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The National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA) and the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) are renewing their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The MoU was established between both parties in 2009.

On 4 April NBTA Executive Director, Anthony Germanchev, attended the Hazmat Urban Operations Group meeting chaired by Acting Fire Rescue Commissioner, Gavin Freeman.

At this meeting the renewed MoU between the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and AFAC was endorsed.

“The MoU signifies our members commitment to safety and AFAC’s support for our safety initiatives including the DG101 – NBTA education and awareness program and TERP in-field testing and preparedness,” NBTA said in a statement.

The MoU will now be signed by NBTA Chairman, Justin Keast, and AFAC CEO, Rob Webb.

In other news, temperature-controlled logistics company, Lineage Logistics, has announced the appointment of Rob Crisci as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer.

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Temperature-controlled logistics company, Lineage Logistics, has announced the appointment of Rob Crisci as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer.

Crisci has more than 25 years of financial leadership experience in the industrial and technology sectors, the company reported in a statement.

His most recent position was as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Roper Technologies.

“On behalf of Lineage’s management team and Board of Directors, we could not be more excited to have Rob join us as our CFO,” said Lineage Logistics President and CEO, Greg Lehmkuhl.

“Rob is a proven public company financial leader who brings extensive operational and strategic expertise and a deep knowledge of the industrials and technology sectors.

“He will be an invaluable addition to the Lineage leadership team as we continue into our next phase of growth and expansion.”

Crisci was pleased to accept the position.

“I am thoroughly impressed with the incredible global growth Lineage has achieved over the past 10 years and look forward to leading its world-class finance team at such a pivotal point in the company’s history,” he said.

“I am excited for the opportunity to partner with Greg, the executive team, and the Board to further advance Lineage’s position as the world’s leading and most innovative temperature-controlled logistics company.”

In other news, a newly-formed Rural Road Alliance has given evidence at a parliamentary inquiry asking for urgent funding for severely damaged roads that are becoming a major safety issue.

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A newly-formed Rural Road Alliance has given evidence at a parliamentary inquiry asking for urgent funding for severely damaged roads that are becoming a major safety issue.

The Alliance, which includes stakeholders from across regional Australia, including transporters and farmers, is asking for an emergency funding package totalling nearly $5.5 billion in next week’s federal budget.

They said the country’s rural road network are in dire need of upgrades, especially following recent flooding in many parts.

“Severely damaged roads are dramatically increasing the time and cost of moving freight to and from our rural production centres,” said Australian Livestock and Rural Transporter Association Executive Director, Mat Munro.

“It’s harder on our vehicles, it’s harder on our drivers and it’s harder on our livestock. At the end of the day, it is a basic safety issue that needs to be addressed.”

In the lead-up to the federal budget, the alliance is asking for:

A one-off injection of $1 billion over four years to tackle road and infrastructure impacted by natural disasters.
$800 million a year over four years for the Roads to Recovery program.
$300 million a year over four years to address first and last mile freight productivity.
Targeted funding through the Roads of Strategic Importance program to improve the long-term climate resilience of freight networks.

In other news, safety and improved travel times have received a boost at the Deception Bay Road interchange, with the Bruce Highway upgrade now fully open for use.

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Trailer invites all Australian hydraulics specialists to participate in our upcoming Hydraulics Showcase.

Whether you supply tipper hoists, Power Take-Off units (PTOs) or other truck and trailer spec hydraulic equipment, we want to hear from you.

To be a part of the Hydraulics Showcase – which is set for publication in our June 2023 edition – please click here.

Please note the material deadline for submissions is 12 May 2023.

See last year’s showcase here.

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Last year Capral Aluminium introduced its lower-carbon aluminium option, LocAl, to the market – which has since skyrocketed the company’s path towards more sustainable projects.

LocAl includes two lower carbon aluminium options; LocAl Green with carbon emissions of 8kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)/kg Al, and LocAl Super Green at 4kg CO2e/kg Al, which is among the lowest carbon aluminium available globally. Typically, the global average for carbon emissions per kilogram of aluminium is 16.8kg, which Capral slashed in half in the LocAl Green product and reduced by 75 per cent in Super Green.

General Manager of Supply & Industrial Solutions, Luke Hawkins, says the industry’s call for a more sustainable solution allowed Capral to develop the answer.

“We were able to launch the LocAl product towards the end of 2022. This comes as a result of a deliberate shift in our procurement strategy to source more sustainable primary aluminium and where possible to work with smelters that are ASI-certified,” he says. “This allows customers to make a choice for a much more sustainable and lower carbon product and ensure that their entire truck build is more sustainable, not just the operation of the vehicle.”

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a global non-profit organisation which brings together producers, users and stakeholders like Capral in the aluminium value chain. ASI members are committed to the responsible procurement and sustainable production of aluminium, and because of this ASI has become the cornerstone of sustainable aluminium procurement for the world’s leading aluminium organisations.

According to Luke, Capral was searching for a lower embodied carbon option for two years before it uncovered the solution to sustainable primary billet sourcing.

“It’s now something that truck and trailer manufacturers are able to offer to their end clients, and potentially even further downstream to whoever the truck is actually servicing,” he says. “At Capral, we want to be ready to help forward-thinking businesses in the transport sector get ahead of the curve, making access to lower carbon extruded aluminium products possible for these manufacturers. It’s ready, all our customers need to do is ask.”

Capral officially announced its commitment to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 on 1 June 2022 which it said at the time would drive rapid innovation and cultural evolution throughout the industry. Additionally, the introduction of LocAl in November further demonstrated the deliberate shift in Capral’s procurement strategy.

Aluminium is often regarded as a sustainable metal by many due to its versatility and recyclability, but there are significant variations in the carbon emissions generated by smelters during the production of primary aluminium – meaning that some aluminium may be more sustainable than others.

The main contribution to aluminium’s carbon emissions comes from the electrolysis process used in aluminium smelting. Around 60 per cent of the aluminium sector’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are from the production of electricity consumed during the aluminium smelting process. Thus, General Manager – Marketing & Technology, Michael OKeefe, who oversees Capral’s National Sustainability Committee, says the priority is to tackle the issue directly.

“Our focus is very much on eliminating the source of emissions and we intend to do this by improving our plant and equipment, implementing new technologies and embracing more sustainable practices across our organisation,” he says. “By working with our upstream supply partners, we will continue to look for options to incorporate more low carbon aluminium in our value chain and where feasible embrace circularity principles.”

According to Michael, 22 per cent of the primary aluminium billet Capral used in its eight local extrusion presses in 2022 had a carbon content lower than 8kg CO2e/kg Al, and approximately 300 tonnes had a certified carbon content lower than four kilograms.

“This is a strategic change for Capral, driven by our desire to make lower carbon aluminium accessible to Australian manufacturers,” he says. The market is looking for this product, and as Australia’s largest extruder of aluminium, we must make it available.

“We have an absolute commitment to our staff, customers, stakeholders and the communities within which our facilities operate to ensure we are eliminating sources of emissions within the value chain of our business. Organisations around the world are recognising that this is a decision that cannot wait any longer and Capral is no different, we are proud to make this commitment and confident in our ability to achieve it.”

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