Beverage World - October 15, 2007 - (Page 64)

DISTRIBUTION FLEET OF THE MONTH A Greener Gotham Manhattan Beer Distributors celebrates 7 years of an environmentally-friendly approach to moving brews. By William Atkinson M Benefits While most changes that companies make result in a lot of upside and some downside, executives at Manhattan emphasize that there is no downside to the CNG technology. “The cost of the fuel is about the same,” reports Juan Corcino, fleet manager. In addition, the new engines provide virtually identical performance in terms of horsepower and fuel economy. The biggest benefit is cleanliness. The CNG engines reduce exhaust emissions and carbon dioxide by 70 percent, nitrous oxide by 87 percent and nonmethane organic gas by almost 90 percent, compared to the traditional diesel 64_BEVERAGE WORLD_OCTOBER 2007 » anhattan Beer Distributors (Bronx, N.Y., USA) serves more than 22,000 accounts through five facilities in New York and distributes approximately 40 beers, including Samuel Adams, Coors, Rolling Rock, Corona and Beck’s. In 2001, management at Manhattan, led by president and CEO Simon Bergson, made the decision to acquire clean fuel heavy-duty beverage trucks, making it the first company in the Northeast to do so. The company began utilizing vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG). At first, 15 of the company’s trucks, which are Internationals, were repowered with CNG-dedicated engines and fuel tanks. (Each truck has four fuel tanks.) “Currently, 36 trucks have been repowered with CNG engines,” says Mike McCarthy, senior vice president—operations. The CNG trucks operate out of three of the distributor’s five warehouses. MANHATTAN BEER DISTRIBUTORS first began utilizing compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in 2001 and expects to have 45 CNG-repowered trucks in its fleet by the end of this year. engines. They also generate 40 to 60 percent fewer emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than the conventional engines that were being used. “I did a test myself,” recalls Corcino. “I put a white shirt on each of the mufflers—one on a diesel truck and one on a CNG truck. The shirt remained clean on the CNG muffler.” Each CNG-repowered truck avoids the use of approximately 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year, for the 12-year life of the vehicle. And there is a reduced need for service. “Diesel engines need to be serviced every 3,000 miles,” notes Corcino. The CNG engines only need to be serviced every 25,000 miles because the CNG is cleaner and doesn’t damage the oil like diesel does. Additional benefits are that the engines are quiet and function well in cold weather. “I have never had a CNG engine freeze on us,” reports Corcino. Also, if a CNG-powered truck runs low on fuel, it will continue to operate at 20 miles per hour, giving the driver time to return to a fueling station. The Future Manhattan remains on track with its unwavering commitment to improved environmental performance. By the end of 2007, the company plans to have reached its goal of 45 repowered trucks (27 John Deere engines and 18 Cummins engines)—a total savings of 1,620,000 gallons of diesel fuel and a reduction of 530 tons of emissions. “We made an initial commitment to convert 45 trucks to CNG, and, right now, our goal is to reach that number,” explains McCarthy. “After that, we will take another look at the program to see if we want to do anything else. Right now, the attitudes are positive, we realize it is still the right thing to do, and we are happy with the results.” BW BEVERAGEWORLD.COM http://www.beverageworld.com/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Beverage World - October 15, 2007

Beverage World - October 15, 2007 Table of Contents Global Recycling Trends Editor’s Note CCE’s Recycling Initiative New Beverages: VeeV New Beverage Roundup Market Metrics: Green-Minded Consumers Cover Story: Earth’s Brewer Adina World Beat Beverages • Fetzer Vineyards Kim Jeffery, Nestlé Waters North America Sambazon Icelandic Water Holdings John Compton, PepsiCo North America Dennis Puffer, Coors Brewing Co. ITO EN Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. • Cuca Fresca Exports Jeff Seabright, The Coca-Cola Company Mendocino Wine Co. Doug Muhleman, Anheuser-Busch Seth Goldman, Honest Tea Supply Chain: Waste Management Production: Environmental Operations Operations Observations Packaging: Lightweight Bottles Trendspotting R&D: Eco Beverages • Ask the Expert Sales & Marketing: Green POS Materials Distribution: Green Fleets Distribution: Fleet of the Month: Manhattan Beer Distributors FleetBeat The Beverage World Top 100 Classifieds Ad Index

Beverage World - October 15, 2007

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