business team, Law will head global business development. From that post, he will identify the best strategy to enter new markets across Europe and Asia. Based out of Germany, Law will develop international markets within the scrap recycling industry while strengthening existing relationships with customers and partners across the globe. A seasoned veteran of the recycling industry, Law comes to Wendt with more than 17 years of experience. As a business development leader, he has held management positions, including stints with Metso and Steinert.
“Wendt has built a reputation as the market leader in North America, and I am excited to be in the position to expand that leadership position internationally,” Law says. “Being based not only in America but also in Europe is yet another step by the company to steadily expand and better serve customers as they would expect. Our customers all around the globe will now benefit from Wendt’s deep knowledge in shredder and non-ferrous plant manufacturing.”
Wendt Corp., a North American specialist in shredding and separation recycling solutions, has announced the appointment of several new international leaders to strengthen its global expansion efforts, enhance competitive positioning and focus on new global markets.
The company says it is ahead of pace to reach its interim target of 10 percent emissions reduction by 2025.
Republic Services Inc., Pheonix, has released its 2021 Sustainability Report, highlighting the company’s efforts to support decarbonization and circularity and outlining continued progress toward its ambitious 2030 sustainability goals.
Achievements include a 9 percent reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions over the 2017 baseline year, ahead of pace to reach the company's interim target of a 10 percent reduction by 2025, and the development of the nation's first integrated plastics recycling facility.
"At Republic Services, we view sustainability as more than just how we operate,” says Jon Vander Ark, president and CEO of Republic Services. “We see it as a platform for growth, allowing us to innovate and invest in projects that will deliver significant environmental and economic benefits over time.
Republic says its vision is to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world. This approach begins with its “Elements of Sustainability.” This consists of safety, talent, climate leadership and communities, which anchor the company's 2030 goals. In addition to tracking progress toward these goals, the 2021 Sustainability Report includes new disclosures around environmental justice, supplier diversity and biodiversity conservation.
For example, Republic Services moved to a more representative emissions modeling methodology known as Solid Waste Industry for Climate Solutions. This methodology is used by industry peers and is an alternative for private landfills under the Climate Registry and recognized by SBTi. It considers a landfill’s gas collection effectiveness and efficiency as well as its cover system, allowing us to recognize the emissions reductions from our investments.
In 2021, Republic began operating our first regular collection routes with electric trucks. In Idaho, three electric vehicles (EVs) are collecting commercial recycling. The company says it has two more EVs operating in North Carolina. These EVs are delivering economic as well as environmental benefits, with lower fuel and maintenance costs in addition to zero carbon emissions. Additional EV deployments are planned in 2022, and Republic expects the pace of its electric truck rollout to accelerate in the future.
In 2021, Republic’s 71 recycling facilities processed 5 million tons of materials, returning cardboard, paper, plastics, metals and glass to the marketplace for reuse while making steady progress toward its Circular Economy goal.
At the end of 2021, Republic Services was involved with 69 landfill gas-to-energy projects and eight solar projects. In 2021, the company increased the beneficial reuse of landfill gas thanks to new RNG projects coming online, including an innovative project at McCarty Road Landfill in Houston. The company says it has 17 more RNG projects in development that are expected to begin operations in the next couple of years.
Additional highlights from the report:
announced development of the nation's first Polymer Center to advance plastics circularity and support recycled content goals.
recorded 38 percent better safety performance than the industry average over the past 10-year period; and,
recognized by the industry's Driver and Operator of the Year awards.
made notable strides with women in management, with top leadership positions more than doubling between 2019 and 2021; and,
unveiled two talent retention and development programs: the Tech Institute and Leadership Academy.
Republic Services is committed to transparency and disclosure through its sustainability reporting. In conjunction with the 2021 Sustainability Report, the company issued its 2021 Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Report, 2021 Global Reporting Initiative Report and an updated report aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. The company will publish its 2021 CDP Climate Change response later this month.
“We've made ambitious, industry-leading commitments across our business to reduce emissions and decarbonize our operations,” Vander Ark says. “Not only are we making significant progress toward these 2030 goals, but we're helping our customers reach their own sustainability goals."
To learn more about Republic Services' sustainability work and to download the 2021 Sustainability Report, click here.
Hygiene products maker says it used 24 percent recycled content in its tissue last year and boosted plastic scrap use.
Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark Corp., as part of its newly published annual report on sustainability, included a 24 percent figure for the recycled content of its tissue products globally.
In its recap on the company’s impact on forests, Kimberly-Clark says recycled fiber comprised 24 percent of its tissue products feedstock. The company says it “achieved 87 percent environmentally preferred fiber use” status globally by also using 63 percent virgin wood fiber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
In terms of its plastics use, Kimberly-Clark says last year it “continued its work to explore more sustainable, commercially viable and scalable alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics.”
That meant in 2021 it doubled the percentage of recycled content in its plastic packaging, and it “further increased the amount of packaging globally that is reusable, recyclable, or compostable to nearly 84 percent, as it strives for 100 percent by 2025,” the company says.
“We will remain steadfast in our efforts to reach our goals because we believe it’s the best way to care for the people we serve, it’s the right thing to do for our planet, and it helps us deliver on our purpose,” says Lisa Morden, vice president with Kimberly-Clark.