Once such trend that is impacting the Waste industry is the concept of Smart Technology.  Many of us are already accustomed to the use of the term “smart” when speaking of our phones (i.e. “smart” phones).  If you recall, as mobile computing systems and hardware evolved in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s our Personal Digital Assistants began to be replaced with phones that were much more powerful, had more capacity, and integrated many of the technological pieces to make life easier for users.  The smart phone was born!  Since that time, the concept of smart technology has been applied to any device that has automation, interaction and control.  This can be your refrigerator, car or even your watch!

So, what does that mean for you as a business owner/operator?

More and more cities around the world are seeking to coordinate all their technological pieces into a unified, seamless unit.  When this can be done, these “smart cities” can collect data, streamline operations, and provide data that can help them make better decisions for their residents and businesses. This is the wave of the future.  With the internet, cloud technology and flexible applications smart cities now have the technological pieces to accomplish this.

You do not have to look internationally to find examples of such integration.  The city of San Jose, California currently has over 1 million residents and has at least 5 haulers servicing them.  The challenge for the City was to integrate with the various haulers’ technologies so the residents and businesses could have one point of contact to get service and streamline the customer experience.  The city developed a 311 service and website that fulfilled that purpose.  The haulers that could not integrate with the city 311 service could not provide service to their residents.  The open architecture of Alpine’s solutions allowed for this connectivity and is currently integrating with the City of San Jose’s 311 system.  Now, the hauler does not have to expend untold resources to respond to hundreds of customers a day about their bulky item pickups or cart deliveries/repairs, the 311 website automates the process.

If you are currently servicing municipalities (or would like to), this is a trend that directly impacts you.  If you do not have the technological capabilities to integrate with theses “smart” systems, then you could be in jeopardy of losing the contract to other haulers that possess that capability. The technology you invest in for your operations and trucks is absolutely critical to the future of your business.

As Alpine’s solutions have evolved, we have kept your future needs in mind.  The open architecture of Visual RAMS-Pro allows our users to seamlessly connect to applications easily. Currently Alpine is integrating with city billing systems, prospecting tools, online payment systems, scheduling applications, accounting platforms, scale systems and much more.  In addition to the integration potential of Alpine, it’s in-cab solution, Visual On-Route, leverages the power of mobile technology and allows our users to capture hundreds of data points from their routes to make intelligent decisions.

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“Mythbusting” is not only a hobby of some, it has become so popular that there is a reality show entitled Mythbusters.  While some myths are somewhat believable, others I scratch my head in wonder as to who would believe them.  The Lochness Monster, the staged landing on the moon, and the belief that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death all seem unbelievable, but the following myths will surprise even the most reasonable individual:

1. Sugar causes kids to be hyper
2. We only use 10% of our brain
3. Dogs see only in black and white
4. De-oxygenated blood is blue
5. Camels keep water in their humps
6. Lightening doesn’t strike twice in the same spot
7. Right-brain vs. Left-brain determines personality type
8. Bats are blind
9. Vikings had horns on their helmets
10. Napoleon was short

Another Myth: Your software is only an expense and should not be expected to actually generate revenue for you.

Let’s debunk this myth by testing the assertion against actual case studies.  The case studies are derived from Alpine Technology’s customer base, Independent Haulers in the Waste Industry.  Before case studies are examined, we are operating under the assumption that your software should do two things:

Save Money or Make Money                                                                                 

• Cuts down on duplicated entry, thereby saving time and wages
• Cuts down on errors, which takes time and wages to correct
• Provides process efficiencies that take the place of activities that would normally take much more time to accomplish
• Improves productivity thereby cutting down on the need for additional workers
• Provides real-time information so as to avoid duplication and miscommunication
• Leverages mapping technology to display most accurate directions thereby capturing fuel savings
• Provides correct route directions to new driver to reduce training time, missed stops, and additional fuel costs.
• Provides real-time interface to capture revenue (extras, not outs, bulky items, etc…)

How much net revenue can you generate? 

Here is an example of a real company that currently uses Alpine’s in-cab computing system, Visual On-Route, teamed with their back-office solution, Visual RAMS-Pro for their residential routes.

• Residential Customers:                                                                              32,500
• Trucks:                                                                                                           5
• Average exceptions generated                                                                 5,600
• Not-Outs recorded/month                                                                        5,000
• Monthly Revenue Generated from billable exceptions:                      $3,200 ($38,400/year)
• Monthly Cost Reductions with Visual On-Route                                   $9,000 ($108,000/year)
• Total monthly revenue and savings from Visual On-Route            $12,200 ($146,400/year)
•  $$$ Return on your investment in the tablet hardware and Implementation……….……………………………………………..…………436% ROI

What could you do with an extra $146,000? 

This dispels the myth that your software can’t generate income for your company.  You must evaluate your software in light of what it was intended to do: create efficiencies, minimize error, reduce expenses, and increase ways to capture revenue.  Does your software do that for you?

If you want to read more about how you can generate extra revenue for your company and investigate more case studies Click Here

To view a similar study that was done in 2010 in Great Britain that showed even greater savings from adopting in-cab computing solution Click Here

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Is September 12, 2012 going to go down as one of those monumental dates etched in the annals of history books?  I know of some great launches in history that were quite worthy of such exposure.  See if you remember some of these.  How about the first automobile, created by a Frenchman by the name of Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1771. Though it was powered by steam, it would have been a launch worth staying up all night for.  Similarly, how about the first steam engine train in 1804, carrying that first load over a stretch of 20 miles?  Worth the 9:00 news?  I think so.  And, of course, we could not forget about the progenitors of air flight, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903, could we?  That day in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina I am sure was a day that would rival any version-release of an Apple iPhone.  But what of infamous launches that might make the list?  How about the maiden launch of the largest luxury liner of the day, Titanic, in 1912?  A launch, like the “New Coke” launch, that the masses wish never occurred. More contemporary launches? Apollo 11 gave us one of the most famous tautologies of all time, “…One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind”, as the first humans touched the moon in 1969. Finally, who could forget the launch of the first supersonic passenger airliner, Concorde, in 1976?  I remember as a teenager watching the news that night knowing history was being made.  Was it worthy of staying up all night, camping out by the TV?  I certainly believe so.  But to secure a phone?  One I could get the next week after the hype had died down?  I certainly don’t believe so.

Disclaimer Notice before I get barraged by a host of Apple fanatics.  Of course, I would not want to offend anyone; particularly those who love Apple products and spend more time on their phone than they do interacting with humans. To many sorts, bleeding-edge technology is their raison d’etre.  After the 9:00 pm news and much head-scratching, I desperately sought for some deep level of understanding of these people and am presently comfortable with, “it is all about perspective.”

Since this is a blog, and you have been patient with my pontifications about the nocturnal practices of certain iPhone champions, allow me to segue way into a rather important launch in the life of Alpine Technology Corporation.  I don’t expect you to stay up all night in anticipation of this launch. Neither do I expect that as history unfolds, the date October 5 will be as closely-defined with this launch as December 7, 1941 is associated with the bombing of Pearl Harbor!  And, sadly enough, I don’t’ believe Alpine Technology will make the cover of Wall Street Journal for this momentous occasion.

All the same, it is still a launch worthy of a blog and some enthusiasm from those partners of Alpine who have waited patiently. What is this launch I am talking about? It is the launch of their new website,www.rams-pro.com.  The new site brings clarity from chaos, light where there was darkness, and understanding where there was ignorance (a bit too dramatic?).  No, it is not the launch of Apollo 11 or the preeminent phone release of September 12, but it will be a welcome source of information and resource for those professionals in the waste industry that need a software solution to run their hauling operation.  Techie or Dispatcher…see the launch of Alpine Technology Corporation’s new website on October 5, 2012.

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An Ichthosaur fossil

Why then is Anning and her amazing contribution to palaontology consigned to near-obscurity? She grew up in a poor artisan family, who were religious dissenters. She was uneducated. She was a woman in an age of strong gender prejudice, working in a man’s world of inflated scientific egos. As a result, she was unable to present her finds in person to the scientific community and her work was rarely credited to her.

Heroes like Mary Anning and her contribution to the scientific community should not go unnoticed.  Ironically, she may not qualify as “unsung”, given a very familiar tongue-twister based on her life was penned in 1908 by Terry Sullivan; does “she sells sea shells down by the sea shore” sound familiar?

Not too far from Anning’s home is a group of people that should not suffer the same fate as her.  With the 2012 Olympics behind us, we are left with fond memories of the opening and closing ceremonies, the athletes and their stories, and the intense competition that kept many of us up each night glued to the television.  We don’t think of the people behind the scenes that worked tirelessly around the clock to make the competition the focus.  One such group was the waste management team at Veolia Environmental.

Veolia is one of the largest waste management providers in the UK and was charged to keep the streets clean both during and after the Olympics.  At the end of the first weekend the team had collected over 85 tons and 17,000 bags of trash.  Daily, they collected thousands of plastic bottles, hundreds of flags and had “scavenger squads” on call 24-7 to respond to waste emergencies and to keep the streets of London clean.  Mr. Ed Argar, Westminster Council’s Cabinet Member said of Veolia, “Our dedicated Olympic clean up team have done a first-class job over the first few days of the Games, getting the streets back to their best for the start of the first full week of the Games.”

Veolia is one of Alpine Technology Corporation‘s premier customers and is very familiar with the power of Visual RAMS-Pro tools, developed specifically for the waste industry.  Scott Nell of RAMS Europe has been working side-by-side with Veolia in the London area integrating waste management solutions into their operations.  In fact, RAMS Europe integrated an E-Payment and Document Handling system for Veolia that was implemented a few months prior to the Olympics.

Congratulations Veolia and all the other unsung heroes in the London area for a great 2012 Olympics!

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