Chemical Engineering June 2018 - 14

Newsfront
Transformations in Transit:
Chemical Logistics Get Smarter
Digitalization, sustainability, security and safety are at the forefront of innovations in
the logistics and supply-chain sectors
IN BRIEF
SUPPLY-CHAIN SAFETY
AND SECURITY
DIGITAL EVOLUTION
BATTERIES POWER
EFFICIENCY
SUPPLY-CHAIN
SUSTAINABILITY
Honeywell
E
nsuring that chemical products
reach the correct location at the
correct time requires intricate networks
of complex logistics and
scheduling tasks where several entities
may hold a stake. Users are beginning
to reap the efficiency benefits of adopting
advanced automation technologies
to streamline logistics activities, but concerns
about security, infrastructure and an
aging workforce remain.
Supply-chain safety and security
As with chemical manufacturing, safety
and security measures play a crucial role
once the product leaves the plant to be
transported to a distributor or customer.
For this reason, chemical distributors must
work closely with government agencies to
ensure proper oversight is taken to protect
personnel and product integrity. In April, representatives
from the National Association of
Chemical Distributors (NACD; Arlington, Va.;
www.nacd.com) visited Washington, D.C.
to promote reauthorization of the Chemical
Facility Antiterrorism Standards (CFATS)
program, as well as advocate for freight rail
reform. NACD has worked closely with the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the
CFATS program, which was first launched in
2007. " CFATS looks directly at chemical risk,
and management of that risk, " says Douglas
Brown, chairman of NACD and president of
Brown Chemical Co. (Oakland, N.J.; www.
brownchem.com). CFATS is predominantly
oriented toward fixed chemical sites, but also
requires facilities that transport any of the over
300 chemicals of interest regulated by CFATS
to address chemical security issues. " CFATS
enhances the safety envelope of the chemical
industry from manufacturers down to distributors, "
says Brown. NACD has also established
its own program to address security and safety
issues, Responsible Distribution. One element
the program focuses on is carrier selection,
14
FIGURE 1. New track-and-trace capabilities enable precise monitoring
of a shipment, pallet or even an individual item
which considers how to qualify third-party
providers. " This has helped make the transportation
of chemicals much safer over time, "
Brown adds.
Driven by the lack of responsiveness on
the part of the rail sector, NACD is pushing
for better customer service and cost competitiveness
from rail providers, explains
Brown. Further compounding the rail-related
concerns are several developments in the
trucking sector that are impacting the trucking
capacity available for chemical distribution.
Typically, when distributors face issues
with rail transport, they can turn to trucks as
a reliable alternative. Now, however, as the
trucking sector adjusts to new regulations designed
to enhance safety and security, driver
shortages are creating bottlenecks. " With the
advent of more rigorous background-check
requirements for truck drivers due to concerns
about chemical safety and security, the
result has been a decreased pool of available
drivers, " says Brown. Furthermore, in April,
federal mandates took effect that require
drivers to use electronic logging devices,
which hold drivers to new levels of accountCHEMICAL
ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
JUNE 2018

http://www.nacd.com http://www.brownchem.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering June 2018