In November, Walmart Canada unveiled the “supercube” a trailer that can haul up to 44% more cargo, and could potentially save the company 3,000 loads per year, said Andy Ellis, Walmart Canada’s senior vice-president of supply chain and logistics.
The Mississauga-based Innovative Trailer Design (ITD) touts the trucks offer more cargo capacity with less truck.
“It’s no bigger or longer than a traditional truck,” Ellis told Canadian Manufacturing. “I would not want to put a longer, wider, higher truck on the road. By increasing what we can put inside the vehicle, you actually take trucks off the road.”
According to Canadian Manufacturing:
The supercube weighs 6,618kg (14,590lb) or three percent more than a typical trailer, which tips the scales at 6,450 (14,220lb).
The trailer has 144 cubic metres (5,100 cubic feet) of space across two separate levels. This is roughly 30 percent more than a traditional trailer. The split-deck design means there is a 40cm (16in) height difference between the front deck (above the trailer’s front wheels) and the back deck. The inside height is 3.2m (126in) for the main deck and 2.8m (110in) for the upper deck.
The trailer comes with a scissor lift capable of handling 6,800kg (15,000lb), which means a forklift can be used to stock the front section of the trailer. Since the trailer is lower to the ground than models currently in use, a bogie airbag lift system raises the height of the trailer to meet standard 1.2m (4ft) docks.
Walmart commissioned Mississauga to design a truck to better fit the company’s needs, and the design appears to be a slam dunk.
The trucks are part of a year-long pilot program, a requirement for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
Last week, Walmart Canada’s Michael Buna won the SCL President’s Award from the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Canada (SCL) at this year’s Supply Chain Canada conference.
In 2012, Buna came up with the concept for the trailer. By November, the concept trailer and a pilot project where ready to go.
Buna told Canadian Manufacturing that he hopes the pilot program is a success and that more of the trucks are one the road soon.
To read more about the supercube, follow this link to Canadian Manufacturing.
