Chapter 11 Book: Transportation A Global Supply Chain Perspective Eighth Edition

Question

Chapter 11 Book: Transportation A Global Supply Chain Perspective Eighth Edition CASE 11-1 As the Blade Turns Revolving Wings (RW) is a Kalamazoo, Michigan, manufacturer of equipment s renewable energy composite wind turbine blades, thanks to federal tax breaks offered to powr pry RW has some excess plant capacity, thanks to a recent expansion and is investio opportunity to enter the export market. Demand for turbine blades is especialy te their fiber-glass sector. The company has a strong domestic market for t India, where there is a strong commitment to renewable energy but a shortage of o in parts to meet the growing need for power generating capacity During its annual executive retreat, exporting is a major topic of discussion,. Ad presentation by the business development team and a similar evaluation by acr a analyst, Rw's CEO sees the lighe quickly becomesa strong proponent of selling stry turbine blades to a power company near Bangalore, India. "Now all we have to do is out how to get the blades there quickly and without damage," says the CEO.D your team on this one. I want some solid answers. wind is a big opportunity for the Darren Helm, RW's transportation director, knows this company but it comes with tremendous challenges. Picking the right mode. finding port that can handle the blades safely, and routing the freight are just a few of the issues keep Helm awake the night after the CEO tagged him to lead the "exsport to India project. At his next staff meeting, Helm reminds his team: "These blades be up to 148 feet long and weigh 12 tons, we have to first get them from the plan ,o the point of export. That's not easy, since we need to plan routes to avoid urban ne sours, sharp curves, narrow lanes, and weight-limited bridges. "On top of those usual challenges, we have to find a high-quality inteational car- rier to get the blades to India," Helm adds. "And don't forget the port challenges and final delivery to Bangalore. Turning to you, Helm says: "Get me some answers fast! We need a plan of action for the CEO by Friday." CASE QUESTIONS 1. What are the major problems and pitfalls that RW faces as it tries to go 2. What modefs) of transportation would you recommend to Helm as most appropm 3. How would you route shipments of turbine blades from Kalamazoo to Ban 4. What role will ports play in the flow of turbine blades from the United States to with its product line? ate for moving the turbine blades domestically and internationally? Why? India?

Explanation / Answer

3. The shipment of the turbines would be routed through trucks from plant to rail dockyard with special fixtures to move turbine blades more efficiently through rail freight carriers to designated shipyard. The universal designed rail fixtures are optimally designed to accommodate all sizes of the turbine blades and once the consignment is piled up the rail freight carriers take it to shipyard and full load of vessels are loaded through giant cranes and when it reaches India the same process is followed of unloading from the nearest port from the ship vessels and then shifted as per available logistics through rail or trucks to the sites.

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