The carbon tax is not the only threat to carriers

The carbon tax is not the only threat to carriers. They have also to fear relative contraction of demand for shippers more attentive to their spending and more efficient. Thus, for 2009 alone, the optimization of the supply chain of Carrefour France allowed distribution group save 44.000 movements of trucks and 20 million kilometres. An approach to avoid the emission of 14.300 tonnes of CO2. These results are compared to 238 million of kilometres last year by the trucks, chartered by the sign, as well as the 221.000 tonnes of CO2 emitted by the only flow of goods moved in the hexagon. "Carrefour is committed more than ten years in a sustainable development strategy which bear fruit," said Didier Thibaud, Director of the "supply chain" France of the group.

To achieve this result, the Distributor acted simultaneously in several directions. The first is a better use of trucks, which should drive as long as possible and as full as possible. The effort begins with an optimal filling of heavy weights, which can theoretically receive on average 30 pallets on the ground. The fleet used by Carrefour at average rates of filling of 29 pallets to trucks supplying the hypers and 27 for the smaller surfaces. "It remains a potential for 5 to 10 improvement," notes Didier Thibaud. The filling is also high, with "beams trucks" supporting two pallet heights. Same sake of optimization, arrested by stores schedules should allow to run trucks as long as possible: they are currently between eighteen and nineteen hours a day. Finally, the subcontractors are pushed to use vehicles to the standards Euro 4 and Euro 5, the least emitting CO2. 60 of the trucks used by the trade mark are already in this case. By the end of the year, the goal is to increase this percentage to 82.

The second lever used by Carrefour was the search for modes of transport alternative, less emitters of carbon. For ten years, the distributor uses more systematically fluvial transport, via the port of le Havre, but also on the Rhone, between Marseille and Lyon. He thus saves the equivalent of 4,000 trucks and 800,000 kilometres on the roads. In the railway field, a complete train is every night between the center of storage of Bonneuil (Val-de-Marne) and Marseille, loaded with containers intended for the more outlying stores of Paca and Languedoc-Roussillon regions. One way, here again, saving the equivalent of 8,000 trucks.

Silent operations

To the development of trade in proximity (in its hub City, Shopi, eight 8 signs, market Plus, Proxi and other Carrefour Market), the giant of the distribution must also solve the problem of intraurban deliveries. In Ile-de-France, regional warehouses are indeed far from the centre of Paris of 30 to 50 kilometres, and authorized delivery times do not allow trucks to avoid traffic peak. To escape, and therefore save energy and CO2 emissions while increasing the rotation of the trucks, should get expanded delivery schedules, the morning and later at night. Therefore performing silent operations so that the residents accept. Hence the program test of "truck to sleep". This "global concept", launched in 2009, helped reduce the number of decibels emitted from 90 to 60, i.e. at the level of a normal conversation. All materials have passed review with manufacturers: engine fridge of the truck, soundproofing of the Interior, with pallet trucks, the tailgate of the alarm back store iron curtain. Employees were also trained to work more quietly (avoiding the slamming of doors, for example). The experience proved to be conclusive. At the time, Carrefour will use thirty of these silent trucks near Paris and Lille métropole. The acquisition of these new vehicles represents an additional 8 for carriers. An almost painless effort for them since, in return, Carrefour will take 3 of this additional responsibility, undertake over a longer period with them (three years instead of one) and mechanically ensure an increased number of rotations.