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ATC Honeybees: Season Update

This season, rather than numbering the hives I decided give each one a name. Ailbhe and Roisín are now named members of the ATC Team !!!

 

Incidentally, they were given female names as all the ‘Worker Bees’ in the hive are female (Males or “Drone Bees” are only present from Spring through Autumn, their sole purpose being to fertilise queens )

 

Both hives over-wintered well. Thanks in part to one of the hottest Februarys on record, the queens produced an abundance of new worker bees to forage for pollen & nectar.

 

Conversely, March was the wettest on record in Dublin since 1947. Thus, the bees were kept in their hives unable to leave and forage from the multitude of dandelions erupting from the round-abouts & roadsides around Baldonnell.

 

ATC Honeybee Update

 

April presented a mixed bag weatherwise with a mixture of cold and warm days. Thanks to, and with the assistance of gentlemen in ATC, netting was successfully erected on the perimeter railing at the back of the building. This better enabled the bees to get to a higher altitude sooner and avoid any unintended interactions with people.

 

Towards the end of the month the Hawthorn, Horse-Chestnut & Sycamore came into bloom. Thanks to warm weather the bees were out and about and Ailbhe went into swarm mode.

 

May was calm & warm bringing the first new queen of the season. Roisín was moved off-site temporarily but will return in the Autumn. There was plentiful supply of nectar & pollen and the bees were busy, busy, busy.

 

This is where the season ceased……. June saw very hot & dry with little or no forage for the bees. The ‘June Gap’ lived up to it’s name.

 

 

July was the wettest on record and yet again the bees were confined to quarters !!!

 

 

Honey gathered in May provided a food source for the bees.

 

August was marked by above average rainfall and storms Antoni & Betty. For another month the bees had limited flying time.

 

 

So what will this year’s honey harvest be like ?

 

 

Check -in late October for pictures and a full update of the harvest….

 

Nessa

 

Beekeeper

ATC Replace Diesel for HVO in their Fleet

In February 2022, we announced that we were piloting Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel as a sustainable alternative to diesel across a selected number of trucks and vans. ATC is one of Europe’s leading logistics, white glove and technical service companies for Data Centre clients, and we pride ourselves on being an early adopter when it comes to trialling and implementing new innovative technologies – especially when they could potentially help us as a business to reduce our carbon emissions.

 

At the beginning of 2023, we calculated that the amount of diesel fossil fuel we used in 2022  equates to 1,736 tonnes of CO2e (calculated well-to-wheel WTW, according to the Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework GLEC). We reduced our emissions using HVO for the trial vehicles by about 90% – a small step towards a greener future.

 

We are now delighted to announce that this trial was a triumphant success without any technical issues reported, which has led us to swap out diesel and the associated emissions for HVO  in the majority of our fleet.

 

There are 2 Key-Findings from ATC’s HVO Trial:

 

Reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

When considering this trial and calculating our Scope I emissions, a figure that jumped out immediately was 1.9t CO2e. This number represents the GHG emitted per 1,000 litres of HVO burned, compared to a considerable 3.2 tonnes for every 1000 litres of diesel burned. This is a theoretically calculated emission reduction of about 59% using the European values of emission factors from the GLEC framework.

 

Depending on the raw materials used for the production process of renewable biodiesel, the absolute emission reduction can be over 90% compared to fossil fuel. In our case, we received a Renewable Fuel Emission Reduction Activity (RFERA) certificate from our supplier, which provides details of the feedstock (raw materials), country of origin for the feedstock etc., and states the actual GHG savings of 94% compared to fossil fuel as per the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII).

 

After presenting the findings of this trial in a business case to the board of management, the decision was made to adopt HVO as a bridge fuel for our entire fleet.

Technical and Operational Advantages of HVO:

Besides the mentioned sustainable benefits, HVO provides some important technical and operational advantages compared to diesel. HVO is made from renewable feedstock and lipids like vegetable oil, animal fats, and old greases. It exceeds diesel fuel’s physical and chemical properties and meets the EN15940 standard. HVO is a:

 

  • low sulphur
  • low aromatic
  • transparent
  • oxidation stable, and
  • completely fossil-free paraffinic hydrocarbon fuel making it one of the world’s cleanest fuels on the market.

 

In practical terms, the operational advantages of HVO are as follows:

 

  • longer shelf-life
  • superior cold weather properties, providing a better-starting performance of engines
  • cleaner combustion and
  • reduced AdBlue consumption

 

All of the above support a healthier engine that lasts longer and costs less.

 

Another advantage of HVO is that it is easy to switch to, and there are no additional investment requirements.

 

Driving Forward – The Move from HVO to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV):

While we have adopted HVO100 as our bridging fuel for now, ultimately, we will be transitioning into the electrification of our fleet for short and mid-range transportation and hydrogen technology for mid to long-haulage operations.

 

There’s great excitement among the team as we have already ordered the first two zero-emission 26t rigid battery-electric-trucks (BEV) for our Frankfurt entity, and we have started the RFQ process for another three BEV trucks for our Dublin and London operations. In addition, we have agreed on trials with the legendary Volta trucks – more on this to come very soon.

 

We also have several electric vans that have joined our fleet in the last couple of months – we encourage you to read our blog on the cost difference between diesel and electric light goods vehicles, where you will find some interesting insights.

 

We plan on addressing one of the challenges in electrifying our fleet by safeguarding a 100% green power supply from renewable sources for our charging infrastructures and office buildings. We are working on a project to maximise our photovoltaic system, integrate wind turbines and increase energy storage to make our headquarters in Baldonnell energy positive. Our own produced “green energy” is already being used to recharge our BEV fleet.

 

ATC’s promise is that we will strive to empower transformation to a more sustainable business for all our stakeholders, employees, the partners that we work with, and the communities in which we live and work.

 

Thank you for continuing to follow us on this journey, and we look forward to sharing more exciting fleet updates with you very soon.

 

 

Rainer Hoerbst

Sustainability Manager

Navigating the HGV Driver Shortage Crisis

It is no secret that our industry is experiencing a global shortage of trained HGV drivers. According to the latest research published in 2022 by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), in Europe, there is currently a shortage of 380,000 truck drivers, which equates to about 10% of demand and rising.

We understand the importance of nurturing a skilled workforce to sustain the industry’s growth and meet increasing demand. That’s why we actively support apprenticeships including the Commercial Drivers Apprenticeship to provide aspiring drivers with valuable training and hands-on experience.

In this blog, I will discuss why the HGV driver shortage has occurred and how can we use education among other initiatives to overcome this challenge.

What are the implications of the driver shortage?

A shortage of drivers means longer shipping times and higher costs, driver fatigue, driver turnover and recruitment challenges and more.

Why is there an HGV driver shortage? 

Retirement age: At a global level, a large majority of truck drivers are coming close to the retirement age or have just retired, leaving a gap as we observe from one survey that just 7% of truck drivers are 25 or younger.

Gender gap: The industry also is predominantly male, with a very low proportion of women opting to make truck driving their career.

Safety concerns: Over the years, working conditions have been tough, with long hours and periods spent on the road, which can lead to driver fatigue. In a previous blog, “Reducing the Risk of Cargo Theft During Transport”, we uncovered some startling statistics surrounding the rate of truck theft.

Increased demand for delivery services: An after-effect of the pandemic is that consumers are shopping online more than in-store for convenience and access to goods from across the globe. An example of this is in the grocery industry, where we are seeing an upward trend in the number of people opting to order their weekly shop online and have it delivered to their front door. Statista.com says the number of users is “expected to amount to 233.40m users by 2027”. This increased demand puts pressure on the whole supply chain.

How do we overcome the driver shortage as an industry?

At ATC, we always listen to our team, clients and industry bodies to find ways to improve conditions for our drivers.

Safety: As we have spoken about previously, all of our trucks are state of the art with modern, spacious cabs and equipped with the latest technologies, including GPS tracking and anti-tamper sensors to deter any unwelcome visitors. We also have strict guidelines regarding rest periods and driver exams to maintain their utmost safety standards.

Industry regulations: At an industry level, the IRU, ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) and GSA (Global Shippers Alliance) have come together to develop a charter for improving the treatment of drivers at delivery sites. This charter details regulations that ensure drivers are met with adequate facilities, including lavatory, shower room, kitchens and social spaces upon arrival at a stop-off point.

Transport Planners: At ATC, our Transport Planners play an integral role for our drivers as they map out the safest route for them to travel and alert them to any potential issues/ alternative routes that they may have to take whilst also touching base and ensuring they have someone to talk to while in transit.

Education is power: The Transport Operations and Commercial Driving Apprenticeship offer an academic qualification, practical training, and work experience supporting a vibrant freight distribution career.

ATC proudly supports this apprenticeship and welcomes new apprentices to join us.

However, it’s not just about this 2-year course. It’s about the support our apprentices get and what comes after they graduate. At ATC, all of our apprentices are allowed to apply for a full-time position with a competitive salary, pension and other benefits.

We spoke earlier about the charter and the importance of creating a social environment for our drivers to enjoy while on the road. We have this in place in all of our locations to ensure they have a sense of community in their home away from home.

Our Leadership and Development Co-ordinator also matches all of our apprentices up with a mentor to look at career progression opportunities so that, as a team, we are all working towards something.

I truly believe that education is power, and combining it with practical work experience along with opportunities for career progression, on top of the remuneration benefits, is what will help to navigate our industry out of the driver shortage storm and attract the younger generation of both men and women to join with us.

Alan Young

Founder and Director

ATC Exhibit at DCW Frankfurt 2023

On the 10th and 11th of May, ATC exhibited at Data Centre World in Messe, Frankfurt, as part of Enterprise Ireland’s ‘Irish Pavilion’.

It was an excellent opportunity to showcase what we’ve been working on in the area of sustainability, especially as it was a theme of the event this year. Representing ATC at the exhibition were our Sustainability Manager, Rainer Hoerbst and our Data Centre Project Manager, Lize Simon.

On day 1, Enterprise Ireland hosted a series of speakers under the theme of “Ireland Build – Innovative DCs Worldwide – Energy Saving and Sustainable”. Rainer took to the floor, where he shared ATC’s ambitious sustainability goals and some notable achievements that we have made with introducing our battery power vehicles and passive-built HQ.

Other areas that were discussed over the two-day event by over 300 speakers included:

  • Automation and Emerging Technologies
  • Design
  • Building and Investment
  • IT Strategies and Regulation
  • Thermal Management and Advanced Cooling
  • Impact of 5G and
  • Net Zero

Speaking about the event, Lize said, “Being part of this Data Centre World was a truly valuable experience for ATC. Not only did we have the opportunity to share our story and our knowledge around ATC’s sustainability practices in Supply Chain and Logistics, but we also had the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals from different sectors of the data centre industry and dive deeper into emerging market trends.”

We thank Enterprise Ireland and the organisers behind Data Centre World 2023 and look forward to returning to Frankfurt for DCW 2024.

ATC Opens the Doors for Emerging Talent

ATC is a Proudly European company offices in Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. We also extend our services with local teams in several more countries: France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.

 

Now more than ever, we want to encourage people to get involved in our vital sector of Logistics and Supply Chain to support the growing demand for our services. This passion is shared by other organisations across Europe, including our home country of Ireland, where the Department of Transport promoted its first-ever Logistics and Supply Chain Week at the time of writing this piece.

 

As we expand our team, the openings for apprenticeships also grow. ATC is proud to be a founding member of the Logistics Associate Apprenticeship programme, which was borne out of a need to address a skills shortage within the logistics industry.

 

The title of this blog reads “ATC Opens the Doors For Emerging Talent“, which means that our doors are open to people from all walks of life who are interested in working in our industry areas. As quoted by other apprentices, “We are school leavers, older learners, career changers, women and men with diverse backgrounds, talents and abilities“.

 

As you read on, let us introduce you to some of our apprentices and interns and let them tell you about their experience working with ATC.

 

“ATC has been a welcoming company with a great team who have always given me support to learn. I have gained significant knowledge and hope to grow throughout my internship continuously.” Carla Caswell (HR Intern 2023)

 

“As an apprentice in ATC, I have been given a lot of support in my studies and even more opportunities to collect experience across different operations and different regions that ATC operates in.” Maksymilian Cwiertniak (1st Year LAA Apprentice)

 

“ATC supported my internship/apprenticeship journey by consistently providing me with the tools needed to better myself day by day, I’ve always been shown the path that ATC have for me as an employee and as a person, which makes the two years as an apprentice that little bit easier”. William McGovern (Final Year LAA Apprentice)

 

“During my apprenticeship, I have learned a handful of skills and have been given all tools and the correct guidance to be able to complete my apprenticeship. I think ATC is Fantastic, rapidly growing company and the opportunities and benefits that come with the apprenticeship you would not find elsewhere. I think it is an excellent way to get your head in the door in logistics, and ATC is always willing to cover your studies financially, which is one of many benefits to be able to grow within the company.” Daniel Petherick (Final Year LAA Apprentice)

 

We care deeply about developing our team and seeing our colleagues reach their full potential. It’s the foundation of our value system.

 

As an apprentice at ATC, what can you expect? 

 

Resources Support: 

All apprentices are provided with a laptop, on-task training and dedicated study time and space for study or online college attendance. ATC has also partnered with HEANET to provide EDUROAM internet access at our HQ in Baldonnell. EDUROAM is a Wi-Fi service which enables students, researchers and staff from participating institutions to securely access the internet at their college/university and whilst visiting other participating institutions. This is an initiative of HEANET.

Dedicated Mentors: 

Each of our apprentices are assigned a mentor to ensure they have a point of contact to reach out to and someone who is guiding them to achieve the key outcomes of the programme.

 

Team Initiatives:

In addition to competitive salaries, our apprentices are eligible for performance-related bonuses after an initial period.

 

But that’s not all. We want our teams to be proud of working for our business and want to grow with us, which is why we also have a number of ongoing initiatives in place.

 

To improve our overall quality and strengthen internal relationships, we have launched a field staff exchange program. This involves spending a week at another office and working with their team to learn about different job environments and locations. The exchange will primarily take place at our HQ in Dublin or our operations office in Frankfurt, where the employee can also attend technical training at our on-site Academies.

 

Diversity & Inclusion:

We pride ourselves on the fact that we have more than 20 different nationalities across our team at present. We acknowledge that we operate in a predominantly male industry and strive to ensure equal opportunities across our business. We are proud to have strong female representation with an increasing number of female Data Centre Installers, 50% representation on our Senior Leadership Team and many female colleagues in managerial positions. With our growing representation, we are sure that we will continue to grow a positive and inclusive organisational culture, with improvement in processes and group collaboration.

 

Career Progression:

ATC has a dedicated Learning and Development department to support our future personal and career development. Internal recruitment is also regularly promoted. And due to the nature of our work, there are many opportunities to travel abroad for work experience.

 

“ATC pushes you to strive for better and reward this through providing great career opportunities with full-time contracts along with further studies after the apprenticeship scheme” – Jeffery Boyce (Completed LAA with ATC and is now in full-time employment in ATC)

 

Sustainability:

The three pillars of sustainability are the environment/our planet, society/people, and the economy/profit/products – also known as the 3 Ps.

 

ATC’s sustainable development is built on top of those three pillars because it can be achieved only when environmental protection, social equity, and economic profitability coexist without one area taking over any of the others.

 

At ATC, we are committed to ensuring we meet environmental standards to leave a green footprint on our planet. We have initiated our sustainability initiative with an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030.

 

Charitable Commitments:

With the support of our Social & Events Team, we support various charities each year. Each year we select specific charity days we will celebrate & support. For 2023 we have chosen the following;

 

  • Daffodil Day
  • Darkness into Light
  • Breast Cancer Month
  • Movember

 

We have also been involved in the AWSinCommunities team and recently finished a refurbishment project at St. Michaels Special School, which we are incredibly proud of.

 

And with all of the above, we love to celebrate with our people across our European locations for team engagement and fun.

 

If this sounds like what you are looking for, we encourage you to contact us for more information

 

Drené Potgieter

L&D Co-Ordinator

Trends to Be Aware of In Logistics and Supply Chain for 2023

Every year, we sit down as a team and research what trends are emerging or advancing in our industry. This research is essential for ATC to ensure we remain at the top of our game and continue to provide our clients with the best experience.

 

When we wrote a similar blog on our findings, 5 Trends to Be Aware of in Logistics and Supply Chain for 2021,we spoke about the Internet of Things, Blockchain, AI, Warehousing, and Sustainability, and we will touch on them again, among others, in this blog.

 

So let’s dive in.

 

 

AI and Machine Learning

There is a growing recognition of the potential of AI and Machine Learning in modern supply chain management to drive significant improvements in efficiency, cost-effectiveness and customer satisfaction.

A figure that stood out straight away to us is $20 billion. This figure is the expected amount that AI in supply chains will be valued at by 2028 compared to $5 billion in 2021, quite considerable growth! (Blueweave Consulting).

In ATC, AI has played a growing role in our planning department over recent years, alerting us to adverse weather events that we need to avoid in a particular region. It also assists us with regular traffic alerts, detailing where there is congestion on a route and providing alternative directions to bypass so that our delivery deadlines remain unaffected.

Other areas where AI is now supporting logistics and supply chain are through automating decision-making and supporting customer service with chatbots. “Software bots can, for example, answer customer inquiries about delivery status or manage product returns.” DHL Freight Connections.

 

AI-powered Predictive Analytics

 

A significant development is the integration of AI-powered predictive analytics, which allows organisations to forecast demand and optimise inventory levels, thus reducing human error and improving efficiencies while bringing a good return on investment.

 

Internet of Things (IoT)

 

Another figure that jumped out at us is 55.7 billion. According to New Era Tech this is the number of connected devices that will be on the market by 2025.

 

IoT devices and sensors are being used to track and monitor assets in real-time, providing organisations with increased visibility and control over their supply chain operations. In addition, IoT-powered maintenance is on the rise, enabling companies to identify and fix potential issues, which again improves efficiencies and reduces downtime.

 

A vital function of the IoT that we value is the level of transparency we can now offer to our customers. Using connected devices, we can keep in touch with them while on the road so that they can follow the location of our trucks, have peace of mind that their assets are secure and can talk to the driver if necessary.

 

 

Blockchain

Blockchain technology continues to grow in popularity, offering a secure and transparent means of tracking goods and information throughout the supply chain.

 

“All components of the supply chain can be integrated into a single platform” financeonline.com

 

Blockchain is said to provide unparalleled protection for information. IBM.com explain it in almost Lego-like terms here “each new block connects to all the blocks before it in a cryptographic chain in such a way that it’s nearly impossible to tamper with.” This means that the person on the receiving end of the transaction, such as an invoice request, can rest assured that it is coming from their genuine supplier.

 

 

Green Logistics

With growing concerns over climate change and sustainability, companies are looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint. These activities include reducing transport emissions, using renewable energy in warehouses and implementing recycling and waste reduction programmes.

 

We have written several blogs around our sustainable efforts, from the environmental considerations we have taken in our new HQ, including the exciting introduction of Beehives on-site, to the recent purchase of our electric vans in Dublin and Frankfurt.

 

Circular Economy

The production of waste in supply chains is now considered unacceptable as it adversely impacts the global environment. Businesses are being encouraged to find ways to reduce waste production and recycle end-of-life products or packaging.

 

ATC is already involved in this activity with our reverse logistics service, which focuses on taking back the packaging used for a data centre deployment and recycling it through our globally certified packaging partner or returning it to our client base.

 

While we have made much progress in reducing ATC’s carbon footprint, we have more to do, which is why we are delighted to have our new Sustainability Manager on board – (more to come in another blog :-)).

 

 

Cybersecurity

Unfortunately, there has been a notable rise in the number of cyber-attacks on supply chain software—an increase of 300%.

 

Many logistic and supply chain operators, including ourselves, are concerned about this growing trend and taking action by investing in measures such as encryption, Blockchain, two-factor authentication, regular updates and staff training to ensure the business’s security posture is robust.

 

Chief Technology Officer Nils Gerhardt provided an excellent summary on the trajectory for cyber security and the supply chain in 2023 “Overall, 2023 looks set to be a year in which companies will be concentrating on the essentials of their security setup – their supply chain, the safety of their data in the cloud and their ability to switch to new forms of encryption. When building up the foundations of a company’s cybersecurity, the hardware or cloud-based solutions will continue to be essential.”

 

I hope this article gave you food for thought as it did for me about the future of logistics and supply chain and the exciting advancements unfolding as I write this.

 

 

Keith

Managing Director