Byline: Rich Maxwell, Contributing Editor

When Doug Houseman sent me concept drawings of a "bucket truck of the future" being developed by Capgemini and the Smart Energy Alliance, distribution managers were impressed with the innovative design. They also have some interesting comments and high-tech ideas of their own. The innovative truck reminds me of a Swiss Army knife complete with a telescoping (bucket) boom, a separate pole claw boom and storage space that looks like a storeroom on wheels. It even proposes to have inventory RFID tagging to check supplies and parts on board.

Ron Winrod, a distribution manager for AEP in Indiana, likes the onboard inventory idea. ...