Food Logistics June 2021

2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS AWARD

LAST MILE

SUSTAINABLE WAREHOUSING

SUSTAINABLE FOOD CHAINS MATTER Here’s how companies keep sustainability top of mind both upstream and down.

2021 TOP Issue No. 226 June 2021

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PROVIDERS

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Food Logistics 2021 TOP

TOP GREEN PROVIDERS 2021

PROVIDERS

This annual award recognizes companies whose products, services or exemplary leadership enhances sustainability within the cold food and beverage industry.

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2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS AWARD

LAST MILE

SUSTAINABLE WAREHOUSING

SUSTAINABLE FOOD CHAINS MATTER Here’s how companies keep sustainability top of mind both upstream and down.

2021 TOP Issue No. 226 June 2021

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PROVIDERS

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ON THE MENU

June 2021 ISSUE NO. 226 COLUMNS FOR STARTERS

04 Innovation is the Name of the Game

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Editor-in-chief Marina Mayer explains why even after everything the supply chain industry has endured, innovation is key to success.

DEPARTMENTS

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COVER STORY

Sustainable Food Chains Matter. Here’s Why.

Here’s how companies still keep sustainability top of mind in today’s cold food chains..

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Food on the Move

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Ad Index

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2021 TOP PROVIDERS

3PL / COLD CHAIN

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Technology Consolidation and Sustainability: The Future of 3PL’s Last-Mile

AWARDS

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WAREHOUSING

2021 Top Green Providers Award

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Using Green Building Strategies to Meet Sustainability Goals

Sustainability and technology integration will be the key to a more resilient future.

This year’s winners showcase how sustainability still ranks supreme during a year of supply chain disruptions.

USGBC details innovative ways to improve one’s environmental impact.

TRANSPORTATION

SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY

PACKAGING

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Act Sustainably with Supply Chain Technology

Blume Global outlines how innovative technologies can make a huge impact on supply chain sustainability.

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Top 10 Must-Have Telematics Features for 2021

Teletrac Navman discusses why data, connectivity and AI-powered analysis help companies stay competitive.

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Food Packaging Emerges with Sustainability in Mind

Eco-friendly and sustainability are important factors in the food packaging sector.

FOOD SAFETY

How Modern Freezers and

Improve Food Safety 44 Chillers in the Cold Chain FPS Food Process Solutions Corp. talks freezers and chillers in the cold chain.

WEB EXCLUSIVES Supply Chain Network

The L.I.N.K. to Global

foodlogistics.com/scn-summit

foodlogistics.com/podcasts

Virtual Summit

Supply Chain Intelligence

Food Editors Stream Live on Social Media foodlogistics.com/videos/link-live

Published and copyrighted 2021 by AC Business Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

Food Logistics (USPS 015-667; ISSN 1094-7450 print; ISSN 1930-7527 online) is published 10 times per year in January/February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November/December by AC Business Media, 201 N. Main Street, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Food Logistics, P.O. Box 3605, Northbrook, IL 60065-3605. Subscriptions: U.S., one year, $45; two years, $85; Canada & Mexico, one year, $65; two years, $120; international, one year, $95; two years, $180. All subscriptions must be paid in U.S. funds, drawn from a U.S. bank. Printed in the USA.

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FOR STARTERS

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

INN VATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME A

Marina Mayer Editor-In-Chief

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s I put together this issue, I can’t help but feel comforted at the fact that sustainability still matters, even amid a global pandemic, even during supply chain disruption after supply chain disruption, even after everything the supply chain industry has endured.

And, it’s all thanks to innovation.

Innovation is the name of the game in the supply chain and logistics industry. It’s what continues to drive our nation’s supply chains onto a more sustainable path. It’s what helps third-party logistics (3PL) companies reinvent their last-mile approach (see page 24). It aids in companies improving their packaging solutions, warehousing features, fleet management, food safety efforts and more.

Without innovation, I’m not sure where the cold chain would be.

That’s why this year’s Top Green Providers winners (see page 28) are so pivotal to the future of sustainable food chains.

These companies have instilled policies, initiatives and framework, both upstream and down, to ensure they’re operating in the most sustainable manner. Some of these winners turned to warehouse management systems and other technologies to further protect their people, product and plant. Some companies imposed environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives and brought subjects like water man-

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agement, waste management and renewable energy to the forefront.

These winners innovated to maintain the most sustainable footprint possible.

Innovation is what fuels the future. And, I’m blessed to honor the companies, solutions and technologies that make sure sustainability matter. Always.

Speaking of innovation, go to foodl.me/2q6jsx to watch our Top Green Providers video, sponsored by the companies listed on pages 30-33. While on our site, read contributed content from industry experts, subscribe to our L.I.N.K. podcast channel (foodlogistics. com/podcasts), watch videos of previous award winners and stay in the know of all things supply chain and logistics. Also, download our industry report (foodl.me/lrnk7r) and white paper (foodl.me/lrc59e) to learn more about how automation, robotics, e-commerce and supply chain visibility are impacting the future of cold food chains.

DETAILS

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AC Business Media Chief Executive Officer Ron Spink Chief Financial Officer JoAnn Breuchel Chief Digital Officer Kris Heineman Chief Revenue Officer Amy Schwandt VP Audience Development Ronda Hughes Director of Digital Operations & IT Nick Raether Director of Digital Strategy Joel Franke Group Content Director Jon Minnick Published and copyrighted 2021 by AC Business Media.

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NEWS FROM ACROSS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

COVID-19 Increases Need for Food Safety Testing

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The food safety testing marketing is expected to grow 16.6% CAGR by 2026, according to a report published by Research and Markets. As the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has changed the way businesses operate and how most people live their daily lives, people are more keen on knowing the safety of their food products. However, the inadequacy of food control infrastructure is likely to limit food safety testing market growth in the coming years due to COVID-19 regulations.

Still, testing regulations have increased the need of adopting different types of technologies within the industry. Newer technologies have the ability to test for viruses on food and augment a company’s supply chain functions and operations.

Read more: https://foodl.me/x2kn5n

New England Cold Storage Secures First Warehouse Facility

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New England Cold Storage secured debt financing with Rockland Trust Company for its first cold storage warehouse facility. The $22.9 million loan will help provide cold storage and logistics services to food producers, processors, wholesalers and importers.

The 120,252-square-foot facility will offer round-trip access to and from New York City and New England Ports, potentially becoming an ideal distribution location for the Boston, Hartford, Springfield and Providence markets.

Read more: https://foodl.me/funcue

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30% of Food and Beverage Execs Expect Another Global Pandemic in Next Four Years

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Nearly 30% of food and beverage executives expect another global pandemic in the next four years, according to a survey released by AIB International in collaboration with Research Strategy Group. What’s more is, 50% are expecting one within the next decade, and 78% are actively preparing for a future global pandemic.

This research highlights the dramatic impacts felt by so many companies in the industry due to a lack of preparedness. Despite the “crisis fatigue” from COVID-19, “now is the time to prepare for the future and elevate critical planning to a best-in-class standard,” says Steve Robert, global VP, product innovation, AIB International. “Should a future pandemic occur, improved preparedness will help offset some of the costs and disruption that so many operations have realized over the past year.”

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NEWS FROM ACROSS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

Foodetective Launches New API Service Foodetective introduced its new API and interface, raising $2 million in seed funding. The integrating services from over 300 vendors allows restaurants to merge their technology in a custom, centralized location and access all subscribers in a single app.

In addition, the platform aggregates data from different services used to create custom analytics for each client.

“Today’s restaurants easily use more than a dozen different apps to manage their daily operations and there is no universal operating system to simplify the process,” Andrea Tassistro, founder and CEO of Foodetective says. “Centralizing all of the heavy tech and API architectures used by the industry requires time, expense and a technical team; things that many restaurants simply do not have. At Foodetective, we’re proposing a fresh vision on how restaurants can manage their technology.”

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Read more: https://foodl.me/pxgza3

Kenco Logistics Opens Multi-Client Distribution Center

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Cimcorp Opens New Service Center in Germany Cimcorp opened a new sales and service center in Willich, Germany, to better support new and existing customers while helping maintain the company’s long-term growth strategy. In addition, the new office enables Cimcorp’s support teams to provide fast and reliable service to clients across continental Europe.

“We think that this location is perfect for serving our German and Central European customers. Although Germany has been a significant market for Cimcorp for over 30 years, a steady influx of recent orders, including major fresh food logistics systems for grocery retailers indicated that we needed a local customer service presence in order to better support the growing number of 24/7 distribution centers. Although remote help is sufficient, sometimes on-site services are needed. We think that it is vital for our large and growing customer base to have support closer to them,” says Tero Peltomäki, CEO of Cimcorp Group.

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Kenco Logistics opened the doors to a new 397,000-square-foot, multi-client distribution center in Perris, Calif.

The new warehousing and distribution services facility includes warehouse management solutions and Kenco’s own LoadProof application, which works to eliminate chargebacks via image capturing in the warehouse.

“When combined with the current Perris facilities, this additional distribution center brings us more scalable and multi-client customer space in Southern California,” says David Caines, COO, Kenco Logistics. “The new shared facility allows us to help organizations share labor in a tight labor market and navigate fluctuating demand to surpass consumer expectations. With over 70 years of experience in the industry and a suite of powerful solutions, Kenco continues to support accelerated growth for our customers.”

Read more: https://foodl.me/qamsm7

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Notch’s New All-in-One Solution Digitizes Wholesale Food Supply Chain

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Notch, formerly known as ChefHero, launched what is said to be the first and only all-in-one software solution to completely digitize the paper-driven process of wholesale food supply orders for restaurants and distributors.

“When the pandemic hit, our revenues went down by 80% and we had to rebuild our business model to digitize all aspects of the restaurant supply chain. We listened and focused on developing software to help our partners cut costs. Notch is already taking off because it’s the innovation the industry has been waiting for to save them time and money like never before,” says Jordan Huck, CEO, Notch.

Read more: https://foodl.me/rnwgj5

FFAR Incites Research for In-Between Season Crops

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The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) hopes to inspire a new form of agriculture research to help sustain farmland in the offseason with living cover crops. The research institution says that post-harvest farmland can accumulate numerous water-related challenges like soil nutrient loss, erosion and precipitation runoff. To stop these issues, FFAR will give a $1,997,454 grant to the University of Minnesota to develop models for sustainable supply chains that create markets for crops farmers can grow between seasons.

Read more: https://foodl.me/znxnhq

Warehouse Operators Experience Operational Cost Savings Thanks to Visibility Technologies

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More than half of executives polled are seeing a 5-10% increase in efficiency from their warehouse visibility technologies, with another quarter seeing a 10-15% increase, according to Rebus built by Longbow Advantage.

Slightly less than half said they’re experiencing a 5-10% in operational cost savings as a result of implementing warehouse visibility technologies while another third said they’re seeing a 10-15% increase in operational savings.

“Supply chain systems globally are feeling all kinds of pressure with everything from constrained transportation systems, labor workforce challenges and supplier material shortages,” says Alex Wakefield, CEO of Longbow Advantage [Go to https://foodl.me/l2uqhb to read Wakefield’s expert column on this topic]. “What this survey tells us is that thousands of supply chain executives realize that the warehouse is central to the entire supply chain operation, and they need better visibility into what their data is telling them so they can make faster decisions in real-time.”

Read more: https://foodl.me/mtkeql

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NOTHING IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN CERTAINTY.

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With Old Dominion Freight Line, you can be certain your promises to your customers will be kept with best-in-class service. Our people deliver an industry-leading on-time delivery record and low claims rate. It’s why customers have ranked us the #1 national LTL carrier 10 years in a row.* Every promise means everything to us, because it means everything to you.

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NEWS FROM ACROSS THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

Are IoT-Connected Pallets a Solution to Supply Chain Woes?

The world is driven by automation. From automobiles to food and beverage processing, every sector is on the verge of transformation due to the advent of smart robotics. What makes any robotic assistant so important is its efficiency. Lack of labor and surge in customer orders are irrelevant to robots. That’s because robots can work without taking breaks and without compromising the quality of food. What’s more, robots can work in collaboration with humans in the kitchen and help if needed.

Automation and robotics in the kitchen are gaining popularity as their operations offer lucrative opportunities for safety and productivity, making food robotics a must-have in the future.

Swamini Kulkarni, content writer for Allied Market Research, details how robots are getting smarter and more acquainted with commercial kitchens.

Read more: https://foodl.me/4befv8

OneCharge Triples Manufacturing Space with New HQs

The global supply chain industry experienced a complete upheaval as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seismic shifts seemed to occur in an instant. Entire supply chains were upended as manufacturing facilities temporarily closed due to employee illness; restaurant and foodservice operations were reduced or shut down; and consumers made massive changes in their buying and consumption behaviors.

This lack of data and real-time insights from supply chains strangled many businesses’ ability to operate, let alone pivot to possible solutions. However, from a glass-half-full perspective, what the supply chain disruptions of 2020 also did was reveal systematic weaknesses and the need for strategic risk mitigation.

Kevin Mazula, CEO of RM2, explains how IoT-connected pallets can be a problem-solving solution to supply chains.

Pallet Alliance

Allied Market Research

Food Robotics: A Novel Solution to Meet Customer Demand and Maintain Food Quality

Read more: https://foodl.me/qv4zye

Paramount Software Solutions Develops Blockchain Platform for Cold Chain

Paramount Software Solutions developed Farm to Plate, a blockchain platform designed to enhance and extend data sharing transparency in the food supply industry.

“Activities in the physical world are well defined, like farming. To this point, digital food supply chain documentation has not included that primary origin stage,” says Saptarshi Choudhury, director of emerging technology at Farm to Plate. “Farm to Plate converts those elements into trackable digital data, creating traceability going all the way back to the farmer. Ours is a grassroots level approach that is missing in other solutions.”

Farm to Plate’s module design began with track and trace, and is scheduled to go live in September. From there, the company plans to add trade, transport and other modules one at a time, adjusting each to work in conjunction with the full end-to-end solution from farmer to consumer.

Read more: https://foodl.me/zpmqtw

Read more: https://foodl.me/hcg2wf

OneCharge

OneCharge Lithium Batteries opened the doors to its new manufacturing facility and company headquarters in Garden Grove, Calif. The new building is three times the size of the former company premises.

“The company is growing and this move was part of the business plan,” says OneCharge president Tim Karimov.

“What we did not expect was how urgent it became in 2021 to add more manufacturing space and ramp up production volume. We see the ever-growing market share of lithium batteries in the material handling motive power market has combined with the delayed demand of last year during the first four months of 2021. We see the perfect storm of incoming orders.”

“Our new home is three times the size of our former locations combined and gives us enough room to grow,” says OneCharge CEO Alex Pisarev. “Having all the elements of our in-house manufacturing process, service center and the company headquarters under one roof will make OneCharge more efficient. Our customers know we are always ready to go the extra mile to make sure our batteries do their job and we are committed to making our batteries more reliable while building them even faster.”

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Paramount Software Solutions

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LOGISTICS TRENDS IN THE INDUSTRY Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

Freight Forwarding Tech Sees More Investment

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Redpoint Ventures led a $13 million Series A investment round of Logixboard, a customer experience platform for freight forwarders. The investment round supports Logixboard’s mission to create an Amazon-like experience for freight forwarders and their customers, increasing visibility and transparency. Other investment participants include Social Leverage, F-Prime Capital, Founders Co-op, Techstars Ventures and more.

Furthering its commitment to becoming the industry standard for an all-in-one customer experience management platform for freight forwarders, Logixboard launched its ETA feature to help offer more transparency into estimated time of arrival variances. The company also plans to use the new funding to continue building additional integrations and products that will offer increased stakeholder communication and real-time visibility, as well as new functions such as in-platform quoting and bookings.

Read more: https://foodl.me/tsk4m2

Kroger Delivers Groceries by Drone

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Kroger customers may soon be able to get their groceries delivered by drone, as the grocery retailer partnered with TELEGRID Technologies’ Drone Express for a drone delivery pilot. The program allows customers to receive grocery deliveries wherever their smart phone location dictates, specific to the exact location of the device. Test flights start in Centerville, Ohio, for the Kroger Marketplace in that location, piloted

by Drone Express.

The flights will be managed by licensed Drone Express pilots from an on-site trailer with additional off-site monitoring. Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin later this spring, and a second pilot is scheduled to launch this summer at a Ralphs store in California.

“Kroger’s new drone delivery pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business, which includes pickup, delivery and ship and reached more than $10 billion in sales in 2020,” says Kroger’s Jody Kalmbach, group VP of product experience. “The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective and efficient last-mile solutions. We’re excited to test drone delivery and gain insights that will inform expansion plans as well as future customer solutions.”

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Reefer Container Freight Rates Soar

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Reefer container freight rates rose sharply this year, jumping 26% in the first quarter, making it the highest level since the index was launched in Q1 2017. But, the rates still remain modest compared to the rise in dry box pricing, according to a Drewry report.

“Tight container equipment availability and a shortage of slot capacity have been key drivers in forcing up freight rates, as a recovering reefer trade has struggled to compete for space with higher paying dry cargo traffic,” says Drewry’s head of reefer shipping research Philip Gray. “Despite record levels of reefer container production in Q1 2021, Drewry expects equipment availability to remain tight over the next few years.”

Read more: https://foodl.me/gcy5l5

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Hwy Haul Reimagines Fresh Produce Supply Chain with Series A Funding Hwy Haul raised a $10 million Series A round to further its mission to transform the way fresh produce is shipped and delivered.

Hwy Haul’s end-to-end digital freight platform for fresh produce cuts out the middleman, directly linking farmers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers to its network of pre-vetted carriers.

“Produce spends half its life in the supply chain, and more than $15 billion is wasted or rejected in transit every year. Existing produce shipping methods are largely manual, with poor visibility and communication within the supply chain. These inefficiencies lead to a further problem of empty miles and their associated carbon emissions,” says Syed Aman, CEO and co-founder of Hwy Haul.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) announced plans to add 53 all-electric transport refrigerated trailer units (TRUs) to its fleet at its Riverside, Calif., distribution center, making UNFI dubbed as one of the first wholesalers to utilize this technology.

The all-electric TRU achieves zero-emission results by using a high-efficiency refrigeration system powered by roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels, a wheel-momentum generator, lithium-ion batteries and a unique auxiliary power unit to eliminate the requirement for diesel fuel to power the refrigeration system.

“Nearly 50% of UNFI’s direct greenhouse gas emissions are from our fleet of trucks and trailers. These 53 all-electric TRUs will help us get a head start on the proposed CARB zero-emission requirements and are expected to allow us to decrease our emissions as we make progress on our climate action commitments under Better For All,” says Jeff Wismans, national director of fleet operations at UNFI. “Adding these TRUs comes after an exhaustive 4-month pilot testing the equipment through a variety of conditions with the intention to replace diesel-powered TRUs. When we look at it from an operational standpoint, we’re not changing anything, but it gives us a fresh look at running our operations and finding additional efficiencies.”

Read more: https://foodl.me/6g587j

Read more: https://foodl.me/74ewz4

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Overhaul’s New App-Based Risk-Management Solution Monitors Motor Carrier Behavior

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Overhaul launched TruckShield, what is said to be an industryfirst risk management solution that uses existing motor carrier fleet hardware to identify dangerous or illegal driving practices in real time.

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TruckShield also defends against predatory legal practices in the event of an accident, digitizes and centralizes insurance, maintenance and safety management and builds a data profile to showcase safety culture to insurers.

Read more: https://foodl.me/rzhduy

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Freight Farms

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Daily Updates at FoodLogistics.com

Freight Farms’ New Container Farm Makes Way for Smart Small-Space Farming Freight Farms unveiled Greenery S, a new container farm that combines specialized space, light, air, water and control systems to make it possible to grow food anywhere in the world.

“The Greenery S brings an entirely new level of design, control, robustness and ease of use to our already industry-leading growing platform. It is built upon the technology we have developed over the past 10 years while introducing a fresh suite of features. This farm is not just a refinement of our past models—it redefines what it means to be a farmer,” says Freight Farms co-founder and COO Jon Friedman. “With the Greenery S, we hope to further simplify the process of farming to make the profession as accessible as possible to people around the world.”

Read more: https://foodl.me/5segr3

Growth in Online Food Delivery Continues as COVID-19 Lingers A new report by ResearchAndMarkets finds that the global online food delivery services market will grow from $115.07 billion in 2020 to $126.91 billion in 2021 at a CAGR of 10.3%.

According to the report, the cost of supply chain and logistics is a key restraint for the online food delivery market as costs for order fulfillment, delivery, adjusting business resources to market demand and last-mile connectivity vary. Retailers could potentially lose up to 26% of their profits if they fail to adjust their supply chains to prevent spoilage. Read more: https://foodl.me/lnu34h

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Fleetworthy Solutions Acquires Provider of DOT Compliance Software Fleetworthy Solutions acquired Our Safety Department (OSD), a developer of DOT compliance and workflow automation software, further solidifying its endto-end compliance and risk mitigation platform for private fleets, for-hire carriers and third-party logistics (3PL) companies.

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COVID-19 has exacerbated challenges to finding, hiring and keeping truck drivers as drivers challenge pay, working hours and shipper detention times that delay driving time. Truck drivers are worth their weight in gold these days. And, while driver retention has been a constant issue for many truckload carriers over the years, the pandemic and resulting capacity crunch means it’s more important than ever to retain valuable driver assets.

So, how do you keep truck drivers happy and trucking over the miles? Ryan Camacho, director of product management at Axele, gives a few tips on how to get started.

Pexels

For decades, transportation has been viewed in its own separate silo, and therefore has largely not even been considered when it comes to cost of goods sold (COGS) planning. However, transportation can have far-reaching operational and financial impacts on COGS given it directly ties into the health of a company’s supply chain. In fact, companies have been able to break away and rise to the top because of the amount of investment put into their transportation operations, especially from a technology perspective.

Mike Nervick, CEO of Sleek Technologies, offers three ways technology helps businesses tackle their transportation challenges and further optimize their COGS as a result.

Read more: https://foodl.me/ft7hsv

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everage Destruction Service Inc. in Smithfield, North Carolina, has been in business since 2016. The company was started

by Mary Jo Buzard, Mike Buzard and Jim Mattes.

BDSI, as we are also known, is proud to be a green company that provides service to over 40 companies. BDSI provides a green solution that is customized for the beverage industry.

Companies drop off expired and damaged beverages from 8:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday. BDSI de-packages products and processes the liquids to the specifications of the Johnston County Waste Water Treatment Plant. All of the shipping and packaging materials are recycled.

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Each company receives certificates of destruction that can be used for tax abatement or financial write off.

In the 4 and a half years since 2016 BDSI has been responsible for steering thousands of pallets of material into the recycling stream. Along the way BDSI has met some artists that like to use raw materials like wood, bottle caps and corks in their art. BDSI donates these raw materials to the artists and has featured some of them on their website. www.beveragedestructionserivce.com

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We takes pride in providing friendly and responsive green solutions.

If you have questions or just want to talk to us about going green please call Mike at 919-209-0902.

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COVER STORY

BY MARINA MAYER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

M

aintaining a sustainable food chain both upstream and down comes with a host of challenges and opportunities. On one hand, doing so protects people, product and plant, reduces waste, encourages a green economy and ensures the freshest of foods are transported in the safest, most efficient manner possible. Plus, it’s just good business practice.

On the other hand though, an aging infrastructure, a rise in grocery e-commerce and an influx in globalized sourcing continue to stress today’s cold chains.

So, how can companies continue to keep sustainability top of mind amid a global pandemic and continuous supply chain disruptions? Sounds like a tall order even for the most resilient of cold food chains.

But, global pandemics and supply chain disruptions aren’t selective on who or what they target.

They can strike at any time and impact cold food chains in different ways.

“Cold chains are faced with several risks that other commodity chains are not as susceptible to,” says Brittany Surine, VP, ISN. “These include climate risks [such as] increased temperatures and fluctuating weather conditions, which can spoil produce or other raw materials, as well as the need to address other environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and waste.”

That’s why a fusion of technology, initiatives, planning and execution help companies obtain the supply chain visibility needed to effectively maintain a sustainable food chain.

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Chipping away at the challenges One of the biggest challenges impacting U.S. cold food chains is the ability to reduce waste and implement efficiency company wide. That’s because even though most of the world came to a halt with the onset of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), cold food chains forged ahead at lightning speed to keep product moving from farm to fork and do so sustainably.

“Never before have we witnessed a disruption to our food chain as was seen in early 2020 with COVID-19. The world stopped, but the food chain couldn’t because it is driven by the animals we breed and crops we consume. Those products all contain living elements [that] don’t respond to government mandates or fear and require our undivided attention to prosper,” says Chris Hlubb, program director of F3 Tech’s Accelerator Program. “Waste is where true sustainability is measured, and we, Plenty has temperature sensors in its trucks to identify if/when products break the cold chain.

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SUSTAINABLE FOOD

CHAINS MATTER.

HERE’S WHY. Plenty

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 Freight Farms’ Greenery S is a modular farming solution designed to use 99% less water than traditional farming methods.

Freight Farms

as a society, wasted countless volumes of food from the euthanization of animals to the destruction of crops to avoid further financial losses for products [with] no buyer. Reducing waste is the greatest value we can add and the truly most sustainable action we can make.”

What’s more is, green-minded supply chains are struggling with how to strike the right balance between clean and efficiency.

“At the Propane Council, we’ve noticed that the trend toward sustainability has lent itself to electrification solutions across food and beverage operations, but what businesses may not notice initially is the productivity they sacrifice with this choice,” says Matt McDonald, director of off-road business development for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). “Businesses need equipment with the power and reliability to efficiently move materials day in and day out, ensure uninterrupted operation and protect their bottom line. Electric forklifts require downtime for recharging, expensive, heavy batteries and strict battery management by employees. Propane-powered forklifts, on the other hand, offer 100% power throughout operation, indoor/outdoor usability and quick, easy refueling. Additionally, propane offers the versatility to handle any size job, anywhere, whether moving pallets from deliveries or operating to and from cold storage—all without sacrificing environmental impact.”

Other challenges like water scarcity, carbon emissions and food waste continue to plague the cold food chain.

In response, the CEA Food Safety Co-

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Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)

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alition created what is said to be the first ever food safety certification program specifically for CEA-grown leafy greens. The Leafy Greens Module is measured against science-based criteria and is an add-on to existing compliance with an underlying Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-recognized food safety standard, enabling CEA growers to distinguish produce grown indoors while ensuring the highest standard of quality and compliance.

“Controlled environment agriculture offers a powerful solution to solving food insecurity and climate change. As an innovative, technology-driven method of farming, CEA reimagines how food is sourced and distributed. The sector is uniquely positioned to engage with local communities to build sustainable local food distribution systems,” says Marni Karlin, executive director, CEA Food Safety Coalition.

Freight Farms developed Greenery S, a modular farming solution designed to use 99% less water than traditional farming methods through hydroponic systems and moisture reclamation processes.

“The compact and easily transportable design allows customers to grow food as close to the final consumer as possible, ensuring a local supply chain that minimizes the distance food travels, which also helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the whole operation. This ability to grow food locally also reduces food waste post-harvest—the produce stays fresher for longer, making it more likely that it is consumed instead of thrown away,” adds Rick Vanzura, CEO of Freight Farms. “Furthermore, the Greenery S is completely climate controlled, allowing each farmer to customize the environment to the

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needs of the plant, providing the perfect environment, again reducing waste by ensuring 95% of plants are sellable. Additionally, Freight Farms is partnered with Arcadia Energy to easily connect farms to community solar and wind energy, reducing the farm’s carbon footprint to just one-quarter of traditional agriculture.”

Plus, like so many facets of the supply chain, COVID-19 exposed the problems inherent to the nation’s reliance on an extended supply chain, he adds.

“Every transition point, plus the length of the journey itself, introduces the risk of contamination, spoilage and loss of traceability. Of course, thousands of transportation miles also knock days off shelf life, compromise flavor and nutrition and leave a large carbon footprint,” Vanzura adds.

The biggest challenge for building sustainable food supply chains is developing the linkage and dialogue between the different key members of the supply chain, for instance between farmers and their buyers and customers. And, lack of supply chain visibility continues to upend the ability for companies to achieve a sustainable supply chain. (Go to foodl.me/lrc59e to download a white paper discussing how supply chain visibility helps manage risk.)

“The key point is the lack of a global vision. While an increasing fraction of fresh produce is being sourced globally, many regions in the world have an almost total absence of cold chain or rely on obsolete

 Propane helps food and beverage operations decrease their carbon footprint by offering low-emissions equipment that’s often the workhorse of their operation.

JUNE 2021 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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technologies, resulting in short shelf life, preventing access to high-value markets and generating high rejection rates,” says Michele Bruni, chief commercial officer, InspiraFarms. “This is preventing producers, consumers and supply chains in general to benefit and are generating massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, while proper cooling treatment at source and well managed cold chain can prevent most of this financial and environmental inefficiencies, allowing everyone to capture more value along the chain and consumers to enjoy higher quality food, potentially at a lower price.”

Likewise, the cold chain needs to become more centralized, according to Sarah Watt, senior director, analyst, Gartner Inc. “The main challenge for cold chain from a sustainability perspective is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (and energy consumption), while still maintaining product quality and ensure good service. The second challenge is to reduce food waste in the field and at the consumer end,” Watt adds. “Especially with consumer trends toward buying more locally grown food and agriculture products, the cold chain needs to become more distributed. Not always in this chain can the cold chain be sustain-

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In Food Logistics’ SCN Summit: Sustainability session, attendees revealed the top technologies their companies have invested in to achieve a more sustainable footprint.

Go to https://foodl.me/d8g4ce to watch the session in on-demand.

ably sourced unless there are local laws or incentives that will require it. In this sense, food safety will compete with sustainably sourced cold food logistics, especially for micro-growers and food producers.”

Sustainable solutions

the most common strategies to sustainability are product recycling and reverse logistics (73%), low/no emission internal logistics (65%) and low/no emission internal supply chain (61%).

“To achieve a successful circular economy strategy, food and beverage manufacturers must digitize their business so they can build better end-to-end supply chain and manufacturing processes to minimize food waste and bring products to the market efficiently,” says Mike Edgett, U.S. product marketing director at Sage. “Industry 4.0 makes sustainable strategies achievable.

Migrating to the cloud helps distributors take advantage of Industry 4.0 technologies including automation, AI and data analytics.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can inform circular economy strategies by reducing costs, extending visibility into various aspects of the supply chain and optimizing manufacturing processes to minimize food waste.”

Another way to achieve a sustainable supply chain is for companies to better understand their carbon footprint.

“The COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrates why sustainability is so critical to the well-being of our communities and our planet. In 2020, supply chain disruptions from the pandemic were felt across the globe. As a logistics company, we play a vital role in bringing items like essential goods, medical equipment, supplies and food to people around the world. It is therefore fundamental to invest in efficiencies, modernization and the reduction of waste in the supply chain. In fact, it’s something we have been doing for decades for our

In Food Logistics’ SCN Summit: Sustainability session, Internet of Things (IoT) and automation ranked as the Top 2 types of technologies companies are investing in to achieve a more sustainable footprint; robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) tied for third place.

Meanwhile, companies are implementing recycling programs, going paperless and enhancing building design to become more sustainable over the years.

What’s more is, nearly 75% of distributors around the world have responded to sustainability-focused challenges by adopting a circular economy strategy to promote a sustainable food chain and mitigate waste production, The biggest challenge for building sustainable food supply according to a Sage study. chains is developing the linkage and dialogue between the The report also found that different key members of the supply chain.

InspiraFarms

COVER STORY continued

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PROUDLY JUDGED BY THE COMPANIES WE KEEP

Year after year, for 36 consecutive years,* America’s bestselling line of commercial vehicles are Built Ford Tough.®

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Ford Commercial Vehicles Computer-generated image and available features shown. *Based on IHS Markit CY1985-2020 US TIPNet Registrations excluding registrations to individuals. TIPNet Registrations prior to 2010 do not include all GVW 1 and 2 vehicle.

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COVER STORY continued customers,” says Rachel Schwalbach, VP, ESG, C.H. Robinson.

That’s why C.H. Robinson invested in Emissions IQ, which measures and reduces emissions across the chain.

“The first step is gathering data and setting a baseline. How is your carbon footprint looking now, and where can you improve? Once you have an opportunity

to evaluate your impact, that’s when you can start to make changes. Not only that, but Emissions IQ will save companies significant time, effort and money that they would spend estimating their carbon emissions. It could take businesses, or specifically shippers, thousands of hours to build an equivalent emissions measurement tool on their own,” says Schwalbach.

What’s more is, the acceleration of technology to mitigate waste in the food supply chain has grown exponentially, says Michael Keck, senior director, business development, DHL Supply Chain.

“From software programs that bring together on-hand inventory with pointof-sale data to predict inventory requirements, to robots that are being tested in grocery stores that roam the aisles scanning and taking inventory, preventing over-ordering from the warehouse while also preventing out of stocks,” adds Keck.

“Additionally, resilience of the supply chain has grown from social platforms integration into software that monitors global events, like the recent blockage in the Suez Canal, a strike at a port or a derailment. When decisionmakers have this information at their fingertips, they can make more meaningful and timely adjustments to avoid or mitigate disruption and potentially avoid a spoiled shipment into the distribution channel.”

For its part, IBM Sterling developed Sterling Inventory Control Tower, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered control tower platform that provides end-to-end inventory visibility.

Meanwhile, IBM Sterling’s intelligent order fulfillment platform, Sterling Fulfillment Optimizer, helps determine how to leverage inventory to maximize freshness,  IBM Sterling’s Sterling Inventory Control Tower is an AI-powered control tower platform that provides end-to-end inventory visibility.

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the cold chain, and we can demonstrate the impact through our IoT and remote sensing system, tracking fruit and vegetable cooling and storage conditions, energy data and machinery performances.”

Machine learning is also being used to reduce food waste, according to Susan Boylan, director, analyst, Gartner Inc. “IoT, AI and blockchain can identify

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“We range from few tons/day of highvalue crops to 2,000-plus tons, designed to respond the need of agribusinesses,” Bruni says. “Managing pre-cooling is the fundamental step to generate sustainability and financial returns. It is essential to gain as much shelf life and quality possible, key to reduce losses and rejections and to reduce the energy use per kg throughout

on-time delivery and identify eco-friendly shipping options.

“It’s in everyone’s best interests that the food we produce be harvested, processed, transported and consumed while it’s fresh.

The trick is maintaining the temperature and humidity within acceptable ranges at all times and minimizing the energy consumption required to get it in the hands of the end consumer,” says Shari Diaz, director of innovation, strategy and operations, IBM Sterling. “The storage and logistics sustainability challenge for cold food chains is a significant cost center and a major point of risk, making it also a tremendous opportunity for optimization. How do we optimize the design of the physical supply chain from Point A, B and C and securely monitor it from start to finish? How do we optimize our inventory packaging and positioning to ensure we have what consumers want where and when they want it? And, how do we ensure we’re meeting all of these needs while minimizing energy consumption, carbon footprints and waste?

It is the convergence of these interconnected challenges where we see how much of the cold food supply chain is siloed across functions and enterprises and how difficult it is to manage.”

InspiraFarms designed and delivered turnkey modular cold rooms and packing houses, cooling and energy solutions for the fresh produce and a fully integrated digital system to monitor and control the farm-to-fork process.

www.foodlogistics.com

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JUNE 2021 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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COVER STORY continued

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product,” Anderson adds. “As we move into the future, we will have more information on where our food comes from, and consumers can make choices to buy products that fit their values.”

Resolving climate change On Jan. 27, President Joe Biden announced an Executive Order to tackle the climate crisis, both domestically and internationally, and with that, re-joined the Paris Agreement. While doing so preserves the future

sions Council (GLEC) developed the GLEC Framework, what is dubbed as the only globally recognized methodology for harmonized calculation and reporting of the logistics greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint across a multi-modal supply chain.

“The Biden Administration has made it clear that climate change and protecting the environment are critical initiatives.

With Emissions IQ, we’re making it possible for companies to understand how and where they can do their part. The figures we calculate will give them the momentum to create change and track progress against their sustainability goals,” says Schwalbach.

“In fact, being accredited to use the Global Logistics Emissions Counsel (GLEC) framework, Emissions IQ gives shippers data that’s trusted and universally accepted, and is more closely aligning to the Paris Agreement goals.

We are accredited to use the only globally recognized methodology for consistently calculating and reporting the carbon footprint of a multimodal supply chain.”

Case in point: You can’t improve what you don’t measure, Keck says.

“DHL Supply Chain has a culture of continuous innovation and a strong commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals as a corporate citizen of the global economy,” he adds. “DHL has publicly made commitments aligned to the UN Global Sustainability Goals and committed $7 billion euros of investment through 2030 to reduce our CO2 footprint.”

The Climate Change Action Plan also makes a call-to-action for farmers.

“There is huge potential for climate reform within the agricultural segment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, carbon and nitrogen fixing soil, practicing regenerative agriculture, the list goes on,” says Vanzura. locally produced goods.

Despite a global pandemic and a host of supply chain disruptions, companies still keep sustainability top of mind in today’s cold food chains. Go to foodl.me/a926qh to read this article in its entirety.

CEA Food Safety Coalition

potential sources of contamination and make recalls easier to manage. Mobile apps combined with blockchain can help smallholders record their sales to corporations, improving the odds that the smallholder can get access to better, more affordable credit. Big data and satellite mapping can identify how corporations are impacting the world’s forests,” Boylan adds.

There are also environmental, engineering and technology solutions designed to create a sustainable farming ecosystem, adds Watt.

“Environmental solutions are focused on how we farm, but using, for example, regenerative farming techniques, which focus on soil quality though cover crops, limiting soil disturbance, focusing on crop diversity to improve soil quality and in some instancing integrating grazing livestock into this system,” she says. “The technology solutions vary. From mobile phone applications that can help smallholder farmers identify crop disease and actions to take, to high-tech solutions such as vertical farming and precision agriculture. There are also engineering solutions that can improve crop production and harvesting. This includes the application of robotics and automation to harvest some crops.”

Other technologies designed to support traceability and automate the agricultural process aid in helping companies obtain more visibility into their food’s safety.

“Automation in agriculture is on the path to optimizing food yields and reducing wasted crop by automating the grow, pick and packaging process,” says Shane Rooney, principal consultant, Proxima.

Sensors, GPS and routing software and other temperature-control features also help optimize cold chain logistics and reduce waste, according to Ryan Anderson, senior director, supply chain and logistics, Plenty.

“Plenty, for example, has temperature sensors in its trucks to identify if our products ever break the cold chain. This system also helps to give an early warning to prevent any potential spoilage of the

CEA Food Safety Coalition created a food safety certification program specifically for CEA-grown leafy greens.

of U.S. supply chains and the sustainable facets that follow, some industry experts are eager to see results sooner than later.

“These early steps by the Biden Administration send the message that the United States will play its part in working to solve the climate crisis. This is critical. But, now we need to put policies in play that walk the walk,” says Karlin. “We are encouraged that the Biden Administration will look to sustainable food and agriculture, whether it is CEA, organic or farmers practicing regenerative agriculture, for example, how we can promote climate health. There is no universal solution, but a variety of climate-smart agriculture approaches that can make up the next generation of American agriculture policy.”

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3PL / COLD CHAIN

BY BRIELLE JAEKEL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

TECHNOLOGY CONSOLIDATION AND SUSTAINABILITY: THE FUTURE OF 3PL’S LAST-MILE

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ome may say the Amazon Effect is an almost overused term in retail and logistics today. But, it is a very true and important concept in which delivery and logistics completely transformed over the last few years. The need for speedy last-mile delivery is so prevalent that it now reaches the cold chain, especially since the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic disrupts much of the food industry.

Last-mile reefer logistics saw incredible increases in the first quarter of this year, and only continues to grow, and technology helps keep up with this jump. Even prior to the pandemic, third-party logistics (3PL) was poised for serious growth, as retailers, brands and businesses look to offset logistics processes while demand for last mile grows. According to a study last year from Global Markets Insights Inc., the 3PL industry is set to hit more than $1.8 trillion by 2026.

Additionally, Bringg CEO Guy Bloch says that the growth of cannabis and interest in general home delivery adds to the increase in need for last-mile delivery in the cold chain even more.

“Cannabis marketplaces are growing, as is home delivery, and with this growth comes the need to create a more optimized model for logistics,” Bloch says. “While the marketplaces move into last-mile delivery within new regions with diverse regulations, they need a scalable tech solution in place. They need to be able to manage the capacity in current markets while simplifying the effort to launch new markets with the right solution from day one to ensure a smooth customer experience.”

This need for technology increases along with the growth of last-mile demand, especially now that restaurants start to open post-lockdown with new strategies focused on the

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customer experience. Businesses and consumers alike now look for an enhanced form of communication and full transparency from sourcing to delivery.

Technology consolidation

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cohesion becomes more important now that COVID-19 continues to stress logistics further, adding the demand for reefer 3PL initiatives.

“Due to COVID-19 and the level of focus put on the vaccine supply chain in the U.S., we’re seeing more technology entering the ‘reefer-intensive’ last-mile transportation,” says Wilkinson. “A lot of these solutions aim to address pain points associated with a lack of documentation and data, which is sorely needed.”

Additionally, at-home food services integrate into last-mile delivery, which also dramatically grew since the pandemic.

“COVID-19 created a greater demand for food logistics providers to increase their services in the growing trend of food, meal kits and grocery deliveries to consumers’ homes,” says Bloch. “Shippers are looking to partner with the 3PLs to ensure that they meet the growing customer expectations for speed, convenience and transparency.

3PLs will need the right technology in place to ensure that the customer and the shipper have visibility while they work hard to meet the capacity and resource restraints on their end. Shippers also want active control to ensure product excellence and access to data to make informed decisions to meet KPIs.”

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Ryan Wilkinson, chief technology officer at IntelliShift, says that lack of documentation, data and statistics are issues that plague the 3PL industry in last-mile delivery today. Add these issues to the jump in demand as well as customer interest in digital communications, and 3PLs gravitate toward new technology to help.

However, not all 3PLs integrate technology in the right ways. In fact, 3PLs’ biggest pitfalls are digitization and automation, Bloch says.

“Many 3PLs will invest millions into trying to automate as much of the last-mile execution as possible. Many may even try and build out their own solution,” Bloch says. “Digitization of the last mile needs to include automating from warehouse to truck to customer with features that provide visibility, connectivity and customization. Data will also be a critical part to any last-mile solution. The right

solution needs to connect the fragmented technology to utilize all the data possible for better real-time decision making.”

In an expert column (foodl.me/jb3tne), Guilda Javaheri, chief technology officer for Golden State Foods, explained how technology integration augmented operations in relation to product movement, tapping the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to create a data-rich environment.

When speaking on the 3PL sector, most experts reveal that along with the growth of technology came an increase in fragmentation in platforms used.

3PLs need to find ways to decrease fragmentation in logistics to get a clearer picture and optimize operations better.

Golden State Foods supports this theory, explaining that when collaborators in the supply chain work together with common goals to monitor food transportation, it creates a harmonious environment.

“Digital technology advancements allow businesses to transcend beyond a brick-and-mortar mentality and potentially create new operating models that connect every player regardless of their size and geography,” Javaheri said in the column.

“In the future, businesses will continue to evolve their operating models into digitally connected business networks whose collaboration creates shared value.

“The rapid advancement and accessibility of IoT solutions allows monitoring systems to act as accelerators.

Companies are employing these technologies in efforts to be increasingly attuned to their customers’ preferences, while reaping the benefits of increasing yield, extending product shelf life and optimizing resources.

Fine-tuning and harmonizing solutions that also support sustainability leads to greater growth and stability,” Javaheri adds.

This need for technology

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 Last mile in food grows during COVID-19.

 Sustainability is an important part of last-mile food delivery.

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3PL / COLD CHAIN continued

Growth and innovation

Tada Images/Adobe Stock

Drivers in the last-mile space benefit from technology growth.

As the Global Markets Insights study alluded, the 3PL sector will only continue to grow, making the fragmentation of technology worse and in need of repair.

But, the sector is already seeing improvement in this area, according to Golden State Foods and other cases in the cold chain. The future of last-mile transportation in the 3PL cold chain will likely see an influx of technology innovation that fully integrates these platforms into a more sufficient supply chain.

Wilkinson says the consolidation of technology, including temperature monitoring, will be a very real aspect of the logistics and transportation industry in the future.

“No longer will a separate reefer or temperature monitoring solution be needed,” Wilkinson says. “3PL companies should be looking to consolidate their technology operations by looking for a data-centric platform to house their reefer, temperature, Hours of Service, DVIR,

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neutral or significantly reduce their impact on the environment.

While consumers look for sustainable brands and brands look to partner with sustainable companies, 3PLs will need to follow suit.

Bloch explains that carbon emissions are key elements of the food delivery industry and will be monitored as the supply chain gets scrutinized for its sustainability practices.

“While I believe that success in this segment will rely on greater tech adoption with more innovative services, it is important to also mention the growing IntelliShift

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telematics and video telematics data.

“With all of these insights housed in one connected vehicle and asset operations platform, 3PLs will be able to better optimize operations and make smarter business Technology for 3PLs will decisions consolidate in the future. rooted in accurate, holistic data.”

While holistic tech is very important, 3PLs must also consider the need to be sustainable, as this will be an integral part of all of logistics moving forward.

Major players in logistics such as Amazon, Maersk and many others announced pledges to become carbon

awareness of sustainability in the supply chain,” Bloch says.

“With the growing food delivery market comes the growth of carbon emissions.

Shippers that have taken net-zero pledges will look to their 3PL providers to support their sustainability initiatives through the reduction of GHGs as well as visibility into the tracking and reporting on these savings. The right delivery platform will provide both innovative tech while supporting a sustainable supply chain through the last mile,” he adds.

As the world navigates the end of the pandemic, supply chains look to restructure, rebuild and fill the gaps exposed this past year. Sustainability and technology integration will be key in doing so to move forward for a more resilient future.

(Go to foodlogistics.com/podcasts to download and listen to Food Logistics’ L.I.N.K. podcast channel).

Is your organization prepared for the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety?

Visit our New Era resources page for useful articles and insights to help you navigate the future.

Smarter tools for outbreak prevention

Tech-enabled traceability

Food safety culture

New business models and modernization

Learn more: controlant.com/new-era-blueprint/ Contact us: contact@controlant.com

www.foodlogistics.com

FLOG0621_24-27_3PL-ColdChain.indd 27

Follow us @Controlant on Twitter and LinkedIn

JUNE 2021 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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5/25/21 3:58 PM

2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS

BY MACKENNA MORALEZ , ASSISTANT EDITOR

2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS: Sustainability Still Ranks Supreme During a Year of Disruptions Food Logistics announces the winners of its annual Top Green Providers award.

W

hen the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic first began in March 2020, the Food Logistics staff thought that companies would put their sustainability initiatives on the backburner in order to better fight the virus. But, the opposite happened. Instead, companies have been moving sustainability to the top of their to-do lists, and their efforts are changing the supply chain industry for the better.

Food Logistics’ Top Green Providers award recognizes third-party logistics (3PL) providers, transportation providers, cold storage providers, technology companies and more whose products, services or exemplary leadership enhances sustainability within the cold food and beverage industry.

“People’s values are increasingly becoming infused in their shopping habits as consumers think more about balancing what they buy and how they spend their time with global issues of sustainability,” Jill Standish, senior managing director and head of Accenture, said in a press release. “This calls for retailers to be authentic and to pay attention to what each community they serve really cares about. It is no longer enough for brands to just talk about responsibility; they need to adopt environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, harnessing technology to drive outcomes across their entire operations, from building more sustainable supply chains to equipping the workforce for a new environment.”

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together to address the The pandemic has issue,” Harig explains. changed the way Case in point: J.B. consumers view Hunt Transport sustainability Services partnered now. According with the University to the Accenture of Arkansas in study, twoDecember 2020 to thirds (65%) of increase awareness consumers believe in transportation that the government PROVIDERS and logistics, exploring should introduce new sustainable solutions to legislation to promote address current and potential industry “conscious consumption,” such as challenges. The company’s Sustainable charging for plastic bags (go to page 42 for Supply Chain Management Research, more on sustainable packaging trends and Innovation and Education fund will help solutions). The report also found that 69% support educational pursuits that pertain of consumers believe consumer brands to sustainable business practices. should make it easier to consume more Furthermore, several states will consciously. participate in the Transportation & Climate Still, 37% of food waste comes from Initiative Program (TCI), a cap-and-invest within the home, Andy Harig, VP of plan that aims to modernize transportation tax, trade, sustainability and policy in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. development at FMI-The Food Industry The program aims to reduce carbon Association, said during an episode of a pollution and provide critical funding for L.I.N.K. podcast. (Go to foodlogistics.com/ transportation solutions in urban, suburban podcasts to download the episode.) and rural areas.

“If you look at sort of consumer-facing Even in a post-COVID-19 world, businesses, food retail and restaurants companies will continue to prioritize are about 28% of the total food waste, manufacturing about 14%. Farms represent sustainability. These practices all help companies to better prepare for the about 20% total of the food loss in the future—whatever that may entail.

United States. So, it’s really important So, congratulations to the 2021 Top that each of those sectors addresses their Green Providers award winners. Go to issues, which are unique to each sector. It’s foodl.me/bftalv to learn more on how also important that the whole supply chain, this year’s champions strive to become farm to fork, addresses the issue broadly sustainable leaders. and finds partnerships and ways to work

2021 TOP

www.foodlogistics.com

5/25/21 3:55 PM

Profitable Space and Green Redefined Automation

Customers are increasingly demanding faster and more flexible grocery delivery services. They are also more conscious about supporting green initiatives. With AutoStore, offer customer winning experiences while staying profitable and green.

AutoStoreTM is an automated storage and order fulfillment system utilizing innovative design to reduce your storage footprint. Low energy consumption and regenerative technology make it an excellent addition to your green mission.

AutoStoreTM combines extreme storage density with high throughput technology.

Reducing your storage footprint, you have space to expand services and products and make home deliveries profitable. Gain visibility of your operations and stock, and enhance your customer experience both online and in-store.

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Powered by the Sun

Around the world, brands are powering their AutoStore systems through solar power. Run by robots, powered by the sun.

24/7 Operations

Our unbeaten up-time (99.6%) and no single point of failure means you have access to your inventory supporting 24/7 operations. autostoresystem.com

autostoresystem.com

FLOG0621_28-35_Top Green Award.indd 29

Innovative Technology

Utilizing similar technology found in electric cars, AutoStore robots are continuously sending power back to their batteries as they work.

Low Power Consumption

An AutoStore robot uses only 100 watts of power, the same as a light bulb. Ten robots use the same amount of energy as a vacuum cleaner.

When Productivity and Accuracy Matter

When Productivity and Accuracy Matter

5/25/21 4:44 PM

2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS continued Alliance Shippers

Beverage Destruction Service Inc.

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Alliance Shippers is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. The company has reduced its carbon footprint by adding new EverGreen refrigeration units to its fleet that are CARB compliant for the lifecycle of the refrigeration unit. Meanwhile, its refrigerated trailers and containers are equipped with two-way cellular tracking devices, allowing for Alliance Shippers to have a GPS location on its assets and monitor temperatures, check for fuel levels and turn the refrigeration unit on and off at any time. The company also manages the run time on units at customer pool locations to control operating expenses and reduce carbon emissions while optimizing asset utilization to increase capacity. In addition, Alliance Shippers has been a SmartWay Participant Provider since 2006, and is one of 62 companies to be honored with a SmartWay Excellence Award for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Beveragedestructionservice.com Since first opening in 2016, Beverage Destruction Service Inc. (BDSI) is proud to be a green company. The company has a place for everything—broken pieces of wood from pallets go into a collection box, cardboard and PET plastic, shrink wrap and film, glass, aluminum and others all have a collection point. BDSI provides a solution that is customized for the beverage industry, enabling companies to drop off expired and damaged beverages from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays.

The company de-packages products and processes the liquids to the specifications of its county. All shipping and packaging materials are recycled to avoid landfills. BDSI takes pride in providing responsive green solutions for its clients, and in the future, plans to affiliate with a local digester to enable the calories from beverages to positively impact the methane output and provide energy solutions for years to come.

AutoStore

Choptank Transport

Autostoresystem.com

Choptanktransport.com

AutoStore provides the cold food and beverage industry with technology that is sustainably designed and revamps the outdated retail supply chain system. Customers are able to obtain measurable sustainability goals more quickly within their operations as each robot uses minimal energy, providing a greener operation for all uses.

Traditional food and beverage warehouse designs are constructed with a focus on aisles, lighting and environmental settings for human comfortability. In addition, the company helps customers reduce carbon emissions by allowing them to stay in their buildings and customize existing warehouses to fit their needs.

Choptank Transport is always looking for ways to improve its sustainability initiatives. The company has created its own proprietary software system, Orbit TI, enabling shippers and carriers to have full visibility and transparency into the loads they ship with Choptank. The real-time tracking formation helps products move through the cold chain more efficiently, with fewer errors and damage. The software also alerts drivers and Choptank’s operations team when there is an issue with a shipment, allowing for the problem to quickly be solved, therefore, reducing any potential food waste.

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2021 TOP

CT Logistics

PROVIDERS

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Throughout 2020, CT Logistics invested in software developments that provides shippers with the tools to make more sustainable choices within their supply chains. The FreitRater Lion software, for example, helps shippers drive energy efficiency with supply chain routing analysis technologies, maximizing lane effectiveness and allows CT Logistics to facilitate more optimal/greener transportation mode selections for shipping.

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Liberty Cold is proud to be a landfill-free facility. Less than 1% of all waste accumulated at its facility ends up in a landfill and is audited on an annual basis. The company utilizes a waste tracker program to monitor its waste stream consumption.

The data is monitored monthly and audited annually and includes waste stream information, amount of waste generated, amount removed from and entering into landfills and more. In addition, Liberty Cold is in the process of becoming a SmartWay Partner.

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At Alliance Shippers Inc., we continuously work towards providing cleaner and more energy-efficient transportation services and solutions. Our 2021 Top Green Provider award underscores our steadfast commitment to a greener environment.

To find out more: www.alliance.com

INTERMODAL

OVER-THE-ROAD

www.foodlogistics.com

FLOG0621_28-35_Top Green Award.indd 31

CRITICAL CAPACITY

2017+2019 EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER

2021 TOP

CERTIFIED MEMBER SINCE 2006

PROVIDERS

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

INTERNATIONAL

WAREHOUSING

JUNE 2021 | FOOD LOGISTICS

31

5/28/21 11:10 AM

2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS continued Parsyl Parsyl.com Parsyl helps companies understand their supply chains so they can achieve stronger supply chains.

The company allows customers to collect and analyze comprehensive granular data about their supply chain at a scale by using smart sensors and cloud-based insights.

With this software, customers can learn from every shipment, uncovering any weak points in order to better reduce waste and cost.

With Parsyl, companies are able to achieve a new level of transparency and sustainability in their perishable supply chain and allow for them to take smarter risks.

RLS Logistics Rlslogistics.com RLS Logistics puts sustainability first by implementing energy management, LED lighting, solar and CO2 refrigerant system programs. Through this, the company optimizes energy-consuming COLD CHAIN EXPERTS equipment and systems to better reduce its energy footprint long-term.

RLS Logistics actively works with its partnering regional operators to evaluate their current energy usage, strategies and discuss best practices to implement in order to achieve ultimate sustainable usage.

Romark Logistics Romarklogistics.com Over the last 60 years, Romark Logistics has been servicing the food and beverage industry.

The company has prioritized environmental and sustainable initiatives, each year allocating significant resources to its programs and incorporating it in its organizational goals. Romark considers “green” to be a core commitment

that not only benefits its employees and customers, but also the communities it serves. Romark has established a framework along with integrated tracking technology that monitors and measures sustainability programs to ensure it is complying with all relevant regulator requirements. In addition, the company’s goal is to operate all locations as landfill- and carbon-free facilities.

Utility Trailer Manufacturing Utilitytrailer.com Utility Trailer Manufacutring has implemented numerous sustainable initiatives throughout the years that have had significant positive impacts on the industry. The company is actively contributing to reducing greenhouse gases, reducing waste to landfills, eliminating ozone emissions, recycling materials and reducing air emissions, waste and energy consumption. Utility Trailer Manufacturing began using Non-HFC foam “Solstice” because it does not incorporate strong greenhouse gases, ultimately reducing the impact on climate change. This new base specification of the Non-HFC Foam complies with requirements from those North American regions that have imposed Non-HFC foam requirements.

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West Liberty Foods wlfoods.com West Liberty Foods is known for paving the way in sustainability efforts and has a core team at each facility that works to reduce its usage of water, electricity, natural gas, paper, cardboard, plastic and more. As a landfill-free company, West Liberty Foods is audited annually to maintain its status. The company reports its sustainability efforts and achievements through a corporate sustainability report and continues to engage with customers, partners and vendors to help reach its sustainability goals and achievements.

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2021 TOP

A. Duie Pyle Aduiepyle.com

CCT Shipping Frames LLC Cctshippingframes.com

GlobalTranz Globaltranz.com

Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail), Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

Material handling systems; Pallets, packaging and containers; Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

3PL

CHEP Chep.com

3PL; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Alliance Shippers Inc. Alliance.com 3PL; Alternative fuels, energy; Facility design; Refrigeration; Software and technology; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation Equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

Americold Americold.com Alternative fuels, energy; Lighting; Refrigeration; Water, raw materials

PROVIDERS

Hub Group Hubgroup.com

Pallets, packaging and containers

Hyster Company Hyster.com

Choptank Transport Choptanktransport.com

Alternative fuels, energy; Lift trucks and related equipment

3PL

CJ Logistics Cjlogisticsamerica.com

Hy-Vee Inc. Hy-vee.com

3PL

Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program

Aptean Aptean.com

CT Logistics Ctlogistics.com

Ignition by TELUS Ignition.afsi.com

Software and technology

Software and technology

Software and technology

Armada Armada.net

Descartes Systems Group Descartes.com

iGPS Logistics Igps.com

3PL

Software and technology

Arrive Logistics Arrivelogistics.com

Echo Global Logistics Echo.com

Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program

3PL

AutoScheduler.ai Autoscheduler.ai Software and technology

AutoStore Autostoresystem.com Alternative fuels, energy; Material handling systems; Software and technology

Averitt Express Averittexpress.com Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Axele LLC Axele.com Software and technology

Beverage Destruction Service Inc. Beveragedestructionservice.com Reclamation, recycling program

Bringg Bringg.com

3PL; Software and technology

enVista envistacorp.com Transportation consulting

Fleet Advantage Fleetadvantage.com Asset management; Software and technology

Flux Power Fluxpower.com

Inspired Technology Systems LLC Inspiredtechnologysystems.com Software and technology

A BETTER PRODUCT FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR YOU.

Alternative fuels, energy

FourKites Inc. Fourkites.com Software and technology

FreightCenter Freightcenter.com 3PL

FreightPlus Freightplus.io

Software and technology

3PL, Managed transportation solutions

RAISING THE BAR ON COLD STORAGE TECHNOLOGY

C3 Solutions Inc. C3solutions.com

FST Logistics Inc. Fstlogistics.com

Flexible, scalable cold storage space. Supported by the best equipment and latest technology.

Software and technology

Capstone Logistics Capstonelogistics.com 3PL, Warehouse management/last-mile delivery

www.foodlogistics.com

FLOG0621_28-35_Top Green Award.indd 33

Alternative fuels, energy; Lighting; Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program; Refrigeration; Software and technology; 3PL

Your cold storage, 3PL, HPP partner

LibertyCold.com

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2021 TOP GREEN PROVIDERS continued J.B. Hunt Jbhunt.com

Natures Natural Solutions LLC Foodfreshnesscard.com

Regreen Technologies Regreentechnologies.com

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3PL; Alternative fuels, energy; Software and technology; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

Shelf-life extension/waste reduction

Alternative fuels, energy; Reclamation; Software and technology

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Jarrett Logistics Systems Gojarrett.com

3PL; Automation; Facility design; Material handling systems; Software and technology

3PL

John Galt Solutions johngalt.com Software and technology

KeHE Distributors Kehe.com Alternative fuels, energy

Kenco Kencogroup.com 3PL; Facility design; Lift trucks and related equipment; Software and technology

KPS Global Inc. Kpsglobal.com Facility design; refrigeration

Kuebix Kuebix.com Software and technology

Liberty Cold Libertycold.com 3PL; Facility design; Lighting; Reclamation, recycling program; Refrigeration; Transportation provider; Verified landfill free

Lineage Logistics Lineage.com Alternative fuels, energy; Facility design; Lighting; Material handling systems; Refrigeration; Software and technology

Locus.sh Locus.sh Software and technology

M&M Refrigeration Mmrefrigeration.com Refrigeration

MacGregor Partners Macgregorpartners.com Software and technology

Made4net Made4net.us Software and technology

Martin Brower Martinbrower.com Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Merit Logistics Meritlogistics.com 3PL; Software and technology

NewCold Newcold.com

RLS Logistics Rlslogistics.com 3PL; Facility design; Lighting; Refrigeration; Solar

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NFI Nfiindustries.com

Romark Logistics Romarklogistics.com

3PL; Alternative fuels, energy; Lift trucks and related equipment; Lighting; Material handling systems; Reclamation, recycling program; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

3PL

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Nolan Transportation Group Ntgfreight.com 3PL

Omnitracs Omnitracs.com Software and technology

Optricity Optricity.com Software and technology

ORBIS Corporation Orbiscorporation.com Material handling systems; Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program

Parsyl Parsyl.com Software and technology

Peco Pallet Pecopallet.com Pallets, packaging and containers

Penske Transportation Solutions Gopenske.com 3PL; Alternative fuels, energy; Facility design; Refrigeration; Software and technology; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation Equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

PLM Fleet Plmfleet.com Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Plug Power Plugpower.com Alternative fuels, energy

Railinc Railinc.com Software and technology

Redwood Logistics Redwoodlogistics.com 3PL; Software and technology; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

3PL; Reclamation, recycling program; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Ruan Ruan.com

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3PL, Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Ryder System Inc. Ryder.com Alternative fuels, energy; Facility design; Lift trucks and related equipment; Lighting; Material handling systems; Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program; Software and technology; 3PL; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

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Schneider Schneider.com 3PL; Lift trucks and related equipment; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

SemiCab Semicab.com Software and technology

Smithfield Foods Inc. Smithfieldfoods.com Alternative fuels, energy; Lift trucks and related equipment; Material handling systems

Smithfield North East, MD Distribution Center Smithfieldfoods.com Refrigeration

SMRTR (an S4i Company) Smrtrsolution.com Software and technology

States Logistics Services Stateslogistics.com Alternative fuels, energy; Facility design; Lift trucks and related equipment; Lighting; Material handling systems; Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program; Refrigeration; Software and technology; 3PL; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers); Solar panels for electrical sustainability

Symphony RetailAI Symphonyretailai.com Software and technology

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2021 TOP

The Raymond Corporation Raymondcorp.com

Transportation Insight Transportationinsight.com

Weber Logistics Weberlogistics.com

Alternative fuels, energy; Lift trucks and related equipment; Material handling systems; Reclamation, recycling program; Software and technology

3PL

Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

ThinkIQ Thinkiq.com

Software and technology

Trimble Transportation Transportation.trimble.com

PROVIDERS

Werner Enterprises Werner.com Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Software and technology

Trinity Logistics Trinitylogistics.com

ThroughPut Inc. Throughput.ai

3PL

West Liberty Foods Wlfoods.com

United States Cold Storage Uscold.com

Facility design; Pallets, packaging and containers; Reclamation, recycling program; Software and technology; Water, raw materials; Verified landfill free

3PL; Material handling systems; Pallets, packaging and containers; Refrigeration; Software and technology; Water, raw materials

Total Distibution Inc. Totaldistribution.com 3PL; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail)

Transervice Transervice.com 3PL; Lift trucks and related equipment; Material handling systems; Software and technology; Transportation provider (ocean, air, road, rail); Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

Transplace Transplace.com

3PL; Alternative fuels, energy; Lighting; Material handling systems; Refrigeration; Water, raw materials

Utility Trailer Manufacturing Utilitytrailer.com Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

VAI Vai.net Software and technology

Viking Cold Solutions Vikingcold.com Alternative fuels, energy; Refrigeration; Software and technology

3PL

Wild Alaskan Company Wildalaskancompany.com 3PL; Refrigeration, Software and technology; Transportation equipment (trailers, tires, shipping containers)

Wireless Links Wlius.com Software and technology

Yale Materials Handling Corporation Yale.com Alternative fuels, energy; Lift trucks and related equipment

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COLD CHAIN EXPERTS

Thank you for recognizing RLS Logistics as a Top Green 3PL Company Partner with a 3PL that has the same sustainability values as your business.

Energy Management Programs Solar Fields LED Light Systems CO2 Refrigeration www.rlslogistics.com | 800.579.9900 | info@rlslogistics.com

www.foodlogistics.com

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SECTOR REPORT

WAREHOUSING

USING GREEN BUILDING STRATEGIES TO MEET SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

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LEED BD&C is designed for new warehouses and distribution centers. This rating system addresses the differences in energy use, site selection and resource usage from more heavily occupied buildings, while still applying the principles of sustainability. LEED BD&C provides a framework for building a holistic green building.

LEED O+M is designed for existing for warehouses and distribution centers, and addresses the difference in energy use, occupant levels and resource usage from more heavily occupied buildings, while still applying the principles of sustainability.

LEED O+M also provides existing buildings an opportunity to pay close attention to building operations by supporting whole buildings and interior spaces that have been fully operational and occupied for at least one year. LEED O+M addresses the difference in energy use, occupant levels and resource usage from more heavily occupied buildings, while still applying the principles of sustainability. The program tracks performance in energy, water, waste, transportation, indoor air quality, toxin-free environment and occupant satisfaction LEED for building design, and provides LEED points based on construction, operations performance. and maintenance Currently, there are more than 1,571 LEED-certified warehouses and distribution centers around the world totaling 568,648,197 gross square feet of space. These facilities store and distribute everything from manufactured products and merchandise to raw materials and food and even The USGBC continues to update its LEED program to meet the personal belongings, like self-storage. By focusing needs of companies across all sectors.

Sustainability in the food chain sector One sector making strides in their sustainability efforts is the food chain industry. This sector faces unique challenges along its green journey, but is finding innovative ways to address its operations’ environmental impact.

For example, energy usage is one of the biggest operational expenses, particularly for cold food chain suppliers. Refrigeration uses a substantial amount of energy, so companies are turning to alternative energy sources like solar, wind and new energy efficient cooling technology.

Lighting can also be a significant source of energy consumption for warehouses.

By using using daylight, stormwater and lighting systems more efficiently, companies can reduce energy costs and earn more LEED points.

Companies are also taking notice of consumers’ desire to see companies make bigger commitments to sustainability, particularly through packaging. Food suppliers are taking steps to reduce the use of single-use plastics, turn to more ecofriendly materials and reduce waste.

On the distribution side of the food supply chain, companies are looking for ways to address transportation concerns such the high emission rates of transporting foods and the amount of food loss. Some companies are looking at more efficient transportation methods that rely less on gas-power vehicles as a way to reduce emissions, food loss and waste.

Reducing energy and water usage, lowering emissions and decreasing waste translates to lower operation costs.

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s more companies are making big commitments to become more sustainable businesses, the corporate world is making substantial moves to become greener and reduce their environmental impact. Driven by their shareholders, employees and customers, companies understand their obligation to reduce their negative environmental impact and contribute more to healthier communities.

To help these companies achieve their sustainability goals, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has continued to update its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program to meet the needs of companies across all sectors.

LEED serves as a reliable framework for the sector to standardize sustainable design and operations across a portfolio.

The current version—LEED v4.1—brings greater awareness to human health and well-being and encourages teams to focus on performance data in an effort to help make more informed decisions and better manage what they’re measuring.

on both performance-oriented sustainable strategies and outcomes, LEED helps build high performing buildings.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR DEISY VERDINEZ PR and communications director, U.S. Green Building Council

www.foodlogistics.com

5/25/21 3:54 PM

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PAY UP TO 30% LESS FOR 100% POWER

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5/25/21 3:54 PM

SECTOR REPORT

TRANSPORTATION

ACT SUSTAINABLY WITH SUPPLY CHAIN TECHNOLOGY W hen President Joe Biden pledged to reduce U.S. emissions by more than half of 2005 levels within the next decade, many transportation stakeholders likely saw that as an unobtainable metric. After all, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pegs the freight transportation industry as responsible for more than half of the total nitrogen oxide emissions in the United States.

In an industry where the transportation of freight by ocean, air and land is so reliant on fossil fuels, it seems impossible to meet significant sustainability goals.

Instead of waiting for autonomous trucks and more sustainable fuels, there are some easy steps asset-owners can take right now to reduce their carbon emissions.

For starters, innovative technologies can make a huge impact on supply chain sustainability by eliminating empty miles, improving asset efficiency and even helping shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers measure the carbon impact of their supply chain decisions. Utilizing technology to weigh CO2 emissions as a key criterion for carrier selection can also make an immediate difference.

Empty container repositioning has long been a supply chain sustainability issue.

Moving a container full of air is neither sustainable nor efficient.

Domestic Reload programs, for instance, reduce empty container repositioning, making more efficient use of equipment and providing visibility to available capacity by using API connections to match ocean carriers repositioning empty containers with intermodal marketing companies and other shippers.

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Street Turns can also drive down wasted miles. In a Street Turn, truck drivers work to match outbound moves from rail ramps with inbound moves rather than repositioning empty containers for pickup. Repositioning empty reefers, for example, can not only increase asset efficiency, but also has a large environmental impact.

Shippers who ship temperature-controlled food items are likely familiar with the advancements around Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that can alert customers, in real time, when temperature thresholds are exceeded. Including these sensors in an orchestrated shipment visibility technology platform ensures stakeholders always know immediately when there’s a shipment issue, enabling them to correct shipment hiccups. Quickly solving disruptions not only ensures customers receive quality products, but also makes sure goods are always transported efficiently without wasting energy.

There’s no escaping the fact that the transportation industry needs to make sustainability a priority. One or two companies reducing empty miles won’t move the needle on freight transportation emissions. It should be a concerted, focused effort. During the past year, the focus has been on keeping the supply chain running amid myriad challenges ranging from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to the Suez Canal blockage.

Even with these challenges, sustainability is slowly becoming more important. In a 2020 report on supply chain sustainability, the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) found

that sustainability is becoming a mandate at the corporate level, with more than 80% saying sustainability is now an important issue. More than 45% of respondents said they were under pressure to adopt supply chain sustainability practices. Though corporations are starting to pay attention to supply chain sustainability, less than half of those surveyed know how to make their processes more sustainable.

Supply chain sustainability isn’t a passing fad, and there is more mainstream acknowledgment of the costs of doing nothing than ever before. Companies are being prodded toward more environmentally friendly practices by young, engaged employees and consumers buying goods from green companies and rejecting those without strong plans for emissions reduction.

For supply chain companies, getting on the sustainability track really comes down to partnering with a technology company that has created the solutions that can produce results. Emissions reduction in freight transportation is a long-term initiative that is not going to come easy; sustainability needs to be integrated into the very fabric of each shipper, carrier, 3PL and supply chain stakeholder, regardless of mode. If there’s no sustainability buy-in from leadership at these organizations, there can be no real change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR GLENN JONES global VP of product and marketing, Blume Global

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SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY keep the roads safer than ever.

4. Simplified analytics

MUST-HAVE TELEMATICS FEATURES FOR 2021

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ehicle-tracking software has been evolving to a point where real-time data is not only available centrally, but also easily accessible to a mobile team of drivers and fleet professionals. Onboard tracking, video and sensors are now being combined with artificial intelligence (AI) processors that interpret as well as record the road ahead. Simply put, today’s vehicles are now smarter than humans, but in a good way.

By using data, connectivity and AIpowered analysis, companies can have a huge competitive advantage if they act on the issues at hand. Drivers have access to predictive technology that identifies road signage, driver behavior, weather conditions and road conditions to help guide them to the safest, most efficient route.

Here are 10 must-have telematics features for 2021.

1. Real-time vehicle tracking Instead of dots on a map, vehicles are watched as part of a “virtual drone view” that shows a map of the highways and neighborhoods being driven through.

Drone view provides real-time positional information, so you can see the vehicle moving along the road with trip and vehicle health details on the screen without lag. The transmitted data also includes additional information on vehicle parameters such as speed, driver fatigue and fuel use.

2. Integrated dashboard camera Constant recording of the road ahead

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provides a wealth of information about the trip and an important record if there is an accident. Time-stamped with precision, it can help resolve many potentially expensive legal issues should they arise.

Integrated with a fleet management system’s modern analytics, high-definition video recordings can be excellent training aids for: •Tailgating •Speeding •Distracted driving •Stop-sign violations •Accident reconstruction and legal protection •Harsh acceleration and harsh braking •Positive driving events to award and retain best drivers

3. AI cameras

Analytics engines should do more than provide canned reports on vehicle and fleet performance. They should provide insights and instantly answer the big questions.

It is these real-time analytics that enable businesses to empower their teams and act fast when issues arise. This move from reactive “canned” reports to proactive real-time analytics will build a competitive advantage for early adopters.

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SECTOR REPORT

5. AI insights Another way AI is changing the fleet management industry is through reporting and insights. AI analytics helps fleet managers understand the biggest influencing factors on outcomes and identify critical points of impact. Three ways that AI is transforming analytics are: Learning the business. Using machine learning, AI monitors every aspect of a fleet operation and learns how your business runs so it can identify opportunities for improvement.

Spotting patterns and anomalies. The AI engine takes fleet data and develops patterns, which helps it immediately spot anomalies and highlight possible issues.

Automatically alerting management.

Management is alerted in real-time so

Thanks to computer vision, dashboard cameras—powered by AI—can now read and understand the road and the driver, providing valuable insights into driver behavior, such as distracted driving and driver fatigue. Turn your video into actionable business intelligence that supports driver training and coaching, rewards positive driving behaviors and creates driver safety scores, which is a great way to build a culture of safety within an organization.

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important business decisions can be made before minor issues become major problems.

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The integration of different computer programs is producing new efficiencies for businesses every day. For example, a complex AI program that connects with an accounting program can instantly create invoices when goods or services are provided or create automated text messages for customers based on a vehicle’s location and estimated time of arrival, all without custom development or programming. The result is better communication, improved projections and enhanced operational decisions with management support.

7. Digital checklists Using digital checklists for pre- and post-trip, site entry and vehicle cleaning and maintenance can be invaluable for fleets as they help drivers take care of their vehicles for each particular task. Data is

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Drivers have access to predictive technology that identifies road signage, driver behavior, weather conditions and road conditions to help guide them to the safest, most efficient route.

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logged, ensuring compliance, and then provided to maintenance personnel who can plan repairs, preventive maintenance and other tasks.

8. Fully featured mobile app

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Fleet managers can now easily access the same information on their mobile device that they are accustomed to only seeing in the office. Separate app features for drivers and fleet management keep routines simple and quick, and team members can use their devices to remain in compliance with driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIR), hours of service (HOS) and vehicle preventative maintenance. Managers of large fleets can be ready to handle anything from the office or in the field with their mobile device, and smaller operators can keep track of their fleet while they are busy running the rest of their business.

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9. A wide range of connected apps

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Mobile apps that connect drivers with the back office are now a critical part of vehicle tracking software platforms. In particular, software apps that digitize processes are becoming increasingly important. Job dispatch and management, document sharing and checklist builders are all now available, helping to eliminate paperwork and streamline processes for mobile workers. Not only do these apps help mobile workers, but they also eliminate delays in information sharing that are inherent with paper-based processes. The goal in 2021 should be zero paperwork in the cab and everything digital.

10. Track more than vehicles New battery-powered sensors and QR code scanning tools enable you to manage entire asset inventory from vehicle tracking software platform. In addition, mobile apps can be used to keep track of personnel as they move from vehicles and across job sites.

HIGH-BAY WAREHOUSE FOR HIGH-BAY DEEP FREEZE WAREHOUSE FOR INTRALOGISTICS DEEP FREEZE AT ITS BEST INTRALOGISTICS In Burley, Idaho, AT ITSNewCold BEST celebrated the grand opening of one of the largest frozen storage facilities of its kind. This impressive project includes a high bay warehouse with 90,000 pallet positions supplied by SSI SCHAEFER.

The demand for deep-freeze products continues to grow. As volumes increase, requirements placed upon deep-freeze logistics are getting more complex. SSI SCHAEFER offers flexible, modular, and scalable solutions that optimize storage, picking processes, and profitability within cold storage facilities.

ssi-schaefer.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OSWALDO “OZZIE” FLORES product manager, Teletrac Navman

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SECTOR REPORT

PACKAGING

BY BRIELLE JAEKE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

FOOD PACKAGING EMERGES WITH SUSTAINABILITY IN MIND T

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as replacements for their expendable packaging.”

Others in the industry look to cut out the use of plastics altogether, opting for packaging made of alternative materials such as forest-based polymers, according to Patrick Verhelst, chief marketing officer at Elopak.

Even drums storage products are now sustainable, with growth in fiber drums expected to surpass the $1.5 billion mark by 2030, according to a report from Future Market Insights.

Additionally, packaging for food, whether it be case packaging or the individual product packaging, needs to have hygienic solution capabilities to keep food products safe for consumption. This is especially true for reusable packaging tools or solutions in contact with numerous food products and then used again.

Sustainability in packaging grew rapidly as a trend even prior to the pandemic, but COVID-19’s impact shifted things even more.

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oday, packaging in all sectors of business holds a part of the spotlight in sustainability as consumers’ values on climate change continue to rise.

The significant footprint that packaging leaves behind in terms of waste and carbon emissions causes many to focus on the packaging industry. This changes the game for food packaging itself in addition to the solutions behind the packing process.

In the cold chain food industry, those involved in packaging have more than just sustainability and other consumer trends in mind. The most important thing is keeping food safe and fresh throughout the entire transportation process. Now, food packaging solutions are tasked with reducing contributions to climate change while still protecting the product.

Within packaging solutions, there are a few trends that push sustainability forward.

Senior product manager for Plastic Pallets, Alison Zitzke, notices three top trends pushing ecofriendly practices, including automation, waste reduction and hygienics.

Automation helps efficiency and accuracy and bridges the gap in labor that many warehouses experience. Newer packaging products that are sustainable often work better with automated solutions rather than traditional methods such as wooden pallets, which may experience damage when handled with automation.

Waste reduction is also important for many consumers and industry professionals alike. Instead of opting for packaging products that can only be used once, companies look to those they can re-use.

“In recent years, even pre-COVID-19, supply chain sustainability has increasingly become a top-of-mind issue for companies,” says Zitzke. “This trend has encouraged companies to seriously investigate plastic pallets and other reusable solutions

“While these trends were already emerging, the pandemic has led to the rapid adoption of change across the entire supply chain,” Zitzke says. “Companies are being pressured to implement new packaging programs due to consumers’ e-commerce buying patterns and the need for hygienic, washable pallets.”

COVID-19 and beyond Before the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the industry became aware of just how detrimental waste from packaging and the food industry can be to the planet as well as adding significantly to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

“Overall, there is a greater appreciation across the value chain of the vital role packaging plays, not just in helping to keep the product safe and fresh, but in actually reducing carbon emissions across the overall supply chain,” Verhelst says.

“Food waste is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions. If it were a country, it would have the third highest

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Elopak looks to alternative materials for packaging.

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Packaging, in particular sustainable become more popular in a sustainable world. packaging, helps to manage to the agility of this major contributor to global our employees warming. and the strong “Beverage cartons are at the forefront relationships with of this. In 2019, a study by the Institute our partners and for Energy and Environmental Research suppliers. found that in several sectors, beverage “One major cartons performed as well as, or—in the impact of the case of fresh milk—better than reusable pandemic has glass bottles in terms of their overall been to bring environmental impact.”

While many thought the pandemic would the challenges of the climate see companies flock to less eco-friendly crisis into greater solutions of the past, as many governments focus, as the temporarily rolled back regulations on consequences of single-use plastics and other sustainability humanity’s encroachment into nature laws, the opposite showed true. are now realized more clearly than ever,” “COVID-19 has meant we are even Verhelt says. more focused on the safety and wellbeing Many companies and organizations of our staff and customers,” Verhelt adds. throughout the supply chain take this “We witnessed an increased demand for major disruption as an opportunity to beverage cartons during the pandemic and rethink their operations, opting to base were able to rise to this challenge thanks

new strategies in a sustainable mindset.

“The consumer trend toward sustainability is now in the spotlight, pushing companies to rethink their supply chain processes and the packaging materials used to move their products,” Zitzke says.

“Companies are looking to emerge from this crisis with new, more sustainable operations and a piece of that Orbis is the move toward reusable packaging solutions.

“We expect that these trends will continue, with consumer preferences causing companies to seek out ways to reduce their carbon footprint and packaging waste,” she says.

Go to foodl.me/packaging to read this article in its entirety.

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ADVERTISER INDEX ADVERTISER ......................................................................................................PAGE Alliance Shippers ..............................................................................................................31

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AutoStore .........................................................................................................................29 Beverage Destruction Service Inc. ...................................................................................15 Choptank Transport, Inc. ..................................................................................................43 CJ Logistics ........................................................................................................................5 Controlant .........................................................................................................................27 CT Logistics......................................................................................................................40 DAMBACH Components ..................................................................................................26 Ford .................................................................................................................................19 Great Dane Trailers Inc. ....................................................................................................46 ID Label, Inc .....................................................................................................................23 Kenworth Truck Corporation ............................................................................................11 Krack ................................................................................................................................21 Liberty Cold ......................................................................................................................33 Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. ...........................................................................................9 Propane Education & Research Council ..........................................................................37 RLS Logistics ...................................................................................................................35 Romark Logistics..............................................................................................................20 Schaefer Systems , Inc.....................................................................................................41 Trademark Transportation ................................................................................................45 Utility Trailers ......................................................................................................................2

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SECTOR REPORT

FOOD SAFETY

BY MARINA MAYER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

HOW MODERN FREEZERS AND CHILLERS IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY IN THE COLD CHAIN T hose unfamiliar with industrial freezers and chillers will be surprised about the many aspects today’s designs bring to the food processing plant.

From electronic sensors to remote access and maintenance, today’s technologies answer the call for improved food safety measures, both upstream and down.

Food Logistics chats with Greg Sheridan, sales manager for FPS Food Process Solutions Corp., to talk about freezers and chillers in the cold food space, what to consider when installing new equipment and what companies should be mindful of going forward.

at lower temperatures than normally used for storage to quickly strip heat from food, bringing it down to safe and even temperatures. By quickly bringing processed food down to temperatures lower than 40°F, this type of microbial activity is reduced or even stopped.

Eliminating microbial activity not only prolongs the shelf life of food, but also limits the growth of harmful microbials.

FPS Food Process Solutions Corp.

Food Logistics: What are some things to consider when installing or upgrading freezers and chillers?

Sheridan: People unfamiliar with industrial freezers and chillers are often surprised about the many aspects of Food Logistics: What kinds of food safety this type of equipment. More often than advantages do freezers and chillers bring not, the equipment itself is larger than to the cold food space? anticipated, so space can be a concern.

Greg Sheridan: The No. 1 cause of food Upfront costs for procuring the freezing spoilage is microbial activity. This type or chilling equipment can be higher than of activity is most active in the “danger expected, but the costs for other associated zone” between 40°F-140°F where equipment such as compressors are often bacteria growth is exponentially higher a surprise. People are used to buying a in food processing operations. Chillers refrigerator or freezer and just plugging it and freezers use engineered air flow in as a self-contained unit.

Industrial freezers aren’t as simple and generally require a separate refrigeration room built to house all the associated components.

When upgrading existing facilities, they also need to consider how to remove old equipment and bring in the new. Equipment configurations and sizing is often different from existing units. There are usually changes to refrigeration piping, electrical panels and plant structure that Different types of freezers and chillers for different types of also brings significant costs food products will require varying levels of maintenance and associated with them. cleaning to keep in top shape.

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Food Logistics: What should companies be mindful of when it comes to maintaining freezers and chillers?

Sheridan: Different types of freezers and chillers for different types of food products will require varying levels of maintenance and cleaning to keep in top shape. Today’s modern equipment are engineered to minimize hard-to-clean spaces. These designs also reduce maintenance needs usually associated with older designed freezers and chillers. That being said, customers do have to learn that, like any equipment, it will perform better when properly operated and maintained.

Customers need to learn how their equipment runs over time and observe all the little things. Generally, running a freezer within the specifications should require a minimum amount of maintenance particularly when most electrical components are placed outside the unit. By running a freezer beyond its design specifications or not cleaning or maintaining it can be very detrimental to freezer performance. It can also lead to product loss due to mechanical failure or food contamination.

Food Logistics: What kinds of technologies/ solutions do some of today’s freezers and chillers offer?

Sheridan: With the modernization of electronics, the controls side of freezing and chilling equipment has also advanced.

Equipment now gives more feedback than ever before on motor operation and other sensors. This data is able to provide information, including operating optimization and capturing specific errors that was previously unavailable not long ago.

Go to foodl.me/ynl38z to read this interview in its entirety.

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Confirm trailers carrying full or partial load in real time.

Easily search your yard for trailers untethered for extended periods.

Alert: Door Open event outside of normal operating hours.

More control, mile after mile Alert: Tire Inflation System has been demanding air for more than 10 minutes.

“I see your shipment’s location and can confirm the delivery ETA is on schedule.”

More often than not, managing your fleet means dealing with the unexpected disruptions that take over your day. But there’s another way. Our OEM-developed trailer telematics platform gives you real-world, real-time visibility into your entire fleet.

With its built-in sensors and user-friendly interface, the FleetPulseTM platform gives you the information you need, when you need it, to make faster, better decisions for an optimized fleet.

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On-demand trailer level data

Time-saving automated alerts

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