- Natural Gas Vehicles Will Be Used to Support Michigan Beverage
Association’s Third Party Recycling Program -
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ryder
System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and
supply chain management solutions, announced today that it has been
selected by UBCR, LLC as its fleet partner in a Michigan natural gas
project that includes 16 heavy duty natural gas vehicles, upgrades to
two maintenance facilities, and the construction of two new natural gas
fueling stations. UBCR, formed out of a joint venture between
Schupan and Sons, Inc. and Tomra North America, operates a single source
solution for the collection, transportation and processing of aluminum
cans, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and glass beverage containers
from Michigan’s largest grocery retailers. The natural gas project is
partially funded by a grant to UBCR through the Michigan Clean Cities
Coalition and when complete, will displace 380,000 gallons of diesel
fuel annually with domestically produced low carbon natural gas.
Through the project, UBCR will be converting its entire 16-vehicle fleet
to compressed natural gas vehicles, leased from and maintained by Ryder.
To support UBCR’s fleet operations, Ryder will retrofit two of its
existing maintenance facilities in Livonia and Grand Rapids, Michigan,
for the proper and safe indoor servicing of natural gas vehicles. This
is Ryder’s first natural gas project with UBCR, and the latest in a
series of new natural gas vehicle projects announced with customers
in various markets including Southern California and Arizona.
“As a leading recycling company, this important carbon reduction
initiative complements our long standing growth strategy which is
grounded in sustainability, and Ryder’s alternative fuel expertise and
infrastructure in the market were key factors driving our decision to
select them as our fleet partner,” said Marc Schupan, CEO for Schupan &
Sons, Inc. “Ryder is making it easier to jumpstart our sustainable
transportation program and convert our entire UBCR fleet to abundant,
clean, and efficient natural gas.”
“Ryder became the first fleet provider to offer heavy-duty natural gas
vehicles for the leasing and rental industry through our ground-breaking
natural gas vehicle project with the San
Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) in Southern California,”
said Robert Sanchez, President of Global Fleet Management Solutions for
Ryder. “This project in Michigan leverages that experience and
demonstrates our ability to bring real-world environmental benefits to
other markets.”
According to Harald Henriksen, President of Tomra North America, “We are
environmentally centric and have assumed a responsibility to employees
and the communities that we serve, to reduce our carbon footprint.
Natural gas powered trucks helps us achieve carbon reduction objectives
with the advantage of being economically practical.”
In addition, UBCR is working with DTE Energy, to construct fueling
stations in Wixom and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Grand Rapids fueling
location will provide for public access to natural gas fueling, while
the Wixom location will be a dedicated station to support UBCR’s fleet
operations.
“DTE Energy is committed to the safe supply and distribution of clean
burning natural gas,” said Jerry Norcia, President and COO of Michigan
Consolidated Gas Co., DTE Energy’s natural gas subsidiary. “We are proud
to support this project which will help UBCR leverage the environmental
and cost saving benefits of natural gas.”
UBCR will take delivery of the compressed natural gas vehicles in
December 2011. Its fleet supports an around-the-clock operation that
recovers used beverage containers annually from major retailers within a
200-mile radius of its Wixom and Grand Rapids locations. UBCR’s services
meet the unique deposit container pickup and processing needs of soft
drink and beer/wine wholesalers as part of the Michigan Beverage
Associations’ Third Party Container Pickup and Processing Program.
For more information about UBCR, visit www.ubcrllc.com.
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply
chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a
component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard &
Poor’s 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has recognized Ryder
as a top third party logistics provider and included Ryder in its 2010
and 2011 “Green Partners” listing. Ryder also ranked 111th
out of the top 500 U.S. companies and fifth in its industry sector in
the 2011 Newsweek Green Rankings. Ryder is a charter member of
the NGV Fleet Forum and a member of the Department of Energy’s National
Clean Fleets partnership. Ryder is also a proud member of the American
Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, supporting national and local
disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information on
Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements
and information included in this news release are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are
subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly,
these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration
given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results and events to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our
periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New
risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management
to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks
on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Source: Ryder System, Inc.