Ozinga, a long-time customer of XBE, recently expanded into a new line of business: cow manure logistics. The new business unit, "Ozinga Renewable Energy Logistics," is led by Rich Mulder. Previously, Rich was General Manager of Aggregates Transportation for Ozinga.
Ozinga's primary business is in ready-mix concrete, but over the years they've diversified into many areas, including aggregate logistics and compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations. Since they dispatched their first CNG-powered mixer truck in 2011, a new business venture - Ozinga Energy, LLC - was created to market to fleet owners, operators and the transportation sector.
Ozinga uses XBE to manage the logistics of their aggregate and cement hauling, and they saw an opportunity to apply this expertise to grow in a new market. They're creating a virtual pipeline from dairy farms to anaerobic digesters using renewable natural gas (RNG) trucks, which is more economical and flexible than building a new pipeline. The operation is in Arizona, 2,000 miles from their headquarters in Chicago.
Anaerobic digesters are biological systems that convert organic matter, such as cow manure, into a methane-rich biogas through the process of anaerobic digestion. In this process, microorganisms break down the organic matter in the absence of oxygen, releasing methane, carbon dioxide, and other gases. The resulting biogas can be used as a source of renewable energy for heating, electricity generation and transportation. Additionally, the byproduct, known as digestate, can be used as a fertilizer. The anaerobic digestion process not only reduces the environmental impact of manure disposal but also has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making it a sustainable solution for waste management and energy production.
The Ozinga Renewable Energy Logistics team successfully launched their business in the fall of 2022. Rich attributed the success to 8 months of planning, and a fundamental belief in logistics as an opportunity to differentiate. They focused on being a good neighbor to get ahead of any potential problems and to build long-term win-win relationships with all stakeholders.
XBE software enables the Ozinga Renewable Energy Logistics team to see and manage their operation no matter where they are. XBE is integrated with Samsara, Ozinga’s trucking telematics solution, and requires very little effort by drivers. XBE’s time card management functionality ensures that the work is quantified accurately, and the integration with Ozinga’s ERP automates data entry and reduces opportunity for clerical and accounting errors. XBE’s analytics and reporting provide the visualizations and metrics required to spot opportunities.
Ozinga and XBE have been working together for three years, and this partnership has led to some of XBE's most innovative developments. As Founder and CEO of XBE, Sean Devine, said, "I never expected our platform to be used to haul liquid manure, but it makes total sense, and we're thrilled to be involved. It’s inspiring to see a company not only focus on logistics as a cost-center to be optimized, but as a competitive-advantage to be leveraged." Rich Mulder added, "Thanks to our partnership with XBE, it was great that I didn’t even have to think about transportation management solutions - we’re already running all other bulk hauling activities through XBE and I knew it would provide everything we needed without modification.”