- It is expected that during the first year more than 1,000 operators will complete their training in more than 170 sessions, for which the traveling simulation classroom will travel more than 2,600 kilometers in 10 entities of the country.
Mexico City, Mexico, March 25, 2021.– With the purpose of promoting the professionalization of its operators and reaffirming its road safety strategy under the premise of zero accidents, Coca-Cola FEMSA, Solistica and the truck and tractor manufacturer Kenworth, launched their first itinerant training classroom, which uses state-of-the-art driving simulators.
The itinerant classroom is an integral solution that adds to the training strategies for operators and which will allow them to reinforce their training and continuous certification. Its primary purpose is to contribute to the improvement of safety indicators, reduce the risk of accidents, raise awareness about the efficient use of fuel and, in general, improve the capacities of cargo transport drivers.
Through the simulator, made up of the Kenworth T880 and T800 models (or trucks), real situations with risk factors are recreated so that operators develop the necessary skills to prevent them, such as:
- Consequences of cell phone use
- Tiredness when driving
- Driving in rainy, foggy, ice or oil conditions, accidents, punctures and mechanical failures
- Give priority to pedestrians and bicycles
- Reach maneuvers
- Lane invasion prevention
- Traffic cut and blows to fixed objects
During the first stage, the itinerant simulation classroom will be focused on providing training services to Coca-Cola FEMSA’s primary distribution teams known as “T1”, and within the first year we intend to certify more than 1,000 operators with this technology in more than 170 sessions, for which the classroom will travel 2,600 kilometers in 10 strategic locations.
“The use of the itinerant simulation classroom is aimed at having increasingly safer roads under a vision of zero accidents. Through this training, our operators face risk situations that they would hardly experience in real life, allowing them to develop skills and abilities which will aid them in situations of crisis. In this team we are committed to the safety of our employees and the communities where we operate, and we hope that every time someone sees a Coca-Cola FEMSA truck on the road, they feel reassured that the operator received the best training available”, said Marco Ávila, Director of Logistics at Coca-Cola FEMSA México.
“Through the simulator, it is possible to recreate real accidents of the daily operation, which will help the driver in seeing how the event could have been prevented, detecting and correcting weaknesses in driving and raising safety levels to the maximum power” said José Miguel Montoya, Commercial and Operations Director of APEX.
The simulator, developed by APEX, a leading company in simulation solutions for driver training, is equipped with a 3-degree-of-freedom movement platform that replicates the G-forces of acceleration, braking and cornering to transmit the accident simulation to the operator and make him aware of the consequences of his decisions on the road.
“At Kenworth we are convinced that the incorporation of state-of-the-art technologies aimed at improving efficiency and safety bring benefits that facilitate the distribution of goods for our customers. We know that, taking advantage of tools like these, Coca-Cola FEMSA and Solistica will reinforce their security strategy for both their employees and the work environment of their units”, said Engineer Tonathiu Venegas, Sales Director of Kenworth.
Luis Fernando Reyes, Commercial Director of Kenworth Mexicana, highlighted the social impact that projects such as the these can have, since they are the type of initiatives that professionalize the transportation industry and that make it possible for Kenworth’s efforts in design, manufacturing and support of the units to be exploited by operators, fleet managers, owners and companies of the stature of Coca-Cola FEMSA and Solistica.
The simulator includes cloud software with reports and advanced telemetry that allows generating a comparison and classification matrix by type of operator. This allows real-time assessments to be accessed from central offices and includes a fingerprint identifier to prevent student and instructor identity fraud.
“Participating in these types of initiatives and projects is of great importance to us, as it reaffirms our commitment to always seek the safety of our collaborators and the communities of which we are a part of. I am sure it is an initiative that will allow us to continue improving our performance and that will support the development of those of us who are part of Solistica”, explained Jessica Ponce de León, Director of Global Transportation Solutions at Solistica.
Currently, Coca-Cola FEMSA México operates 21 bottling plants, 143 distribution centers and 869 thousand points of sale in the country with a presence in 14 States. For 9 consecutive years, the company has received the “Clean Transportation” award from SEMARNAT and has been validated as the first Mexican company and the third in Latin America to obtain approval from the global Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), consistent with its commitment to the environment.
For the 15th consecutive time, Solistica, provider of integrated logistics solutions, has been the recipient of the National Road Safety Award in the category of Primary Distribution Operation, and for the 7th year in a row in the Secondary Distribution category, granted by the National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP). Its collaborators have also been recognized for their excellence in road safety, currently adding more than 831 awarded collaborators since 2005.
In the recent edition of the award, Solistica received the Health and Hygiene Recognition, which recognizes the best sanitary practices for hygiene protection in the health of employees and the environment, as well as the inclusion of technology in the units to reduce risk.
Kenworth Mexicana is a leading brand in the truck segment in Mexico and a cargo vehicle assembly company based in Mexicali, Baja California. It is a member of the US corporate PACCAR Inc., and is the firm with the longest experience and a solid Dealership Network with a presence throughout the national territory. It offers world class trucks and tractors, high technology, aerodynamics, efficiency and ergonomics, such as the T680 and T880 models, as well as the commercialization of proprietary engines under the PACCAR MX-13 brand and those of the manufacturer and business partner, Cummins.
About the company
Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. is the largest franchise bottler in the world by sales volume. The company produces and distributes trademark beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, offering a wide portfolio of 129 brands to more than 265 million consumers daily. With over 80 thousand employees, the company markets and sells approximately 3.3 billion unit cases through 2 million points of sale a year. Operating 49 manufacturing plants and 268 distribution centers, Coca-Cola FEMSA is committed to generating economic, social, and environmental value for all of its stakeholders across the value chain. The company is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index, Dow Jones Sustainability MILA Pacific Alliance Index, FTSE4Good Emerging Index, and the Mexican Stock Exchange’s IPC and Social Responsibility and Sustainability Indices, among others. Its operations encompass franchise territories in Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia and Argentina and, nationwide, in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela through its investment in KOF Venezuela. For more information, please visit www.coca-colafemsa.com
Solistica is the Latin American 3PL logistic solution integrator for the world, with presence in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brasil and the United States. It offers supply chain solutions through FTL Transport, LTL Distribution, Warehousing, Value Added Services, Multimodal Solutions, International Logistics and Vehicle Maintenance through its subsidiary Mecanica Tek. Its focus on security, innovation and flexibility, and its capacity to adapt to the evolution of its more than 4,000 clients, enables Solistica to design the ideal configuration to solve any logistical challenge across all industries. It is a FEMSA company that creates economic and social value by operating a sustainable business strategy, based in its culture and values, with more than 21,000 employees.