Because it will be handling the world's largest containerships, APM Terminals' brand-new Maasvlakte II container terminal in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, was designed for efficiency. Every task that could possibly be done without human intervention has been automated. The terminal includes eight remote-controlled ship-to-shore cranes—the first in the world to be operated without anyone in the cab. The cranes place containers on "lift automatic guided vehicles," which travel from the dock to the container yard using an onboard navigation system that follows a transponder grid. (Similar technology is in place at Hamburg's Altenwerder Container Terminal.) Once the containers arrive at their destination, the AGVs deposit them into storage racks. Later, automated rail-mounted gantry cranes move the containers from the racks to the rail terminal, to a waiting truck, or to another area of the yard as needed.
The terminal, which opened to landside intermodal business in November and will be fully open for maritime business in February, has another claim to fame: APM says Maasvlakte II is the only container terminal in the world that produces zero emissions on site. Because its entire fleet of ship-to-shore, on-dock, and yard cranes; AGVs; and personnel transport vehicles are battery-powered, the company says, the terminal will produce no carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or particulate emissions.
As if the operation weren't "green" enough, as of Jan. 1, 100 percent of Maasvlakte II's electricity needs are being supplied by wind power. Under a two-year contract, Amsterdam-based NV Nuon Energy will provide electricity generated by offshore and onshore wind farms in Europe.
Some of Americans’ favorite condiments include ketchup, salsa, barbecue sauce, and sriracha. Toppings like marinara and pizza sauce are popular as well. The common denominator here is the tomato, and food producers need many tons of them to make these and other tasty products.
One of those producers is Red Gold, an Elwood, Indiana, company whose brands include Red Gold, Redpack, Tuttorosso, Sacramento, Vine Ripe, and Huy Fong. The company works with more than 30 family-owned Midwestern farms to source sustainably managed crops.
In the 80 years since its founding, Red Gold has grown to become the largest privately held manufacturer of tomato products in the U.S., with 23 different product categories and nearly 400 combinations of flavors and cuts. Today, it serves both the grocery market and institutional customers like schools and hospitals.
But a food supply chain of this scale can be expensive to operate. So Red Gold recently launched an initiative to modernize its logistics processes with an eye toward boosting efficiency and increasing resilience while also cutting costs.
The timing was right for such a project. Freight rates in the trucking sector have been depressed for nearly two years, giving the company a rare opportunity to invest some of its savings into process improvements, the company said. “The current transportation market is extremely shipper-friendly and has been for the past 18 months,” James Posipanka, Red Gold’s supply chain manager–logistics, said in a press release. “Now is the time for us to plan and prepare for when it swings the other way and carriers can choose which customers they want to work with. When that happens, we want to be a ‘Shipper of Choice.’ By putting strategies and processes in place now, we’ll be successful when the market does flip.”
STEP-BY-STEP SAVINGS
For help streamlining its processes, the company turned to Loadsmart, a Chicago-based logistics technology developer that specializes in helping clients optimize freight spend, increase efficiency, and enhance service quality. Step by step, Red Gold began implementing three of Loadsmart’s technologies and digital services, moving to the next phase only after it had realized a return on its investment in the previous one.
First, Red Gold implemented Opendock, Loadsmart’s online dock-scheduling platform. That move alone saved thousands of hours of staff time by eliminating the need to make carrier pickup appointments via phone and email. Today, 100% of the carriers that do business at Red Gold’s facilities book their appointments through Opendock—which amounts to some 60,000 appointments annually. Among other benefits, the new platform has drastically reduced the amount of time it takes for a carrier to book an appointment—with Opendock, appointments are scheduled one to two days out instead of 10 or more.
Second, the company installed Loadsmart’s ShipperGuide TMS, a transportation management and request-for-proposal (RFP) management system. The platform helps Red Gold avoid spreadsheets and administrative work. For example, instead of individually emailing RFPs to a few carriers, the company can now send RFPs through the TMS to many more carriers than was feasible in the past and easily compare the rates carriers submit in response. In addition, Red Gold was able to automate some 70% of its load tenders, or about 25,000 shipments, which allowed the company to reduce headcount without any interruptions in workflow.
Third, Red Gold began working with Loadsmart’s digital freight brokerage team to convert some of its full truckload movements to partial truckloads. That move expanded both its carrier base and its freight mode options, saving it $200,000 annually.
All in all, since it began using Loadsmart’s technology and services, Red Gold has reduced appointment leadtimes by 90% and saved 17% on annual LTL freight costs, according to the two companies. Red Gold is so pleased with those results that its logistics team has already begun working with the technology vendor on additional opportunities for improvement.
With that money, qualified ports intend to buy over 1,500 units of cargo handling equipment, 1,000 drayage trucks, 10 locomotives, and 20 vessels, as well as shore power systems, battery-electric and hydrogen vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, and solar power generation.
For example, funds going to the Port of Los Angeles include a $412 million grant to support its goal of achieving 100% zero-emission (ZE) terminal operations by 2030. And following the award, the Port and its private sector partners will match the EPA grant with an additional $236 million, bringing the total new investment in ZE programs at the Port of Los Angeles to $644 million. According to the Port of Los Angeles, the combined new funding will go toward purchasing nearly 425 pieces of battery electric, human-operated ZE cargo-handling equipment, installing 300 new ZE charging ports and other related infrastructure, and deploying 250 ZE drayage trucks. The grant will also provide for $50 million for a community-led ZE grant program, workforce development, and related engagement activities.
And the Port of Oakland received $322 million through the grant, which will generate a total of nearly $500 million when combined with port and local partner contributions. Altogether, that total will be the largest-ever amount of federal funding for a Bay Area program aimed at cutting emissions from seaport cargo operations. The grant will finance 663 pieces of zero-emissions equipment which includes 475 drayage trucks and 188 pieces of cargo handling equipment.
Likewise, the Port of Virginia said its $380 million in new funding will help to reach its goal of eliminating all greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The grant money will be used to buy and install electric assets and equipment while retiring legacy equipment powered by engines that burn gasoline or diesel fuel.
According to AAPA, those awards will demonstrate to Congress that the Clean Ports Program should become permanent with annual appropriations. Otherwise, they would soon cease to be funded as backing from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) comes to a close, AAPA said. “From the earliest stages of legislative development in Congress, America’s ports have been ecstatic about and committed to the vision of implementing a novel grant program for the port industry that will complement and strengthen existing plans to diversify how we power our ports,” Cary Davis, AAPA’s president and CEO, said in a release. “These grant funding awards will usher in a cleaner and more resilient future for our ports and national transportation system. We thank our champions in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration for committing to us and we look forward to working closely with our Federal Government partners to get these funds quickly deployed and put to work.”
The majority of American consumers (86%) plan to reduce their holiday shopping budgets this year, with nearly half (47%) expecting to cut spending by more than 50% compared to last year, according to consumer research from Relex Solutions.
The forecast runs against some other studies that predict the upcoming holiday shopping season will be a stronger than last year, with higher sales and earlier shopping than 2023.
But Finland-based Relex says its conclusion is based on the shorter holiday shopping period of 27 days in 2024 (five days shorter than 2023), combined with economic volatility and supply chain disruptions. The research includes survey responses from 1,000 U.S. consumers in October 2024.
According to Relex, those results reveal a complex landscape where price sensitivity and decreased brand loyalty are reshaping traditional retail dynamics. That means retailers and manufacturers must carefully balance promotional strategies with profitability while maintaining product availability, since consumers are actively seeking better value and may switch between brands more readily.
"Retailers are facing a highly challenging season, with consumers prioritizing value more than ever. To succeed, retailers must not only offer attractive promotions but also ensure those deals don’t erode their margins. At the same time, manufacturers need to optimize their operations and collaborate with retailers to deliver value without sacrificing profitability," Madhav Durbha, Relex’ group vice president of CPG and Manufacturing, said in a release. The company says it provides a supply chain and retail planning platform that optimizes demand, merchandising, supply chain, operations, and production planning.
"This holiday season represents a critical juncture for the retail industry," Durbha added. "With reduced brand loyalty and a shorter shopping window, there’s no room for error. Retailers and manufacturers need to work together closely, leveraging AI-powered tools to anticipate demand, manage inventory, and run effective promotions," Durbha said.
In additional findings, the survey found:
Brand loyalty is eroding: About 45% of consumers say they're less likely to remain loyal to brands without meaningful discounts, while 41% will switch brands if faced with both poor deals and out-of-stock products.
Digital channels dominate deal-seeking behavior: Store and brand apps (60%) and email promotions (60%) are the primary channels for finding deals, while only 32% of consumers primarily search for deals in physical stores.
Supply chain concerns remain significant: Nearly 85% of shoppers express concern about potential disruptions, with electronics (60%) and clothing/accessories (57%) being the categories of highest concern.
Age significantly impacts shopping behavior: Consumers from age 45-60 show the highest economic sensitivity, with 60% cutting budgets by more than 50%, while shoppers aged 18-29 prioritize product availability over price.
Electric yard truck provider Outrider plans to scale up its autonomous yard operations in 2025 thanks to $62 million in fresh venture capital funding, the Colorado-based firm said.
The expansion in 2025 will be focused on distribution center applications, but Outrider says its technology is also well-suited for use in intermodal rail and port terminals, paving the way for future applications across freight transportation.
“Outrider’s proprietary safety systems; consistent, predictable movement through complex and chaotic environments; and patented robotic-arm-based system for trailer air and electric line connections have allowed us to stay far ahead of any competition," Bob Hall, Chief Operating Officer at Outrider, said in a release.
The “series D” round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with additional investments from 8VC, ARK Invest, B37 Ventures, FM Capital, Interwoven Ventures, NVentures (NVIDIA’s venture capital arm), and Prologis Ventures. Other investors joining the Series D financing are Goose Capital; Lineage Ventures, the investment strategy of Lineage, Inc.; Presidio Ventures, the venture capital arm of Sumitomo Corporation; and Service Provider Capital. In total , the new backing brings the company to over $250 million in equity capital raised to date.
A team from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, walked away with top honors at this year’s event. It was the school’s first time competing in the scholarship competition, which was held during IANA’s Intermodal Expo in September.
The winning squad included students Jaren Bussell, Elizabeth Shuler, Brock Sooley, and Kathryn Whittaker and was coached by Dr. Donald Maier, associate professor of practice–supply chain. “It is exciting to see what the students can achieve in five hours. Each team reads, analyzes, and prepares a presentation with no faculty input,” Maier said in a release.
In addition to UT, participating schools included the California State Maritime Academy, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern University, and SUNY Maritime as well as the universities of Arkansas, Maryland, North Florida, North Texas, and Wisconsin at Superior.
IANA’s scholarship awards support curriculums designed to attract students to careers in freight and intermodal transportation. Since the program’s inception in 2007, IANA has awarded over $5.3 million in scholarships.