Food Logistics November/December 2020

CARGO THEFT

3PLS IN WINE & SPIRITS

AGTECH TRENDS

THE

FUTURE OF

FOOD LOGISTICS

Grocery e-commerce, automation, sustainability, packaging and warehousing innovation. Here’s what the future of food logistics looks like.

2020

Issue No. 222 November/December 2020

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FOOD LOGISTICS HONORS

TOP SOFTWARE & TECH PROVIDERS OF 2020

This year’s FL100+ features an impressive list of companies whose products and services are critical to the global supply chain.

Go to page 26 to learn more about these leaders and the solutions they offer to drive visibility and efficiency in cold food and beverage operations.

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It takes more than sound technology and know how to plan and realize the best logistics systems.

For every task, the right solution WITRON‘s storage systems offer a cost-efficient and ergonomic solution for every application across all industries regardless of the branch, whether it is handling large-volume or small-volume articles, whether the article range is small, broad, or inhomogeneous, whether maximum dynamics is required, or a continuous work process is needed.

It doesn‘t matter if the products are picked into totes or cartons, onto trays, pallets, or roll containers, or other dispatch units. All warehouse solutions – whether highly automated, semi-automated, or manual – are modular and based on standardized system components.

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About WITRON Since 1971, WITRON Integrated Logistics designs, realizes and operates customized logistics and material flow systems that generate sustainable competitive advantages for its clients. WITRON has all the decisive key elements of a successful project under one roof: logistics design, information and control technology, mechanics design and production, as well as functional responsibility as general contractor for logistics.

The WITRON Corporate Group has 3,100 employees worldwide. WITRON’s annual revenue in 2017 amounted to 635 million USD. Aside from it’s headquarters in Parkstein, Germany, WITRON has offices in Arlington Heights, Illinois (USA), Toronto (Canada), Venray (The Netherlands), Stoke-on-Trent (UK), Madrid (Spain), Strasbourg (France), and Singapore.

WITRON Integrated Logistics, Inc. 3721 Ventura Drive Arlington Heights, IL 60004 Phone: +1 847-385-6000 info@witron.com

www.witron.com

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Find all facts and features about our logistics systems under www.witron.com

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ON THE MENU

November/December 2020 ISSUE NO. 222 COLUMNS FOR STARTERS

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2020—the Year of Upended Supply Chains, Fast-Tracked Technology & Quarantine Hair

Editor-in-chief Marina Mayer says that opportunity presents itself in mysterious ways.

COOL INSIGHTS

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Exoskeletons are Here to Stay for Food Logistics Operations

COVER STORY

HeroWear outlines why exosuits help workers work—and live—better.

The Future of Food Logistics

FOOD (AND MORE) FOR THOUGHT

Here’s a rundown of what the future of food logistics looks like, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has forever transformed the cold food chain.

FEATURE

TRANSPORTATION

3PL & REFRIGERATED LOGISTICS

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Transport of Spirits Requires More Finesse from 3PLs

Changing consumer interests, a growing e-commerce sector and extra regulations require top tier 3PL employees.

Mitigating Cargo Theft in the Cold Chain

Travelers details the current landscape of cargo theft in the cold chain and how to safeguard products.

SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY

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AWARD

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FL100+

AgTech Was Already Shifting. The Pandemic May Direct the Next Wave.

This year’s software and technology providers ensure a safe, efficient and reliable global food and beverage supply chain.

Farm Foundation details the complexity of the food and ag supply chain.

SECTOR REPORTS

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WAREHOUSING

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Warehousing for Organics

NorthFind Management discusses warehouse technologies, innovation in cold storage and what this means for the future of warehousing.

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Digitization Express Lane: The Future of Supermarkets

Vroozi outlines why a modern, fast-moving frontend requires a digitized backend.

DEPARTMENTS 06

Supply Scan

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Food on the Move

50

Ad Index

WEB EXCLUSIVES Supply Chain Network Virtual Summit

OCEAN PORTS & CARRIERS

Looking Ahead to 2021—What Comes Next for the Food and Beverage Cold Chain?

Odyssey Logistics says large shippers will continue shipping inventories.

foodlogistics.com/scn-summit

Learn. Innovate. News.

Knowledge. The L.I.N.K. to Global Supply Chain Intelligence foodlogistics.com/podcasts

Food Logistics Editors Stream Live on Facebook foodlogistics.com/videos/link-live

www.FoodLogistics.com

Published and copyrighted 2020 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

DETAILS

2020—THEYEAR OF UPENDED SUPPLY CHAINS, FAST-TRACKED TECHNOLOGY & QUARANTINE HAIR

I Marina Mayer Editor-In-Chief

f someone told me that 2.5 months after taking over Food Logistics as editor-in-chief that our nation would be challenged with the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, I would’ve said to that someone, you’re crazy.

But, that’s what happened.

Now, here we are, saying goodbye to a year that tested supply chains, upended processes and procedures, fast-tracked technology and solutions and created what is now called the “New Normal.”

This “New Normal” pushed everyone in every facet of every company to do things differently, reinvent itself and keep product moving through the chain.

This “New Normal” allowed us to peek into our co-workers’ dining rooms, kitchens and garages, get to know their kids, their pets and their significant others. And, we can’t forget the quarantine hair!

And, while some facets of the country are still suffering, the silver lining is that sometimes opportunity presents itself in mysterious ways.

Food Logistics is no different. When the industry stepped into overdrive, we did too, to continue sharing the industry’s messaging, help facilitate a voice alongside industry organizations and create and deliver innovative occasions to connect, network, share and problem solve.

Published by AC BUSINESS MEDIA 201 N. Main Street, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 (800) 538-5544 • www.ACBusinessMedia.com

WWW.FOODLOGISTICS.COM

That’s when SCN Summit was born. This premier virtual experience connects industry experts with attendees to educate on supply chain threats, workforce development and more. Go to foodlogistics.com/scn-summit to learn more.

Our LINK Live Facebook stream consists of weekly conversations with industry experts discussing hot-button issues. Check us out every Wednesday at 11 a.m. CST at foodlogistics.com/videos/link-live.

Also download our L.I.N.K. podcasts from https://cms.megaphone. fm/channel/supplychain.

And, with 2021 comes a new print editorial calendar and a NEW digital editorial calendar with more emphasis on Packaging and Food Safety. Check it out at supplychainnetworkmediakit.com.

Food Logistics is also introducing Processors’ Palette, a series of digital-only interviews with cold food and beverage processors.

And, Unboxing the Last Mile is a new video series analyzing the ordering and last-mile process of various e-commerce platforms.

While 2020 has sure left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, I commend and applaud the supply chain and logistics industry. At a time laden with a global pandemic, natural disasters and civil unrest, this industry formed a united front for the common good of people—to produce and deliver temperature-controlled product in the safest, quickest, most energy efficient manner possible.

Print and Digital Staff Group Publisher Jason DeSarle Sales Associate Brian Hines Inside Sales Specialist Melanie Garcia Editor-in-Chief Marina Mayer mmayer@ACBusinessMedia.com

Associate Editor Brielle Jaekel bjaekel@ACBusinessMedia.com

Assistant Editor Mackenna Moralez mmoralez@ACBusinessMedia.com

Senior Production Manager Cindy Rusch crusch@ACBusinessMedia.com

Art Director Willard Kill Audience Development Manager Angela Franks ADVERTISING SALES (800) 538-5544 Group Publisher Jason DeSarle (440) 476-9526, jdesarle@ACBusinessMedia.com

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Circulation & Subscriptions P.O. Box 3605, Northbrook, IL 60065-3605 (877) 201-3915, Fax: (847)-291-4816 circ.FoodLogistics@omeda.com

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AC Business Media Chief Executive Officer Barry Lovette 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 2020 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.

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FOOD LOGISTICS | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 www.foodlogistics.com

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SUPPLY SCAN

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

Study: Top Retailers Struggle to Meet Digital Shoppers’ Needs

Agile Cold Storage to Construct SemiAutomated Cold Storage Facility Agile Cold Storage LLC started construction on its first cold storage warehouse in Georgia.

The 150,000-square-foot facility, accessible from I-985 & I-85, will open Summer 2021.

“Our business plan does not revolve around us being the biggest player in the market. We simply strive to be the best. To be agile, we will continue to empower our highly motivated team members and support them with the best automation and technology tools. We will always be easy to do business with and take the responsibility of being the final link between our customers and their customers very seriously. We are excited to start our journey and appreciate the support of all our stakeholders,” says Don Schoenl, president and CEO. Getty Images

READY Robotics Launches READY Academy to Upskill Warehouse Employees

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Retailers fail to surface the large majority (92%) of products in their e-commerce assortment that qualify to be found via search filters based on consumer need-states such as “low sugar” and “keto,” according to Label Insight.

“Need-state buying is big business—today there are hundreds of millions of consumers shopping based upon dietary restrictions, lifestyle, wellness goals and personal values,” says Todd Morris, chief executive officer of Label Insight. “While most retailers offer a full assortment of products that could fill their baskets, most consumers are facing ‘empty aisles,’ not ‘endless aisles,’ when shopping for their families. This is a fixable Anna - stock.adobe.com problem that needs our attention.”

The report also detials how consumer needs are not adequately accounted for online. The 21 retailers who offered attribute-related search filters overlooked 80% of consumer need-states and preferences.

Table-stakes search terms are also nowhere to be found on retailers’ websites. Top searched product attributes such as “diet” or “healthy” were missing from all retailer websites. Go to https://foodlogistics.com/21198139 to learn more about other consumer trends.

READY Robotics launched the READY Academy, an online educational platform where manufacturing professionals can rapidly learn how to design, deploy, manage and scale automation. READY Academy helps to solve both the skilled labor shortage and the knowledge gap that have prevented broader adoption of robotic automation.

By enabling anyone to learn the skills needed to design and deploy automation, READY Academy directly addresses the skilled labor shortage affecting manufacturing. With READY Academy and Forge/OS, companies can now upskill their existing workforce to program robots and deploy automation.

“The skilled labor shortage limiting manufacturing productivity is expected to grow to 2.4 million unfilled advanced manufacturing jobs by 2028, and the current educational system does not teach the advanced manufacturing skills needed. That is why we’re so proud to develop READY Academy and make it available for all individuals interested in upskilling or reskilling,” says Kel Guerin, co-founder and CTO of READY.

Study: 60% of Global Population Concerned About Safety of their Food A World Risk Poll shows that 60% of people worldwide say they are worried about the food they eat and 51% are concerned about the safety of the water they drink.

Nearly 17% of poll respondents suffered significant harm from the food they ate in the two years prior to polling, and almost as many, 14% or 823 million, have been seriously harmed by the water they drink.

With around 10% of its respondents reporting serious harm in the last two years, the UK ranks 126 out of 142 for the experience of serious harm from eating food.

“The World Risk Poll gives us the first ever global view of people’s attitudes and awareness of the risks posed by unfit food and drink.

By understanding how people view food safety risks, what they worry about and what they never consider, we can create interventions that are relatable and practical so people can act in their interests and keep safe and healthy,” says Markus Lipp from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

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www.foodlogistics.com

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DO WONDERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. AND YOUR BOTTOM LINE. People are having more goods delivered, faster, than ever before. Which means your fleet is generating more emissions than ever before. What if you could cut your fleet’s carbon footprint to zero and save money doing it?

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FOOD ON THE MOVE

LOGISTICS TRENDS IN OUR INDUSTRY

Proactive Driver Alerts Welcome New Era in Safety

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Drivewyze Inc. introduces Safety+, a new safety service that brings the industry’s first customizable “proactive” driving alerts and “context-based” driver coaching features to commercial truck drivers and fleets.

Drivewyze Safety+ requires no additional in-cab hardware, and is delivered through the Drivewyze software platform. The new service builds on the existing Drivewyze Safety Notifications service, which warns drivers, through audible and visual cues, of approaching areas where caution is required.

Safety+ adds new back-office tools for fleets to create their own customized driver alerts, plus offers safety analytics to monitor driver behavior and improve driver coaching.

“This provides a fleet with powerful, proactive in-cab notification tools before a crash or violation occurs,” says Brian Heath, president and CEO of Drivewyze. “Safety+ fills a gap in our industry by providing customizable in-cab safety notifications and a hardware-free driver coaching service accessible and affordable to fleets of all sizes. We improve road safety where and when drivers need it most. And, we give fleet managers actionable intelligence on how drivers respond to in-cab alerts, allowing for results-oriented driver training.”

Kenworth Launches First-Ever Class 8 Battery-Electric Model

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Avocado Marketplace Allows Locally-Based Independent Grocers to Offer Online Shopping With Same-Day Delivery Avocado is now making it easy for consumers to quickly purchase and request delivery of items from local, independent grocers.

“Avocado is helping independent grocers as they look to compete with mass retailers on things like e-commerce presence and delivery speed,” says Avocado grocery partner Anju Patel of Dulhan Grocery. “The challenge of providing instant and local access to hyperlocal, independent grocers still exists.

Avocado fills the gap. Working with Avocado has allowed Dulhan Grocery to give a wider range of customers easy access to the items they need when they need them.”

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Kenworth

Kenworth launched Kenworth T680E, the company’s first-ever Class 8 batteryelectric model. The new zero-emission Kenworth T680E will enter into production in 2021.

The zero-emission Kenworth T680E has an estimated operating range of 150 miles, depending on application. The T680E uses a CCS1 DC fast charger with maximum rate of 120 kWh and estimated 3.3-hour charging time.

Designed for pickup and delivery applications, the T680E is initially available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6x4-axle configuration. The new model is offered in 54,000- and 82,000-pound gross vehicle weight ratings.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Announces Over $220M in Grants for U.S. Ports The U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao awarded more than $220 million in discretionary grant funding to improve port facilities in 16 states and territories through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program.

“This $220 million in federal grants will improve America’s ports with nearly half the projects are located in Opportunity Zones, which were established to revitalize economically distressed communities,” says Chao.

Of the 18 projects that were awarded grants, eight are located in Opportunity Zones, which were created to revitalize economically distressed communities using private investments.

A complete list of grant recipients can be found here: https://foodlogistics. com/21198475.

www.foodlogistics.com

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North America eats what we deliver.

From salmon to crab legs, our dependability gets them there.

Kenworth

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The Utility 3000R® is designed to deliver the highest level of thermal performance, with its 360 degree continuous envelope of foam throughout the entire trailer. We continue to elevate the meaning of standard. Equipped with our 20K high-wear, light weight floor, Bendix® TABS-8™ trailer roll stability, standard Utility Side Skirt and optional Utility Aerodynamic Tail, the 3000R delivers long-term quality and optimized fuel-efficiency.

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COOL INSIGHTS

EXOSKELETONS ARE HERE TO STAY FOR FOOD LOGISTICS OPERATIONS A

Exosuits and exoskeletons have moved beyond science fiction and into reality, helping facilities combat worker fatigue, strain and other risks that lead to musculoskeletal disorders.

s technology has drastically changed what modern workdays look like, more and more companies have turned to the use of exoskeletons.

Some may still picture exoskeletons as something from a sci-fi movie—suits of armor bristling with weapons. The reality is, exosuits and exoskeletons have moved beyond science fiction and into reality.

Today, they help facilities across the globe combat worker fatigue, strain and other risks that lead to musculoskeletal disorders.

An adoptable investment in people

Exosuits aid in the lifting, bending and reaching.

A driving force behind the growth of exosuits (which are “soft shell” exoskeletons) is that they’re now approachable and adoptable in nearly every medium- to largesized food logistics operation.

Major corporations have been using this new class of unpowered exoskeletons to help create a safer workspace and combat the costs associated with over-exertion and repetitive-motion injuries. That rise in interest has been a result of exosuit manufacturers’ ability to create proven, physics-based suits in a simpler, more practical fashion.

Technology has advanced so it’s possible to have modular, custom-fit exosuits designed for all workers regardless of gender, age and size. Plus, there are manufacturers with strong customer support, training and implementaHeroWear

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tion programs designed to help any organization make the most of their new technology adoption.

With processes similar to orthopedic insole sizing or measuring for a custom-tailored garment, a company can have their team “sized up” and equipped with exo technology in weeks, often without a site visit from the supplier. In fact, back-assist exosuits can provide a custom-fit suit that can take 30% of the load off a worker’s back for as low as $1,200 per suit.

Exosuits don’t mean companies can abandon NIOSH’s Hierarchy of Controls. Instead, they are a significant boost in the personal protective equipment (PPE) portion of that inverted pyramid. If all other steps can’t adequately eliminate risk, exosuits provide workers a safer system in which the risk of injury can be reduced, all with a piece of equipment that can be put on and taken off inside of 30 seconds.

The truth about exo technology Since exosuits are still relatively new to the market, there’s some common misconceptions that they are bulky, limit range of motion or cause muscle atrophy. In actuality, exosuits, especially passive ones, aid in lifting, bending and reaching. Workers can still lift those 25-pound boxes all day. However, exosuits might make it feel like they’re lifting 15-pound boxes instead.

Helping active workers keep up Technology has forever changed the way work is done, but two things will remain true—people will always

need food and there will always be active workers lifting, bending and reaching.

While workers sweat to keep up with demand, it’s important to not lose sight of the technological advancements that can help provide a safer and more ergonomic work environment for them.

Because of the rise in popularity of exosuits in recent years, there is a wealth of information available about how they can be a practical and simple solution for food logistics operations.

Those images of exoskeletons allowing people to jump tall buildings or give them superhuman strength are great for movies. However, the reality is, there are exosuits on the market that are actively being used to help workers do their job safer, longer and more efficiently.

And, those benefits aren’t just realized by businesses on the production floor. They allow them to head home after a shift feeling better, with more energy for whatever it is that keeps them going outside of work.

To put it simply, exoskeletons don’t only help workers do their jobs better. They are becoming a wise investment, especially considering the detrimental cost of the problem it’s helping to address.

In fact, it’s never been easier to implement exosuits to help businesses succeed and help workers live better.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR MATT MARINO director of ergonomics and human factors HeroWear

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COVER STORY | BY MARINA MAYER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE FUTURE OF FOOD LOGISTICS

Here’s a rundown of what the future of food logistics looks like, and how the pandemic has forever transformed the food chain.

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020 has been full of supply chain disruptions. When the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hit the United States mid-March, it created a domino effect of interruptions. Restaurants and schools closed their doors, employees fled home to work remote and consumers stockpiled frozen pizzas and entrées.

Meanwhile, grocery retailers responded to the almost overnight influx of online orders with curbside pickup, home delivery and buy-online-pickup-instore (BOPIS).

Foodservice distributors incorporated direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels to keep food moving through the chain.

Software and technology providers fast-tracked development and deployment of new solutions designed to automate, digitize and measure every link in the chain from afar.

At this point, all facets of the cold chain were officially upended.

Factor in natural disasters and civil unrest and it’s these disruptions that have forever transformed the how, what, where and when of grocery retail shopping.

Many of today’s companies turned such challenges into opportunities to not only improve their own processes, but also mitigate risks, enhance product and just do good business overall.

In fact, the greatest impact on food logistics has been driven by COVID-19, says Susan Boylan, director analyst, Gartner Supply Chain Practice.

“The future of the food logistics will be greatly influenced by macro factors such as government lockdown policies as they continue to battle the pandemic.

Foodservice logistics will continue to decline as the constraints such as reduced hours or full closures on the hospitality services continue to be implemented.

Logistics operations supporting the retail trade will come under increased pressure as remote working and dining at home is on the increase, driving volume of home food purchases. Perishability and shelf life will also continue to be a key area of focus for food product not consumed under normal demand patterns, which will potentially lead

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warehouse congestion, waste and inventory write-offs of product.

The management of stock loss will need to be a closely monitored process in the months to come,” adds Boylan.

Dark stores light up future of grocery retail The COVID-19 pandemic is driving an explosion in grocery e-commerce that may transform the industry, according to L.E.K. Consulting. In response, grocers are radically revamping their stores and strategies to meet a dramatically different kind of consumer demand.

Rewind a couple of years ago to when Takeoff Technologies developed micro-fulfillment centers (MFCs), also known as dark stores.

Since then, Takeoff Technologies has partnered with Albertsons and Associated Wholesale Grocers, among others, to create a “micro-automated warehouse that can be placed at the store level,” says Max Pedró, president and co-founder at Takeoff Technologies.

“Takeoff’s micro-fulfillment solution helps grocers manage two major costs incurred by bringing groceries online—the cost of fulfillment and the cost of the last-mile,” adds José Aguerrevere, CEO and co-founder for Takeoff Technologies. “The micro-fulfillment center brings automation into the store, lowering the picking cost with robotic ful-

fillment and lowering the last-mile cost with hyper-local fulfillment (by co-locating with existing grocery stores, orders are fulfilled within 3-5 miles of the end-shopper). The cost-efficiency of the micro-fulfillment solution allows grocers to provide online groceries without tacking on extra premiums. This is going to be the future of grocery shopping.”

For its part, Fabric received investment from Kraft Heinz and Evolv Ventures to continue developing MFCs that leverage advanced proprietary robotic technology.

“COVID-19 has catapulted online grocery five years into the future in just a few short months,” says Steve Hornyak, chief commercial officer for Fabric. “Before the pandemic, the only share of grocery sales was roughly 4.5% and was on track to hit double digits by the beginning of 2025. This growth was already causing grocery retailers to pause and consider the sustainability of their fulfillment strategies.”

“I believe we’re entering a new era of ‘Grocery 2.0’ that will combine experiential in-store grocery shopping—food samples, cooking demonstrations, beer on tap— alongside behind-the-scenes automated e-commerce fulfillment, either in the back of the store or in an adjacent property,” he adds. “Brickand-mortar grocery shopping will never disappear—in fact, the longer

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people will expect even more from their trips to the grocery store. But, at the same time, we’ll all have become accustomed to the convenience of ordering online, and many of those habits will stick. That means retailers will be expected to provide a truly omnichannel experience for their customers.”

The increase in DTC within the food supply chain has also prompted grocery retailers to re-think how product is moved from warehouse to store and back.

“Warehouse automation in the cold supply chain has become more widely used and has shown to be significantly more resilient against the pandemic-related crisis as the reliance on people is greatly reduced,” says Markus Schmidt, president of Swisslog Americas.

“Warehouse automation is a key strategy that retailers can make to prepare for the future.”

In response, Swisslog has focused on bringing automated DTC picking close to stores.

“For those applications, we have been offering state-of-the-art, goods-to-person technologies like AutoStore or Cyclone Carrier.

These small automation systems allow a controlled and fast pick of customer orders for either curbside pickup or delivery to homes,” says Schmidt. “The other is the automation of freezer warehouses using either conventional pallet AS/RS (Vectura) or hyper flexible PowerStore AS/RS. These systems provide dense storage with zero labor for storage and retrieval.”

In addition, retailers must embrace alternative technologies “like the mobile retail system offered

by Robomart, which provides consumers with an option to ‘hail a store’ as easily as hailing an Uber.

Each Robomart can is loaded with groceries and consumers can select exactly which van they want to hail and shop from,” says Brittain Ladd, chief marketing officer for PULSE

 Today’s cold food supply chain continues to experience automation of direct-to-consumer picking close to stores.

Swisslog

www.foodlogistics.com

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COVER STORY

 Completed in 2009, the Costco Wholesale Tepeji Distribution Center just outside of Mexico City sees 350 trucks inbound and outbound daily.

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Integration. “Another exciting technology is Tortoise Cart, which can hold 100 pounds of products or groceries. Tortoise Cart is designed to make deliveries within three miles of stores. What makes the carts so unique is that they’re teleoperated instead of being autonomous. This allows a remote operator to drive the cart to each customers’ location. The carts are legal to operate on sidewalks and on the sides of roads.”

In addition, retailers can increase their use of artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to sense and respond to disruptions faster and leverage strategies for accelerating the number of perishable products they purchase, adds Ladd.

“What’s certain is this—retailers must create more responsive supply chains with faster replenishment of products to stores,” Ladd adds.

Another trend impacting the grocery retail sector is decentralization.

“A focus on last-mile delivery is stronger than ever, with cold food chains and brands discovering new ways to cater to consumers opting for home delivery of groceries for health and safety reasons,” says Matthew Goezler, principal of MG2. “While it may be more expensive to have 10 smaller warehouses around the Atlanta metro area, as opposed to one large one near the heart of the city, these decentralized, wider-spread locations allow for more efficient deliveries—saving on fuel

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and allowing for frozen goods to spend less time in trucks—as well as safeguard your supply chain in the event of one warehouse not being accessible.”

Foodservice feels the effects In an expert column published on FoodLogistics.com in February, the Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA) predicted that carryout would be a top foodservice trend in 2020. This prediction was made pre-pandemic, where 86% of consumers were already using off-premise services at least monthly and one-third used them more than they did a year ago, according to a presentation by Technomic.

Fast-forward to present day, and the carryout feature has never been more crucial than now.

That’s because in March, the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) projected the foodservice industry would lose $24 billion through June, as COVID-19 shut down restaurants, schools, daycares and hotels.

Looking ahead though, Mintel predicts total market sales to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, with limited-service restaurants (LSRs) bouncing back more quickly.

On the flip side, drive-thru restaurant visits increased by 26% in April, May and June, representing 42% of all restaurant visits, according to an NPD Group study. In July, when more restaurants re-opened, drive-thru visits still increased by 13%, the highest visit increase among the service modes of on-premises, carry-out and delivery.

“Before the pandemic, consumer spending was roughly 50/50 between foodservice and grocery/ retail,” says Lowell Randel, senior vice president of government and legal affairs for Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). “While foodservice numbers have not yet returned to pre-COVID levels, our members

are reporting that demand for foodservice is rebounding. Restaurants in many parts of the country are now open for dine-in, in addition to delivery and carryout. The re-opening of schools and institutions in some parts of the country have also increased foodservice activity. These trends are expected to continue as more parts of the country re-open.”

The pandemic also saw an uptick in meal kit delivery services, with the market size expected to reach $19.92 billion by 2027, according to a report by Grand View Research, Inc., with the cook-and-eat offering segment being the fastest growing in the forthcoming years.

“As employers begin considering their return-to-work strategies and how they will make their offices safe and their benefits supportive of the health and well-being of their employees, providing meal options is a major benefit,” says Sanjay Setty, vice president of procurement and supply chain for Freshly.

As a result, Freshly developed Freshly for Business, a new B2B platform that ships 50 million meals to over 20,000 zip codes in the United States.

“In a pre-COVID world, office kitchens became the social gathering hub for meals, mid-day breaks to catch up with colleagues and happy hours. However, as companies of all sizes plan for re-opening, they must reimagine how to maintain the ‘water cooler culture’ associated with kitchens without compromising employee health and safety,” says Setty.

Tech saves the day The next-generation supply chain market is expected to reach $75plus billion by 2030, according to LogisticsIQ. Major drivers of growth entail big data, greater visibility and transparency and the adoption of AI and blockchain technologies.

Firms that invested in digital supply chain technologies prior to the

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COVER STORY

continued

pandemic were able to pivot quickly and adapt to changes in demand and buying patterns, according to John Paxton, CEO and COO designate for MHI. “This proved the concept of the value of digital technologies and is leading to an increase in their adoption,” adds Paxton. “Additionally, firms that had plans in place for supply chain disruption were able to quickly respond to COVID-19.”

Digitization is moving faster than many companies anticipated, says Susan Beardslee, principal analyst of ABI Research.

“Five-year plans needed to be enacted in weeks or months, including robust websites that could handle web traffic up 90-200%. Brick-andmortar store inventory needed to link to warehouse management (WMS) to transportation management (where is my stuff and when is it arriving?) to back-end procurement,” she adds. “The pandemic highlighted where the gaps are for many and who was best positioned to scale quickly. I believe that the convenience of online ordering and delivery options will continue to be valued and expand.”

ABI Research forecasts that the supply chain impact of COVID-19 will spur manufacturer’s spend on enterprise resource planning (ERP) to reach $14 billion in 2024.

And, Industry 4.0, localization and contactless delivery will continue to forge ahead.

A Frost & Sullivan report forecasts growth in big data, analytics, machine learning, AI, wearables, robotics, automation, smart warehousing and more.

“There will be an increased focus on digitalization (95%) and new business models (92%),” says Sarah Watt, senior director analyst, Gartner Supply Chain Practice.

“As customer willingness to visit stores declines, home delivery and e-commerce will increase.

Lastly, there are questions about supply chain network design, with

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concerns over restricted movement of goods and potential moves away from globalized supply chains and offshore manufacturing. The circular economy has the potential to provide a new avenue of raw materials through end-of-life reprocessing, local to the markets that these products serve.”

The state of freight The state of freight depends on the pandemic response, according to Dean Croke, principal analyst for DAT Freight & Analytics.

“Fluctuations in the opening and closing of economies and industries like foodservice will likely mean a continuation of what we’ve been seeing for the past five months— imbalanced supply chains, tight capacity and an active spot market,” he adds. “According to our data, shippers have increased their load volumes on the spot market from roughly 12% on average to approximately 21%. That sent spot rates on their longest continuous rally in the last five years, although they’re starting to plateau now.”

Additional DAT analysis shows spot market rates for van and refrigerated freight at all-time highs in September. Grocery store chains are adjusting their lean inventory strategies and have begun stockpiling for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases in the fall and winter.

And, pre-pandemic challenges, such as the driver shortage, have somewhat rcompounded.

“The latest Michigan State University For-Hire Trucking Ton-Mile Index shows capacity tightness at record high levels,” says Croke. “But, unlike early 2018, tight capacity today is driven by a decline in trucking employment as opposed to strong demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that drivers are shifting to shorter hauls and local work, which would be good news for local and regional food distributors.”

Rail freight is also impacted with intermodal down by approximately 50%, including from California’s Long Beach and Los Angeles ports, according to ABI Research.

As for air cargo, U.S. airlines carried 6% more cargo by weight in August of this year than in August 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The rise was fueled by a gain of 8% in domestic cargo with a 1% rise in international cargo, according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

What’s more is, 82% of brands are looking to improve their customer’s last-mile experience, according to the 2020 Supply Chain Last Mile Report by eft by Reuters Events in partnership with Dassault Systèmes.

In response, Delivery Drivers Inc. (DDI) partnered with Walmart to introduce Spark Delivery, a crowd-sourced last-mile delivery platform that provides drivers with the ability to sign up for windows of time that work best for their schedule as well as grocery delivery order details, navigation assistance and more.

“There is an opportunity to support your businesses growing delivery with really great technology that allows for automation, integration and speed,” says Aaron Hageman, CEO and owner of DDI. “There are a lot of things we need in the delivery driver world, like integrated background checks and screening tools or vehicle inspection certifications. Technology can expedite our onboarding process to get these drivers on the road to meet that market demand that is already there. Your customers want delivery today—your labor-tech can be an advantage.”

Participants in an Averitt Express survey said weak customer demand and the unexpected and often mandated business closures were the largest factors in causing disruptions for shippers.

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evolution of smarter, faster and more efficient supply chains.”

In May, Ryder rolled out a oneof-a-kind, real-time visibility and collaborative logistics platform called RyderShare.

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management systems, enabling all parties involved in moving goods through a supply chain to easily see potential problems, collaborate in real-time and take proactive action to course-correct, an ability that is particularly valuable to the food and beverage industry, where maintaining time

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“Those two issues worked together in a negative synergy that had a far-reaching impact on smalland medium-sized restaurants and retailers,” says Wayne Spain, president and COO Averitt Express.

“At the same time, disruptions to international trade created material shortages that slowed down manufacturing and distribution for a period of time. The positive takeaway from our mid-year survey is that many businesses have since adapted to this environment and found ways to keep their operations moving more fluidly.”

That’s why Averitt released a free less-than-truckload transportation management system called Averitt Connect, which lets shippers shop carrier-neutral rates from providers across the country.

Prior to COVID-19, e-commerce growth year-over-year averaged in the mid-teens, according to Steve Sensing, president of global supply chain solutions for Ryder System, Inc. In the second quarter, that jumped to 45%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s quarterly retail sales report.

“We expect e-commerce sales to remain strong, as consumers get more and more comfortable with buying food online, curbside pick-up and app-based delivery partnerships,” he says. “Add to that the technology that is driving the

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COVER STORY

Suddath’s ability to institute paperless inspections and internal electronic audits pre-pandemic enabled the company to train its workforce yearround.

continued

and temperature controls is critical,” Sensing adds.

This spring, DAT introduced Ratecast, a new tool that forecasts rates for the next 52 weeks for long-term planning and eight-day forecasts for short-term pricing decisions.

DAT also introduced the Market Conditions Index, a supply-and-demand metric that provides a clear view of the demand for trucks now and in the future based on load and truck postings, historical trends, normalized post and search behavior and outbound volume.

Earlier this year, FedEx introduced the FedEx SameDay Bot, an autonomous delivery device designed to help retailers make same-day and last-mile deliveries.

With the bot, retailers can accept orders from nearby customers and deliver them by bot directly to customers’ homes or businesses the same day.

Uber Freight launched Uber Freight Enterprise, which enables enterprise shippers to gain endto-end control of their freight, and Uber Freight Link, which expands the enterprise platform with innovative execution software for loads outside and delivers one-tap tendering, superior real-time visibility, proactive exception management and digital documentation.

“Temperature-controlled supply chains have always required particularly close coordination between shippers and carriers,” says Joe Shone, enterprise partSuddath

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nership strategy and growth for Uber Freight. “We saw a growing demand from enterprise businesses to manage their supply chain and logistics networks as capacity tightened and consumers’ grocery and dining habits shifted during the pandemic. We saw multiple shippers bundle low-volume freight.”

For its part, Suddath instituted paperless inspections and internal electronic audits, which enabled the company to train its workforce year-round and ramp up internal audits during the pandemic.

“By switching to paperless inspections and electronic audits prior to the pandemic, we were prepared to keep our customers’ supply chains strong while minimizing risks. Because our employees were already trained and operating this software, it enabled us to quickly react and support our customers when travel restrictions and minimal in-person contact were impacting other organizations,” says Trish St. John, vice president, safety and quality assurance, moving and logistics for Suddath.

The rise and fall of imports/exports Imports at major U.S. retail container ports are expected to remain significantly below last year’s levels into the fall as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The value of exports from Latin America contracted by 3.2% in the beginning of 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019, according to a report by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Although in recent years, China had been the main driving force behind Latin America’s external sector, its demand for imports came to a standstill.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) expects global trade to fall 13-32% in 2020, likely exceeding the trade slump brought on by the 2008-09 global financial crisis.

(Check out Food Logistics’ May 2020 issue on ports and ocean carriers to learn more).

The rise in demand for cargo transportation through ships and an increase in trade-related agreements continue to boost growth in the global shipping containers market.

In fact, the global shipping containers market accounted for $8.70 billion in 2018 and is projected to garner $12.08 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2020 to 2027, according to an Allied Market Research study.

Cannabis, packaging and sustainability Packaging has experienced an increased interest in sustainable packaging with less plastic.

“Food and beverage industry players are looking for ways to minimize their carbon footprint, and packaging has a big role to play in this respect,” says Thomas Körmendi, chief executive officer of Elopak. “According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, if food waste were a country, it would have the third highest GHG emissions in the world. Good packaging design prioritizes safety, but also helps consumers to minimize this waste.

For example, using easy-fold lines that help the consumer to squeeze out any remaining product.”

That’s why in in June, Elopak launched Pure-Pak Imagine, what is said to be the world’s most sustainable carton, containing 46% less plastic and is made with 100% forest-based Natural Brown Board.

“The future of food logistics must be circular, with sustainability at its core,” says Körmendi. “We need to think about the full cycle of each product throughout the supply chain, from the renewability of the

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inputs used, through its journey to the consumer and eventually its recyclability. Introducing regular systematic risk evaluations is an effective way to make sure potential disruptions are identified early on and action is taken to mitigate any impact.”

Carbon footprint and the fight against climate change will also have an unprecedented impact on the future of food logistics. Technologies such as barcode, QR code, RFID, Bluetooth and IoT sensors are rapidly evolving, says Michael Laible, founder and CEO of Bio Riot Technologies Inc. “Reusable packaging programs and circular operating models will provide the infrastructure for an intelligent supply chain. This allows the supply chain to be digitized in new areas [that] provide numerous food safety and operational benefits, product recalls, spoilage optimization, see-to-sale tracing, etc.,” Laible adds. “Food packaging is a substantial global sustainable problem that needs new technologies, solutions and regulations to drive a lower carbon footprint across the food supply chain. Companies that can implement technologies that drive efficiencies and sustainable benefits through the organization are positioning themselves for a successful future. Reusable pallet programs that are accounted for intelligent assets over packaging costs is one example of organization sustainable operational decision.”

Cannabis also plays an integral role in the future of food logistics. A Nielsen study says cannabis sales in the cold food and beverage market could rise to more than $40 by 2025.

“We will see the largest cannabis growth in the consumer edibles market as cannabis works itself into the mainstream food and beverage industries,” Laible says. “The use in medical applications will also continue to expand, which will drive new cold chain handling require-

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ments.

Temperature-sensitive products and cannabis require sophisticated tracing, packaging, handling, Uber Freight storage and distribution systems to operate with compliance. The abundant and growing demand in these sectors are driving a rapid evolution of cold chain solutions.”

Environmental initiatives like carbon neutrality and food waste reduction are going to continue shaping the food supply chain— from production to delivery, says Ray Hatch, chief executive officer for Quest Resource Management Group.

“If 2020 has taught us anything, it would be the fact that the more sustainable a supply chain operation is, the less likely it is to see major impacts from changes in the market. Sustainability, transparency and ethical sourcing are considered to be among the most important trends affecting any food and beverage company. Things like publishing Corporate Sustainability Reports are quickly becoming an industry requirement instead of an industry trend, and they require accurate data. You can have the greatest recycling program around, but if you can’t show the actual data to support it, it doesn’t matter,” he says.

“Better packaging options, more efficient logistics and smarter operations need to start at the beginning of the food production cycle,” Hatch adds. “Every bit of waste created at the beginning of the supply chain gets passed on to the end. For example, when grocery stores had a huge influx of business in early 2020, they also had a huge influx in waste, specifically, cardboard. Although the food producer isn’t responsible for the

waste it creates with its packaging because the grocer ends up with it, that waste still has an impact on the supply chain as a whole.”

The New Normal There’s no denying that consumer behaviors are changing, says Marks.

“These fundamental shifts will not only continue to drive change at the individual store level, but the ripple effects of these changes will completely alter the food logistics industry, perhaps for good,” he adds.

The pandemic has also placed a spotlight on all players across the supply chain, according to Randel.

“Just before the pandemic, GCCA completed an industry trends survey that found 90% of respondents believe their companies will be more successful in the next five years, and 93% indicated that they believe the [supply chain] industry will grow in the next five years.

This optimism has persisted even in light of the pandemic,” Randel says. “2020 has been a challenging year that has tested the food supply chain. While there were some short-term disruptions, the food supply chain demonstrated remarkable strength and resilience.”

And, when COVID-19 is over and the nation can migrate into to the Next Normal, “businesses that have used this crisis well by embracing supply chain innovation, diversification and disruption planning will win the future by having supply chains that are faster, more efficient and more resilient,” says Paxton.

Go to https://foodlogistics. com/21200017 to read more about these and other trends.

 To remain competitive, Uber Freight launched Uber Freight Enterprise and Uber Freight Link enterprise software solutions.

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3PL & REFRIGERATED LOGISTICS

BY BRIELLE JAEKEL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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TRANSPORT OF SPIRITS

DHL

REQUIRES FINESSE FROM 3PLS Regulations across state lines can be daunting for 3PLs transporting spirits.

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ood and beverage transport can be a daunting task, as it entails high safety standards. But, when alcohol comes into play, state-to-state regulations makes this even more difficult.

Third-party logistics (3PLs) companies responsible for the transportation of wine and spirits are in a highly specialized sector. The fragility of these goods adds another layer of difficulty, causing 3PLs to maintain exceptionally high levels of safety and knowledge.

“Wine and spirit transportation requires specialized shipping processes,” says Brian Wills, president of Sobel Network Shipping Co. “Most food categories can be trucked to different states without needing state regulations or permits. Truckers and warehousing need to be specialized and well versed to handle the movement of wine and spirits. Logistically, everyone handling these shipments must be very knowledgeable about the current shipping regulations.”

The need for visibility, control and lack of error is exceedingly present throughout the 3PL spirits sector.

Labor training and clear protocols are vital because it

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is such a regulated space. Complicated tasks in compliance, paperwork and licensing demands, increased liability and operational requirements are prevalent here, which are factors that not every logistics operator has the resources or experience to master.

“Wine and spirits is a very specialized business on a number of fronts—the primary difference with other food categories is the very strict regulatory environment,” says Greg Foreman, vice president of operations at DHL Supply Chain. “There is little room for errors in ensuring the right stock is picked and delivered to the correct consignees, which means that they need to have robust control, tracking and quality assurance measures embedded throughout the supply chain.

“The inventory is relatively high value per unit, which makes safe and secure handling/processing and transportation a particular priority throughout the supply chain,” he says. “This, in turn, has implications for equipment, labor training and process engineering; there are also varied requirements and shipment pro-

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The number of active home delivery customers has grown from

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1. Vehicle size. Determine weight and volume of products, number of deliveries per day, and ease of parking or maneuvering during delivery.

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2. Insulation. Type and thickness should be based on the products being hauled.

3. Shelving. When upfitting your vehicle, consider the importance of storing products properly and ease of loading and unloading.

Refrigeration Unit Selection Not every refrigeration unit will work well for every application. Having the unit with the right capabilities on your delivery vehicle will ensure safe, on-time delivery.

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Food Safety Best Practices When it comes to home delivery, the safe transportation of refrigerated foods is of the highest priority.

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3PL

3PLs take spirit transportation across state lines very serious.

files between the different customer segments, such as on-premise and off-premise.

“Various segments also require specialized expertise when it comes to account relationships and understanding the specific requirements of the different stakeholders,” Foreman adds.

Technology’s help

Sobel is one of many logistics companies that looks for unique safety measures in shipping alochol.

Investing in modern technology is one way to ensure the safe travel of spirits and correctly adhering to regulations.

“Wine and spirits products are heavy and fragile, so it pays to invest in technology that improves safety, increases productivity and reduces damage,” says Alex Stark, senior director, business development at KANE Logistics. “On the transportation side, special permits are required along with a special degree of care that consists of extra wrapping, load bars, strapping and air bags. Another area that should not be overlooked are the professional drivers. It’s beneficial to utilize seasoned veterans who know the product and how it handles on the road. Preparation is essential as

well, leaving earlier and driving at a pace to ensure smooth, damage-free delivery.”

KANE, for instance, has a rail line that parallels its original spur, allowing it to double capacity without changing the structure of the building. Two trains pull up side by side and connect via a dock plate between cars, and the outer car unloads on the inner spur. The company uses this for the safe transportation of wine and spirits while increasing production.

Investment in software and technologies that safely transport alcohol and adhere to regulations are more important now than ever.

With the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causing increased alcohol sales and new e-commerce sites allowing consumers to buy spirits from the comfort of their home, 3PLs will need to jump into these trends now.

“A challenge to growing the wine and spirits business is that it will require an investment—primarily in terms of understanding the business, the customers’ needs and

KANE Logistics

the processes,” says Joao Caldana, managing director, Dachser Brazil.

“Our wine and spirit customers are passionate about their business and their specific needs. They want to work with a logistics partner that is willing to make the proper investment and put in the work to understand the nuances of their business. Growing in market share requires a deeper understanding of the customer processes and needs, using digitalization as a main tool to manage and optimize the flow of goods. Customer relationship, structure and quality of service are keys to building trust and long-term sustainable business relationships.

This means a firm commitment to develop this industry must be met.

Growing market share won’t come without its challenges.”

Automation could potentially be key in keeping up with market growth.

“Right now, the market is growing,” Wills says. “With customers demanding more variety in shipment services, warehousing has had to adapt to this by creating a new process for SKU numbers.

The fulfillment process has become more automated to adapt to the new volume of orders. The logistics process has also changed in that

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companies are using forecasting models to help manufacturers and importers order in a timely fashion with accurate amounts needed.

More truckers are now being deployed to deliver to more areas throughout the country.”

In addition to maintaining speed, safety and visibility, these technologies might also help 3PLs’ bottom lines.

“Continuously reducing costs is always top-of-mind,” says Stark.

“When it comes to continuous improvement, particularly with regard to cost control, there’s no finish line—just a series of milestones that serve as new starting lines. The key to success—an active quality management program that trains and encourages all associates to identify problems and suggest solutions.”

For instance, warehouse management systems can integrate with wearable devices to pick heavy cases hands-free, which then increases productivity and accuracy vs. an RF gun that can be cumbersome.

Other wearables can actually help increase the strength of an employee, helping to lift heavy cargo such as wine and spirits that normally could not be done by the human body alone.

And, some autonomous robotics can sort and transport these large cases themselves, allowing human workers to focus on the organization and regulation side of things.

But, most importantly, these new technologies help 3PLs handle higher SKU volumes, which is necessary in the spirits sector as e-commerce pushes it forward.

Consumers’ needs are also becoming more demanding, as shoppers look for shorter and shorter delivery times, especially in the alcohol space.

“[The state-to-state regulations] challenges producers and distributors to significantly reduce the order-to-delivery time, as customers typically favor shorter delivery times,” Foreman says.

“The added complexity here is the regulatory environment in which we are operating. At the same time,

there has been a change in the pick and outbound shipment profile, in terms of more bulk consignments to single off-premise retailers—this is more efficient for us. This trend has been accelerated by COVID-19.

It will force customers to adopt omnichannel strategies, as well as to carefully manage their inventory

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State-to-state regulations Despite the influx of technology, state-to-state regulations can slow this sector down.

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3PL

Transportation of alcohol requires extreme caution.

KANE Logistics

levels in order to survive and grow in the future.

“Another trend is increased digitalization,” he says. “Like any other sector, beverage alcohol is facing cost pressure and other challenges such as a highly competitive labor market. We are seeing increased use of automation within the warehouse and expect this to grow in the future, with technologies such as collaborative robotics offering particular benefits in increasing labor productivity.

“These collaborative robots can be redeployed across multiple sites to meet demand surges or away from sites with reduced demand.

E-commerce is also strengthening the case for applying artificial intelligence to improve the forecasting and visibility of order flows,” says Foreman.

Trending volatility It is not just e-commerce that is changing the alcohol distribution segment, but a change in what

types of products are trending.

Today, hard seltzers and micro-breweries take center stage, which increases the need for operational adjustments, adds Foreman, since craft beers require more refrigeration on site and potentially during transportation due to its difference in pasteurization compared to mass-produced beers.

Additionally, what products are trending changes as fast as the seasons, which brings its own set of challenges.

“The business has a distinct seasonality—you need to have the flexibility to ramp up operations significantly and to attract additional labor and capacity to manage the summer peak (for beer) and the holiday season (all categories),” says Foreman.

“In certain segments, shifting consumer preferences (driven by promotions or new products

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spirits logistics because the work is demanding, with each case weighing about 38 pounds.

“The best way to increase associate retention is to hire right in the first place. At KANE, for hiring and training purposes, we create pallets that consist of 38-pound cases of sand.

We have prospective hires transfer these cases to another pallet and tell us how many cases of each SKU number is on the pallet. This allows us to test their accuracy, but also to give them first-hand experience handling the heavy cases. Many decide themselves that the work is not for them. This practice has significantly improved our retention rate for wine and spirits accounts.

And, as we all know, long-tenured workers are more accurate and Dachser

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entering the market) and seasonality mean that there is a high risk of either lost sales or excess inventory if the demand is not being serviced quickly enough and companies are not able to track their inventory well enough. This creates added pressure on logistics operators who support in both of these areas,” he adds.

Another downfall is the labor shortage, compounded by the difficulty in transporting heavy loads like alcohol.

This factor coupled with the complexity of the sector requiring seasoned workers, employee retention is extremely important.

“Labor is a constant challenge and the wine and spirits industry is affected as well,” says Stark. “The cost of having to replace a warehouse associate is at least $7,000.

So, high-turnover environments can prove very costly. Attrition can be higher for associates in wine and

productive, improving overall operational performance,” adds Stark.

As spirits grow in both brick-andmortar and e-commerce, 3PLs will need to continually invest to keep up. Maintaining quality performance and expertise remains the leading factor in success here.

Dachser expanded its South America footprint with a new sales office in the Mendoza wine region of Argentina.

FROM VINE TO MARKET Getting perishables to the market in prime condition is a tough job. But with our help, it’s a little easier. With a fleet approaching 2,000 53-foot refrigerated trailers and containers, Alliance Shippers Inc. has enough capacity to handle the largest protective-service tasks.

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FL100+ AWARD

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BY MACKENNA MORALEZ , ASSISTANT EDITOR

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SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS

TOP THE LIST IN 2020

Food Logistics announces the winners of its 17th annual FL100+ award.

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hen planning for 2020, many companies had “software and technology implementation” near the top of their lists.

However, once the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic hit in mid-March, companies re-shifted their priorities, placing emerging technologies in the No. 1 slot.

Adding to that, e-commerce has now become the preferred way to shop—despite the fact that more retail stores are opening back up. Grocery retailers drastically revamped their services to better cater to consumers’ ever-changing needs, shifting to curbside pickup and opening micro-fulfillment centers to exclusively serve online orders.

“Right now, groceries are trying to adapt, but it’s an inefficient system, with staff walking up and down the aisles to

assemble orders,” Rob Wilson, an L.E.K. managing director said in a press release. “This is not sustainable from an operating margins standpoint. So, to address that, they’ve started installing micro-fulfillment centers within grocery stores to automate the picking. And, that’s extremely interesting. If operating expenses become much lower, because with digital ordering instead of cashiers and robots instead of manual picking and restocking the shelves, that could change the financial picture of a grocery store if it is a significant chunk of its volume.”

If 2020 has proven anything, technology solutions are greatly needed within the global food supply chain.

Food Logistics’ 17th annual FL100+ award recognizes these software and technology providers that ensure a safe, efficient and reliable global food and beverage supply chain. Their solutions and services provide companies the opportunity to improve productivity and gain efficiencies within their enterprise, all while ensuring the safety of consumers globally.

This list highlights companies whose products and services provide efficient transportation and warehousing, minimize operational waste, facilitate safe operations and assure regulatory compliance through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congratulations to all FL100+ award winners. Below are those who made notable contributions in 2020.

AccuSpeechMobile

AFS Technologies Inc.

works on Windows, Android and IOS mobile devices, with the ability to run through terminal emulation, browser or thick client scenarios.

All voice projects can be recompiled when customers purchase new mobile devices and support a new platform. This technology can also support as many voice-enabled applications on a device that the customer wants to use. One device can support voice-enabled picking, packing, replenishment, shipping and more, all with a single voice license, running solely on one mobile device.

POD, DSD) and Exceedra (TPM, RE, Genweb-Sales Agency Management) Worth Noting: AFS Technologies’ Ignition solution is purpose-built on the foundation that only 35 years of domain experience in food distribution systems can provide. This single-source solution is capable of being integrated and modularized to provide the correct solution for each of AFS’ partners. Meanwhile, its industry-trained staff has completed over 100 distributor implementation projects in the last two years.

Website: accuspeechmobile.com Solution Brand Names: AccuSpeechMobile Voice Automation Worth Noting: AccuSpeechMobile’s voice automation solution

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Website: ignition.afsi.com Solution Brand Names: Ignition (ERP, WMS, OMS, Datum, EDI,

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Alloy

Breakthrough

supply chains. From the data platform to the workflows, Alloy has met customers’ needs while keeping data in mind. The company brings deep expertise in retailer data, including partner-specific metrics and modeling based on best practices. The solution aligns customers’ teams by providing a unified and current view of supply and demand across its network. In addition, Alloy pinpoints potential risks or opportunities, fully understanding the impact of potential responses when making a decision.

fueled by one of the most dynamic and pure data sets in the market, to forge strategic partnerships with clients. As a trusted advisor, Breakthrough eliminates the need for clients to be experts in everything, fostering a deep trust between them. Together, they create an effective freight ecosystem among the world’s most recognizable brands and their transportation providers using a unique combination of pure data, smart technology and unbiased consulting.

Website: alloy.ai Solution Brand Names: Alloy for Supply Chain Worth Noting: Alloy for Supply Chain is built for consumer goods

Alpega

Website: na.alpegagroup.com Solution Brand Names: Alpega TMS, Alpega Smart Booking,

Alpega TenderEasy, Alpega RPM Worth Noting: Alpega TMS is a modular, flexible and scalable cloud-based solution with a pay-as-you-go pricing model, meeting the needs for FTL/LTL single, multi-mode and parcel. Through a cloud-based platform, shippers can collaboratively manage end-toend transportation activities from planning and sourcing through execution and analytics. By streamlining transportation sourcing, planning, execution and settlement, Alpega solutions transform local and global supply chains into collaborative ecosystems, bringing transparency, visibility and efficiency to all stakeholders and network partners.

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aging Execution Systems, Track & Trace Worth Noting: For nearly 25 years, customers have relied on Apis Wise to provide enterprise-class solutions. The company operates 24/7/365 and seeks out a solution that is robust, reliable and requires minimal support. A single system can be configured to support multiple plants and business units that meet each customers’ unique requirements. Its solutions were engineered using an enterprise-class database with serialization and aggregation logic. In addition, Apis Wise has a configurable data interface tool that imports and exports data to other data systems. The company recently upgraded its standardized user interfaces to modern WPF, developed plug-ins for interfacing its system data to any blockchain solution and is in the process of creating a solution that takes IoT data from connected devices to trigger events in the systems.

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Website: apiswise.com Solution Brand Names: Pallet Labelling, Inventory Control, Pack-

AutoStore

Website: autostoresystem.com Solution Brand Names: AutoStore Cube Storage Automation Worth Noting: AutoStore is known for increasing productivity and

profits for customers all while minimizing environmental footprints and energy usage at warehouses. Designed to handle high levels of product intake, this technology provides clients with a future-proof solution, increasing throughput to implement efficient solutions that do not require additional construction work. Prior to installation, customers know exactly what to expect when adding new components through the AutoStore grid design and simulation prediction tools. As future business and demand grow, AutoStore will grow with them.

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Website: breakthroughfuel.com Solution Brand Names: Fuel Recovery Worth Noting: Breakthrough uses its proprietary algorithms,

Choptank Transport, Inc. Website: choptanktransport.com Solution Brand Names: ORBIT TI,

ORBITPAY

Worth Noting: Customers from all industries and sizes can benefit

from Choptank Transport’s intelligent customer-facing online portal, ORBIT TI. This solution allows small companies that don’t have funding or annual budgets to invest in the latest technologies, all while holding an appeal to larger companies that expect the advancements in shipment visibility and transparency. Choptank has integrated a suite of APIs, offering a comprehensive package of real-time tracking, pricing, load tendering, accounting services and more. The company believes in moving America’s freight and providing the ultimate in service by seeing beyond the customer’s needs and looking into the future.

Controlant

Website: controlant.com Solution Brand Names: Controlant’s Cold Chain as a Service Worth Noting: Through Controlant’s real-time solution and

cloud-enabled data analytics, food brands are able to protect and control their supply chain, gain visibility over product quality conditions and geolocation in real time, all while leveraging broader supply chain analytics and insights to make strategic business decisions. The company’s solution enables businesses to automatically know at all times the temperature and location of their products; proactively respond to temperature alerts, product delays and other quality issues; maintain accurate digital records for audits and compliance; eliminate reliance on suppliers for supply chain data and more, leading to a decrease in risk and lower insurance costs.

CropTrak

Website: croptrak.com Solution Brand Names: CropTrak Worth Noting: CropTrak has been an innovator in grower side

tools, crop insurance tools and enterprise in food and beverage tools since 2009. Companies use these capabilities to solve the most complex supply chain problems by making the digital transformation approachable and adoptable by users and organizations. The platform is flexible and adapts to each customer’s unique data collection, business rules and data use requirements without code changes. By doing so, customers can refine and improve their operations as well as react to changing customer and market requirements.

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CT Logistics

Website: ctlogistics.com Solution Brand Names: FreitRater Worth Noting: CT Logistics’ route optimization software provides

routes that minimize mileage for clients. This software allows customers to meet their transportation requirements, such as agreed-upon time windows or vehicle restrictions, while decreasing carbon footprint. By using this solution, one client reduced its “per pallet” CO2 emissions by 11% in the fourth quarter of 2019.

enVista

Website: envista.com Solution Brand Names: enVista Enspire Commerce Platform,

enCompass, MyShipINFO, enVista365, enVista Order Management System (a microservice on the enVista Enspire Commerce Platform) Worth Noting: enVista’s unified commerce platform, Enspire Commerce, is uniquely built from the ground up as microservices architecture on a multi-enterprise integration framework and a single data model in order to rapidly integrate and enable customer-centric, unified commerce in months or weeks vs. years. The platform is worth noting throughout the food and beverage industry because of the capabilities for enterprise inventory visibility and faster time to value, covering all aspects of omnichannel fulfillment needs.

Financial Transmission Network Inc. (FTNI) Website: ftni.com Solution Brand Names: ETran Integrated Receivables Platform Worth Noting: Financial Transmission Network’s integrated re-

ceivables platform, ETran, helps companies accept, process and post any payment method, from any payment channel on a single, secure, cloud-based system. The solution is used by over 50 distribution companies across North America, automating accounts receivable processes and workflow. This solution also helps distributors accelerate exception handling, decrease day sales outstanding and increase cash flow.

Hillebrand

Website: hillebrand.com Solution Brand Names: MyHillebrand, Ocean Control Tower,

Supply Chain Management Worth Noting: For over 100 years, Hillebrand has differentiated itself through technology. Whether it’s building the best global office infrastructure leveraging fax machines, to developing a proprietary software that enables tracking information around the world, the company’s commitment to evolving hasn’t stopped. MyHillebrand is the latest major deployment to put freight forwarding forward, and Hillebrand’s continued development will integrate all logistics services around the world in the near future.

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iFoodDS

Website: idsfoodsafety.com Solution Brand Names: iFoodDS Safety, iFoodDS Quality, Har-

vestMark Traceability, Predictive Hygienics Worth Noting: iFoodDS has made it possible for integration throughout the entire produce supply chain. The company prides itself on maintaining close relationships with each of its customers, understanding that each customer has a story to tell when it comes to their food safety practices. iFoodDS provides real-time traceability and visibility into safety and quality from farm to consumer. The company gives customers the confidence needed to consistently and transparently meet the highest standards of safety and quality, resulting in proactive—not reactive—safety programs.

INFORM Software Corporation

Website: inform-software.com Solution Brand Names: Syncrotess, Syncrosupply Worth Noting: INFORM specializes in artificial intelligence and

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optimization software to improve operational decision making. From farm to store, the company’s unique blend of algorithmic-based software expertise, rich industry experience and big world thinking delivers huge value for its food and beverage customers.

Innovate E-Commerce Inc.

Website: innovateec.com Solution Brand Names: Innovate Managed Services, Innovate

Secure File Transfer, Innovate InVaultive Worth Noting: Innovate E-Commerce’s commitment to customers is its No. 1 priority. As a result, the company has been able to do everything to make it easier for customers to do business electronically with their customers, suppliers and third-party providers. Innovate’s audit and control processes allows staff to react quickly to any errors that occur throughout the electronic processes.

Interlink Technologies

Website: thinkinterlink.com Solution Brand Names: Warehouse-LINK Worth Noting: Interlink is always willing to help with technical

issues—even if it goes beyond WMS definitions. The company’s goal is to provide solutions that help customers succeed, and many times, that requires thinking outside the box and coming up with unique solutions to challenges. Its WMS incorporates a vast amount of functionality based on customer’s needs and requirements. Interlink Technologies’ customers can do more with less—less labor/more productivity, less warehouse space/more inventory and more. The Warehouse-LINK solution integrates with enterprise resource planning and accounting solutions and material handling equipment.

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Open Sky Group

Pedigree Technologies

warehouse management, labor management and transportation management solutions, maintaining the ability to rapidly implement and upgrade software while clients experience quicker installation and a faster return on investment. Challenging the traditional approach to software implementation, the company pioneered its own templatized method that includes pre-built configurations and integrations, which allows for less risk and lower costs. Clients have seen benefits such as use of best practices and a smoother and less expensive upgrade path, averaging 30% savings in maintenance costs on upgrades alone.

based platform for the management of all assets, driver’s compliance and fleet performance-related information. By easily integrating into other systems, the company provides one avenue for all customers’ solutions to travel on. Pedigree can sync various systems, from payroll, maintenance and fleet management to temperature monitoring and more, providing a centralized location, further saving time and money and making operations as efficient as possible.

Website: openskygroup.com Solution Brand Names: Blue Yonder WMS, Labor and TMS Worth Noting: Open Sky Group is a global specialist for Blue Yonder

Optricity

Website: optricity.com Solution Brand Names: OptiSlot DC Software, @Ease Warehousing

Technologies Platform (e.g. Replixer, Consolidexer, Prodexer, Forplexer, also known as the Green Buttons) and the Moves Conductor (Conductor) Worth Noting: Optricity’s optimization solutions offer powerful algorithms to solve the complex challenges that intricate slotting projects present with ease. With quick run times, OptiSlot DC Software provides the ability for companies to compare multiple slotting scenarios and simulate potential return before ever having to make a single re-slotting move. Optricity can work with any WMS provider and system alike and does not require servers to have minimal hardware requirements. The company’s solutions continue to evolve through client-directed, engineer-driven, continued development.

Website: pedigreetechnologies.com Solution Brand Names: OneView Worth Noting: Pedigree Technologies offers a cloud-

Ryder System

Website: ryder.com Solution Brand Names: Ryder Supply Chain Solutions, Ry-

der Dedicated Transportation Solutions, RyderShare, Ryder Fleet Management Solutions, Ryder ChoiceLease, RyderDrive, RyderGyde, COOP by Ryder, RyderOpsBox Worth Noting: Ryder takes a customer-centric approach to finding innovative solutions in all areas of the global food supply chain. With the growth of e-commerce, fueled by the pandemic, the company expanded its e-commerce fulfillment solution to include food grade-compliant facilities. With the FDA certification, Ryder can now offer food and beverage customers the ability to deliver direct to 99% of U.S. consumers in two days or less with unmatched accuracy, reliability and 100% end-to-end visibility.

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Burris Logistics is an end-to-end supply chain provider. Our brands include Burris Custom, an extension of your supply chain offering customized warehousing and distribution, and Trinity Logistics, freight brokerage, including a full suite of transportation and technology solutions.

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FL100+ AWARD

SafeConnect Systems

Website: safeconnectsystems.com Solution Brand Names: SafeConnect Systems Worth Noting: SafeConnect is an innovative, six-pin safety-en-

hanced electric standby connection system for hybrid transport refrigeration units. The design features both a safety control circuit and a true tension release, safeguarding personnel and equipment from the mishaps and dangers of high-voltage electricity associated with older connection systems. The company makes it a point to be with its customers every step of the way, enabling them to learn about eTRUS, understand savings and make informed decisions.

Seagull Scientific

Website: seagullscientific.com Solution Brand Names: BarTender by Seagull Scientific Worth Noting: Food producers, processors, packagers and logistics

providers rely on BarTender to produce the data carriers’ need to stay competitive. The company’s Intellgient Templates are the integrated system components that connect data from almost any source—ERP, WMS, TMS third-party database, commercial weighing scales into the labels, barcodes and RFID tags that enable the exchange of data and keep the food industry compliant, informed and connected to supply chain data.

Sensitech, Inc.

Website: sensitech.com Solution Brand Names: SensiWatch, TempTale, ColdStream Worth Noting: Sensitech delivers data-driven decision-making

capabilities to customers. With its latest SensiWatch Platform, the company delivers real-time data analytics with machine learning algorithms. The SensiWatch platform leverages innovative IoT data collection instruments and advanced data management tools to deliver a single end-to-end view into customers’ supply chains. In each user case, the solutions are easy to implement and cargo is monitored continuously, sending operational and actionable information to the cloud, providing users with updates on their product’s condition before it arrives at the destination.

Shipwell

Website: shipwell.com Solution Brand Names: Shipwell Worth Noting: Shipwell understands the challenges that food and

beverage companies face. The company helps offset industry-wide margin pressures by providing an affordable TMS that reduces friction and waste. Its 3-in-1 solution combines transportation management, visibility and an integrated partner network in a single platform to empower shippers to streamline their logistics operations. With Shipwell’s solutions, customers achieved 16% transportation cost savings within six months of implementation, reduced rates from $2.15 per mile to $1.64, reduced charge back claims by 50% and achieved 98% on-time delivery.

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SmartDrive Systems

Website: smartdrive.net Solution Brand Names: SmartDrive Transportation Intelligence

Platform, SmartIQ Transportation Intelligence Suite, SmartIQ Driver Scorecard, SmartDrive SmartSense Worth Noting: In July, SmartDrive Systems released its SmartSense for Speeding for Conditions and SmartSense for Sitting Duck.

These solutions focus on driver safety, whether it be with driving through extreme weather or parked in unsafe locations. By combining purpose-built sensors with computer vision, engine telematics and accelerometer data, the SmartSense suite of sensors enables new levels of accurate risk identification and collision mitigation.

Swisslog

Website: swisslog.com Solution Brand Names: Vectura Pallet Crane, PowerStore Pallet

Shuttle, ACPaQ Mixed Case Robotic Palletizing, ProMove Pallet Conveyor, CycloneCarrier Case Shuttle, CarryPick Mobile Robotic Solution, ItemPiQ Piece Picking Robot, AutoStore integration partner, SynQ Software Worth Noting: Swisslog’s SynQ software delivers data-driven intelligence that empowers customers’ businesses by synchronizing the performance of people, processes and machines. The solution encompasses warehouse management, material flow and automation control systems functionality, along with an array of business intelligence tools to boost warehouse performance.

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Technology Group International (TGI)

Website: tgiltd.com Solution Brand Names: E21 ERP Worth Noting: At TGI, no aspect of its business is outsourced to

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third-party companies or sent overseas. Its E21 ERP is developed, sold, implemented and supported directly by TGI itself. This holistic approach to software and services gives customers a single-source relationship with their software provider for all software, training, consulting, software configuration and integration needs.

Testo North America

Website: testo.com Solution Brand Names: Testo Saveris Restaurant, Testo Saveris

Retail Chain

Worth Noting: For over 60 years, Testo has stood for innovative

measuring solutions, helping customers save time and resources, protect the environment, ensure quality, meet regulatory expectations and increase value of goods and services. With its fully integrated Testo Saveris software solutions, food industry executives can create visibility and flexibility in their food safety programs, while increasing employee engagement and creating control when possible.

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Vormittag Associates, Inc. (VAI)

Website: vai.net Solution Brand Names: S2K Enterprise for

Velociti Alliance North America, Inc.

Food

Worth Noting: VAI’s ERP software was specifically

Website: velocitialliance.com Solution Brand Names: PiecePick, CloudPick, SmokePick,

TradeWins, TW*Sell, TW*Serve Worth Noting: Velociti owns patented technology proven to save labor dollars and increase accuracy. Its CloudPick solution is a worldclass order fulfillment system that pays for itself in just one fiscal quarter. The company’s solutions come with a $0 initial license fees and operates on an annual or quarterly service.

VeriShip

Website: veriship.com Solution Brand Names: Parcel Data Analytics; Amazon FBA Audit Worth Noting: VeriShip is an outsourced shipping expert that helps

food and beverage manufacturers and distributors get products to customers quickly, cost-effectively and in good shape. Regardless of its customers’ carriers, VeriShip carefully analyzes shipping data, pores through carrier contracts and benchmarks spend using AI technology and 1.4 trillion data points, potentially recovering costs and preventing future overcharges in the future.

designed to meet the requirements of the food industry, from inventory management and tracking to food safety compliance and tight time-constraint performance. Its features help businesses in this unpredictable environment to compete, improve customer service and realize significant ROI.

Voxware

Website: voxware.com Solution Brand Names: Voxware Voice Management Suite

(VMS), VoxPilot, Voxware Augmented Reality Worth Noting: Voxware provides a fully integrated multimodal application that automates every aspect of a warehouse operation. The ample choices allow multiple mobile devices to support every specific task at hand. The flexibility allows customers to use the best tools for the task and individual. With every deployment, Voxware enables customers to make informed decisions by layering in analytics based on predictive and prescriptive modeling to further optimize the distribution center.

Ignition by TELUS is a comprehensive, purpose-built platform for food distributors, processors and 3PL companies. We provide a mobile-first architecture providing a 360 degree visibility of the entire enterprise in real-time.

For more information visit ignition.afsi.com or email sales@ignition.com Increased volume by tens of millions of dollars without adding any new head count East Coast Systems Distributor

Saw a 64% reduction in labor hours while increasing their shipping accuracy rate to 99.88% East Coast Produce Distributor

Reduced labor expenses by 25% in 3 years while adding 30% more business at the same time West Coast Grocery Distributor

Improved order selection accuracy to 99.98% and experienced 25% savings through receiving efficiency West Coast 3PL Company

Experienced a 30% reduction in picking staff and lost sales dropped to dropped to nearly 0% Caribbean Produce Distributor

Managed a 300% volume increase as a result of Covid-19 with ease Canadian National Retailer

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FL100+ AWARD AUTOMATED HANDLING SOLUTIONS 6 River Systems | 6river.com AccuSpeechMobile | accuspeechmobile.com Americold | i-3pl.com Cimcorp Automation Ltd. | cimcorp.com Crown Equipment Corporation | crown.com E2open | e2open.com enVista | envistacorp.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Hyster Company | hyster.com/north-america/en-us iGPS Logistics | igps.net

DA Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com Plug Power | plugpower.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com Ryder System | ryder.com Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Swisslog Logistics, Inc. | swisslog.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com Yale Materials Handling Corporation | yale.com/north-america/en-us

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BARCODE SYSTEMS AccuSpeechMobile | accuspeechmobile.com Americold | i-3pl.com Apis Wise | apiswise.com BarTender by Seagull Scientific | seagullscientific.com Blue Link Associates Limited | bluelinkerp.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com CropTrak | croptrak.com enVista | envistacorp.com ExtenData | extendata.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com NiceLabel | nicelabel.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com

ProCat Distribution Technologies | procatdt.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com RFgen Software, division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Ryder System | ryder.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com TEKLYNX International | teklynx.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com ViziCore | vizicore.com YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

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CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Americold | i-3pl.com Armada | armada.net Blue Link Associates Limited | bluelinkerp.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com CropTrak | croptrak.com Deacom, Inc. | deacom.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com Innovate E-Commerce Inc. | innovateec.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com

Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com LoadDelivered | loaddelivered.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com VAI | vai.net ViziCore | vizicore.com

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DATA SYNCHRONIZATION Alloy | alloy.ai Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Armada | armada.net Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com Cleo | cleo.com CMX (ComplianceMetrix) | cmx1.com Crisp | gocrisp.com CropTrak | croptrak.com Crown Equipment Corporation | crown.com Demand Management, Inc. | demandsolutions.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com Ergonomics International LLC | ergonomicsinternational.com Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) | ftni.com Form.com | form.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com Hub Group | hubgroup.com Innovate E-Commerce, Inc. | innovateec.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com

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Kamereo | kamereo.vn LLamasoft | llamasoft.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com Mintec | mintecglobal.com Omnichain | omnichains.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Optricity | optricity.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com project44 | project44.com ProntoForms Inc | prontoforms.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Railinc | railinc.com Redwood Logistics | redwoodlogistics.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com SIMBA Chain | simbachain.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Universal Chain, Inc | uchaininc.com VeriShip | veriship.com ViziCore | vizicore.com www.foodlogistics.com

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DATA SYNCHRONIZATION

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WorkWave | workwave.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com VeriShip | veriship.com

ViziCore | vizicore.com WorkWave | workwave.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

DEMAND MANAGEMENT Alloy | alloy.ai Americold | i-3pl.com antuit.ai | antuit.ai Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Armada | armada.net Blue Ridge | blueridgeglobal.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com Cleo | cleo.com Crisp | gocrisp.com CropTrak | croptrak.com Demand Management, Inc. | demandsolutions.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com

Hillebrand | hillebrand.com INFORM Software Corporation | inform-software.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com LLamasoft | llamasoft.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com Omnichain | omnichains.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Ryder System | ryder.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com Viking Cold Solutions | vikingcold.com

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Armada | armada.net Blue Link Associates Limited | bluelinkerp.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Deacom, Inc. | deacom.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com Innovate E-Commerce, Inc. | innovateec.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Mintec | mintecglobal.com

Omnichain | omnichains.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Ryder System | ryder.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight Universal Chain, Inc. | uchaininc.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com

FINTECH Americold | i-3pl.com enVista | envistacorp.com Esker, Inc. | esker.com Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) | ftni.com

Medius | medius.com Mintec | mintecglobal.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Universal Chain, Inc. | uchaininc.com

FREIGHT PAYMENT Alpega | na.alpegagroup.com Americold | i-3pl.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com CropTrak | croptrak.com

CT Logistics | ctlogistics.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) | ftni.com

PROVIDING THE SOFTWARE THAT KEEPS YOUR FOOD MOVING. inform-software.com

www.foodlogistics.com

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FL100+ AWARD FREIGHT PAYMENT (CONTINUED) GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com LoadDelivered | loaddelivered.com

IN Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com MercuryGate International | mercurygate.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com

Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Transplace | transplace.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Universal Chain, Inc | uchaininc.com VeriShip | veriship.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com MercuryGate International | mercurygate.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Redwood Logistics | redwoodlogistics.com

Ryder System | ryder.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Transplace | transplace.com ViziCore | vizicore.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

GLOBAL TRADE MANAGEMENT Americold | i-3pl.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com

Freight Audit & Payment Since 1923

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INVENTORY CONTROL AccuSpeechMobile | accuspeechmobile.com Alloy | alloy.ai Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Apis Wise | apiswise.com Armada | armada.net Blue Link Associates Limited | bluelinkerp.com Blue Ridge | blueridgeglobal.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Cleo | cleo.com

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Deacom, Inc. | deacom.com Demand Management, Inc. | demandsolutions.com E2open | e2open.com enVista | envistacorp.com ExtenData | extendata.com Food Freshness Card | foodfreshnesscard.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com iGPS Logistics | igps.net Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Omnichain | omnichains.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Open Sky Group | openskygroup.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com ProCat Distribution Technologies | procatdt.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Ryder System | ryder.com Squadle, Inc. | squadle.com Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Swisslog Logistics, Inc. | swisslog.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com TEKLYNX International | teklynx.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com Voxware, Inc. | voxware.com YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com

INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) 7PSolutions | 7Pgps.com Americold | i-3pl.com Apis Wise | apiswise.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com CMX (ComplianceMetrix) | cmx1.com Controlant | controlant.com Emerson | emerson.com/cargo enVista | envistacorp.com

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INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) (CONTINUED) Fleet Advantage | eetadvantage.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Hyster Company | hyster.com/north-america/en-us/ Lytx | lytx.com Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com Omnitracs, LLC | omnitracs.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com

RM2 USA, Inc. | rm2.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Sensitech Inc. | sensitech.com Squadle, Inc. | squadle.com Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Swisslog Logistics, Inc. | swisslog.com Testo North America | testo.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com UgoWork | ugowork.com ViziCore | vizicore.com Yale Materials Handling Corporation | yale.com/north-america/en-us

LOAD PLANNING Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com Logistical Labs | logisticallabs.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com MercuryGate International | mercurygate.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Redwood Logistics | redwoodlogistics.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com

6 River Systems | 6river.com Alpega | na.alpegagroup.com Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Armada | armada.net Blue Ridge | blueridgeglobal.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com

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Follow us @Controlant on Twitter and LinkedIn

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 | FOOD LOGISTICS

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FL100+ AWARD LOAD PLANNING (CONTINUED) Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com

PR Voxware, Inc. | voxware.com WorkWave | workwave.com YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES AccuSpeechMobile | accuspeechmobile.com Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Bringg | bringg.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com CMX (ComplianceMetrix) | cmx1.com CropTrak | croptrak.com Crown Equipment Corporation | crown.com Deacom, Inc. | deacom.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com Emerson | emerson.com/cargo Ergonomics International LLC | ergonomicsinternational.com Esker, Inc. | esker.com ExtenData | extendata.com Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) | ftni.com Form.com | form.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hyster Company | hyster.com/north-america/en-us

Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com Lucas Systems | lucasware.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Omnitracs, LLC | omnitracs.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com Parsable | parsable.com PINC | pinc.com ProCat Distribution Technologies | procatdt.com project44 | project44.com ProntoForms Inc. | prontoforms.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Sensitech Inc. | sensitech.com Shipwell | shipwell.com SmartDrive Systems, Inc. | smartdrive.net Squadle, Inc. | squadle.com Swisslog Logistics, Inc. | swisslog.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Testo North America | testo.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Transplace | transplace.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Universal Chain, Inc. | uchaininc.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com ViziCore | vizicore.com WorkWave | workwave.com Yale Materials Handling Corporation | yale.com/north-america/en-us YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

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PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS Alloy | alloy.ai Americold | i-3pl.com Antuit.ai | antuit.ai Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Apis Wise | apiswise.com Armada | armada.net Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Breakthrough | breakthroughfuel.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com Controlant | controlant.com Crisp | gocrisp.com CropTrak | croptrak.com CT Logistics | ctlogistics.com Demand Management, Inc. | demandsolutions.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com Ergonomics International LLC | ergonomicsinternational.com Fleet Advantage | fleetadvantage.com FourKites, Inc. | fourkites.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com

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PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS (CONTINUED) Hillebrand | hillebrand.com Hub Group | hubgroup.com iFoodDS | idsfoodsafety.com INFORM Software Corporation | informsoftware.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com LLamasoft | llamasoft.com Logistical Labs | logisticallabs.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com Lytx | lytx.com Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com

Omnichain | omnichains.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com PINC | pinc.com project44 | project44.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Railinc | railinc.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Sensitech Inc. | sensitech.com Shipwell | shipwell.com Silvon Software, Inc. | silvon.com SmartDrive Systems, Inc. | smartdrive.net Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com

Transplace | transplace.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com VeriShip | veriship.com Viking Cold Solutions | vikingcold.com ViziCore | vizicore.com Voxware, Inc. | voxware.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION Americold | i-3pl.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Emerson | emerson.com/cargo ExtenData | extendata.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com iGPS Logistics | igps.net NiceLabel | nicelabel.com PINC | pinc.com QAD Inc. | qad.com

www.foodlogistics.com

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Radley Corporation | radley.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com RM2 USA, Inc. | rm2.com Ryder System | ryder.com Sensitech Inc. | sensitech.com Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com TEKLYNX International | teklynx.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com Yale Materials Handling Corporation | yale.com/north-america/en-us

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FL100+ AWARD ROUTING & SCHEDULING Alpega | na.alpegagroup.com Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Bringg | bringg.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com CT Logistics | ctlogistics.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com Hub Group | hubgroup.com iGPS Logistics | igps.net

SU INFORM Software Corporation | inform-software.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com LLamasoft | llamasoft.com LoadDelivered | loaddelivered.com Logistical Labs | logisticallabs.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com MercuryGate International | mercurygate.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com Omnitracs, LLC | omnitracs.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com QAD Inc. | qad.com

Redwood Logistics | redwoodlogistics.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Transplace | transplace.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Universal Chain, Inc. | uchaininc.com VAI | vai.net ViziCore | vizicore.com WorkWave | workwave.com YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT 6 River Systems | 6river.com

Alloy | alloy.ai Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Armada | armada.net Blue Ridge | blueridgeglobal.com

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Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Breakthrough | breakthroughfuel.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com Cleo | cleo.com CMX (ComplianceMetrix) | cmx1.com Controlant | controlant.com

www.foodlogistics.com

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Crisp | gocrisp.com CropTrak | croptrak.com Crown Equipment Corporation | crown.com CT Logistics | ctlogistics.com Deacom, Inc. | deacom.com Demand Management, Inc. | demandsolutions.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com Emerson | emerson.com/cargo enVista | envistacorp.com Esker, Inc. | esker.com ExtenData | extendata.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Globe Tracker | globetracker.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com Hub Group | hubgroup.com iFoodDS | idsfoodsafety.com iGPS Logistics | igps.net InfinityQS International, Inc. | infinityqs.com Inmar Intelligence | inmar.com Innovate E-Commerce, Inc. | innovateec.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn LLamasoft | llamasoft.com LoadDelivered | loaddelivered.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com

Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Medius | medius.com Mercatus Technologies Inc. | mercatus.com MercuryGate International | mercurygate.com Mintec | mintecglobal.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com Omnichain | omnichains.com Omnitracs, LLC | omnitracs.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Open Sky Group | openskygroup.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com ProCat Distribution Technologies | procatdt.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com Redwood Logistics | redwoodlogistics.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com RM2 USA, Inc. | rm2.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com SIMBA Chain | simbachain.com SpotSee | spotsee.io Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com

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CALL TODAY 817-456-8153 www.fresh-one.com www.foodlogistics.com

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Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Tradogram Inc | tradogram.com Transplace | transplace.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight UgoWork | ugowork.com UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com

Universal Chain, Inc. | uchaininc.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com VeriShip | veriship.com ViziCore | vizicore.com Voxware, Inc. | voxware.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

(CO

PINC | pinc.com ProntoForms Inc | prontoforms.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com Redwood Logistics | redwoodlogistics.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com SafeConnect Systems | safeconnectsystems.com Sensitech Inc. | sensitech.com Shipwell | shipwell.com SmartDrive Systems, Inc. | smartdrive.net Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Swisslog Logistics, Inc. | swisslog.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com TEKLYNX International | teklynx.com Uber Freight | uber.com/us/en/freight UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Universal Chain, Inc. | uchaininc.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com Viking Cold Solutions | vikingcold.com ViziCore | vizicore.com Voxware, Inc. | voxware.com YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

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SYSTEMS INTEGRATION 6 River Systems | 6river.com Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Apis Wise | apiswise.com Armada | armada.net Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com Cimcorp Automation Ltd. | cimcorp.com Cleo | cleo.com CMX (ComplianceMetrix) | cmx1.com Crisp | gocrisp.com CropTrak | croptrak.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com enVista | envistacorp.com Ergonomics International LLC | ergonomicsinternational.com ExtenData | extendata.com Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) | ftni.com Form.com | form.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hub Group | hubgroup.com Innovate E-Commerce, Inc. | innovateec.com Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com LoadDelivered | loaddelivered.com Lytx | lytx.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com Omnichain | omnichains.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Open Sky Group | openskygroup.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com

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TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Alpega | na.alpegagroup.com Americold | i-3pl.com Applied Acumen Limited | aatechdivision.com Armada | armada.net Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com CT Logistics | ctlogistics.com E2open | e2open.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com iTradeNetwork | itradenetwork.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Kuebix, a Trimble Company | kuebix.com

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LoadDelivered | loaddelivered.com Logistical Labs | logisticallabs.com Logistix Solutions | logistixsolutions.com Lytx | lytx.com Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com MercuryGate International | mercurygate.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com Omnichain | omnichains.com Omnitracs, LLC | omnitracs.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Open Sky Group | openskygroup.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com QAD Inc. | qad.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com

www.foodlogistics.com

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TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (CONTINUED) Ryder System | ryder.com Safeway Management Group Inc. | smgsafety.com Shipwell | shipwell.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Transplace | transplace.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com UgoWork | ugowork.com UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com ZUUM Transportation Inc. | zuumaqpp.com

WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 6 River Systems | 6river.com Americold | i-3pl.com Apis Wise | apiswise.com Armada | armada.net Blue Link Associates Limited | bluelinkerp.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Cimcorp Automation Ltd. | cimcorp.com Deacom, Inc. | deacom.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Highway 905 | highway905.com Hillebrand | hillebrand.com Hub Group | hubgroup.com Inmar Intelligence | inmar.com Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com Jarrett | gojarrett.com Kamereo | kamereo.vn Manhattan Associates, Inc. | manh.com Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com Odyssey Logistics & Technology | odysseylogistics.com Omnichain | omnichains.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com Open Sky Group | openskygroup.com ProCat Distribution Technologies | procatdt.com QAD Inc. | qad.com Radley Corporation | radley.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Ryder System | ryder.com Safeway Management Group Inc. | smgsafety.com Stoecklin Logistics, Inc. | stoecklin.com Swisslog Logistics, Inc. | swisslog.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Trimble Transportation | transportation.trimble.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 6 River Systems | 6river.com 7PSolutions | 7Pgps.com AccuSpeechMobile | accuspeechmobile.com Americold | i-3pl.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com Choptank Transport | choptanktransport.com Crown Equipment Corporation | crown.com Echo Global Logistics | echo.com Emerson | emerson.com/cargo enVista | envistacorp.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com GlobalTranz | globaltranz.com Hyster Company | hyster.com/north-america/en-us

www.foodlogistics.com

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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

ssi-schaefer.com

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WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES (CONTINUED) Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com LLamasoft | llamasoft.com Lytx | lytx.com Material Handling Systems, Inc. (MHS) | mhsglobal.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com ProCat Distribution Technologies | procatdt.com QAD Inc. | qad.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com RM2 USA, Inc. | rm2.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Shipwell | shipwell.com SmartDrive Systems, Inc. | smartdrive.net Squadle, Inc | squadle.com Symphony RetailAI | symphonyretailai.com Technology Group International | tgiltd.com Testo North America | testo.com

Tighe Logistics Group | tighe-co.com Universal Chain, Inc | uchaininc.com VAI | vai.net Velociti Alliance North America, Inc. | velocitialliance.com ViziCore | vizicore.com WorkWave | workwave.com Yale Materials Handling Corporation | yale.com/north-america/en-us YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com

YARD TECHNOLOGIES 7PSolutions | 7Pgps.com Americold | i-3pl.com Blue Yonder | blueyonder.com enVista | envistacorp.com FourKites, Inc. | fourkites.com FST Logistics | fstlogistics.com INFORM Software Corporation | inform-software.com Interlink Technologies | thinkinterlink.com One Network Enterprises | onenetwork.com ORBCOMM Inc. | orbcomm.com Pedigree Technologies | pedigreetechnologies.com

PINC | pinc.com RFgen Software, a division of DataMAX Software Group, Inc. | rfgen.com Robotic Wares Pvt Ltd (FarEye) | getfareye.com Ryder System | ryder.com Transplace | transplace.com UltraShipTMS | ultrashiptms.com Universal Chain, Inc | uchaininc.com ViziCore | vizicore.com YardView (Cypress Inland Corporation) | yardview.com

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SECTOR REPORT

WAREHOUSING

WAREHOUSING Third-party cold storage warehouses will continue to see high demand in the coming years.

W

hen it comes to warehousing for organics, gluten-free and/or plant-based foods, there are certain design features companies should keep in mind when either building new or expanding an existing manufacturing facility.

Food Logistics sits down with Travis Frank, senior associate and logistics practice lead for NorthFind Management, to discuss warehouse technologies, processing guidelines, innovation in cold storage and what this means for the future of warehousing.

Food Logistics: What are some design features companies should keep in mind when either building new or expanding an existing manufacturing facility?

Travis Frank: Efficiency and scalability in the layout is always my first consideration. The layout must support future growth, meaning each pick, case pick vs. pallet pick locations with proper temperature control in place. Travel time is an efficiency killer in warehousing and needs to be a top consideration during new builds and expansion projects.

Food Logistics: Name some guidelines cold food processors need to follow in order to produce safe and certified-organic/plant-based products?

Frank: I feel the basics Ad obe Stock_2522 96405 are critical. A food safety plan needs to be established to show and identify the hazards and how

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FOR ORGANICS

the hazards are being controlled. A temperature monitoring system is also critical to ensure the product is not put at risk throughout the manufacturing and distribution process.

Organics also require a third-party approval/certification, which varies by geography and jurisdiction.

Food Logistics: Detail some warehouse technologies designed to protect product, maintain temperature, reduce labor and more in warehousing of organic/plantbased foods?

Frank: We are seeing a lot of innovation in cold storage. Cold storage is rapidly growing in demand, and unique products are being introduced to support the growth. Automation is one key area I am seeing solutions, which have good ROI to support businesses of various sizes.

Food Logistics: The plant-based food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $74.2 billion by 2027. To what do you attribute this growth to?

Frank: I believe society is continuously growing in health awareness and working to improve their diets.

Sustainability is also a growing conversation across various demographics. I believe these attributes are driving the market growth.

Food Logistics: What is the future for organic/plant-based foods/ beverages?

Frank: Plant-based foods is a rapidly growing market. While cost to produce and maintain are initially higher, I feel that as the growth is realized, the cost will come down,

which in turn will drive more margin or reduce cost to the consumer, thus increasing the growth of this category.

Food Logistics: What does this mean for the future of warehousing?

Frank: Cold storage warehousing has always been in high demand.

Many companies have traditionally chosen to outsource cold storage due to the high cost of construction and maintenance. I would expect to see companies bring some of this inhouse, but I would also project that third-party cold storage warehouses will continue to see high demand in the coming years.

Food Logistics: What are some things not addressed above that may be pertinent to the conversation?

Frank: Though not specific to organics, strategic inventory segmentation can unlock cashflow and value and optimize service levels to customers. The idea that all products should be managed using the same methodology is outdated and suboptimal. An item’s velocity in the warehouse is different from a SKU’s contribution to gross sales. This a key concept sometimes overlooked when analyzing distribution layouts regarding space, growth, etc.

Understanding the strategic value of SKUs and their unique demand characteristics allows companies to employ a Plan For Every Part strategy, which will increase inventory velocity and optimize value.

www.foodlogistics.com

12/2/20 11:02 PM

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SECTOR REPORT

TRANSPORTATION

MITIGATING CARGO THEFT

IN THE COLD CHAIN Insuring against theft is part of a cargo insurance policy.

The economy, weather, seasonality and even convenience can all affect what’s happening with cargo theft.

C

argo theft is a $30 billion a year business. Although the number of thefts per year have gone down, even something like the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic can’t deter thieves. In fact, Travelers recounts a 36% rise in the average value of thefts in the last year.

Food Logistics sits down with Scott Cornell, transportation lead and crime and theft specialist for Travelers, to discuss the current landscape of cargo theft in the cold chain.

Food Logistics: For starters, what kind of statistics can you share on the state of cargo theft in the United States.

Scott Cornell: The economy, weather, seasonality and even convenience can all affect what’s happening with cargo theft. For example, there has been a change in how thieves operate. Instead of taking the entire truckload, many times they are only taking portions of it.

Trends like these ebb and flow, and there are certainly some patterns on when and where cargo thefts occur. There is also usually a bump in the fourth quarter because of the holidays.

Food Logistics: Please describe the

Travelers

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current landscape of cargo theft in the cold chain.

Cornell: Thieves don’t care that we’re going through tough times.

They take advantage of people when they are vulnerable, after catastrophic events and natural disasters or during economic difficulties.

In fact, we saw a major change in cargo theft during the last economic downturn. That’s when food and beverage items became the most targeted category, as people struggled to afford their basic needs.

Food and beverage remains the No. 1 stolen category today. Frozen chicken doesn’t have a serial number, and it can’t be traced online like a TV or a video game.

Big events such as a recession or pandemic also influence where theft happens. After the 9/11 attacks, for example, there was an industry-wide effort to secure the ports, which reduced the amount of theft happening there. As a result, we now see more thefts at places like drop lots and parking lots.

Food Logistics: Are there certain cold food and beverage markets more prone to theft than others?

Cornell: When it comes to the types of food and beverage that thieves steal most, meat and seafood are usually top targets because they’re expensive and easier to sell. Dairy and produce are less likely to be stolen because they are harder to keep fresh.

Food Logistics: How can transportation and logistics professionals guard against some of these causes of cargo theft?

Cornell: We recommend a threetiered approach to guarding against

cargo theft.

First, educate drivers, shippers and freight brokers to better recognize threats, especially when drivers are hauling highly targeted commodities like food and beverage. Make sure that they know procedures to guard against areas of vulnerability, like the seals that protect the back doors of trucks.

Second, use hard-locking devices for security to protect the rear doors, but don’t consider that enough.

Thieves are savvy, which brings us to the third tactic of adding technology. This could include covert tracking to recover a stolen load and digital seals with locks built in for an extra layer of protection.

Food Logistics: What does the future look like in terms of cargo theft post-COVID-19 pandemic?

Cornell: Cargo thieves continually adapt, so we need to remain vigilant. We recommend seeking an insurance partner that monitors trends, tracks cargo theft events and helps reduce risk through education and recovery. These tactics work best when layered, and experience suggests that none of these tactics is enough on its own.

Insuring against theft is part of a cargo insurance policy. It protects if all or part of a load goes missing.

Given that theft is the second leading cause of loss for cargo, behind loads becoming damaged by being overturned, it’s a significant risk.

Prevention is especially critical for food and beverage. can be meaningful. The more attention we can bring to the issue of cargo theft and how to prevent it, the better.

www.foodlogistics.com

12/2/20 10:32 PM

SECTOR REPORT

SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY

Photo Credit: AdobeStock/ Nuthawut

AGTECH WAS ALREADY SHIFTING. THE PANDEMIC MAY DIRECT THE NEXT WAVE. T

There is still a sizeable gap in both investment and innovation that address the middle of the supply chain, from the farm gate to the back door of a retailer or restaurant.

he agriculture system is famously resilient. Farmers, ranchers and others throughout the industry have navigated the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic with determination. But, while agtech hasn’t been the star, it has implications to make waves.

The pre-pandemic shift Agtech began with a focus on data— helping farmers monitor conditions, assess efficiencies and optimize yields in crop and animal production. At the same time, the industry began to see broader application of technologies, such as crop-specific innovations, robotics and automation systems and land and asset management tools. However, there is still a sizeable gap in both investment and innovation that address the middle of the supply chain, from the farm gate to the back door of a retailer or restaurant.

Pandemic pinch points The pandemic highlighted challenges in supply and demand. For example, in pork processing, some plants experienced COVID-19 outbreaks among workers and closed down facilities, leaving pork producers with nowhere to sell animals ready to be processed and retailers with empty shelves. And, as the supply chain worked to reorganize itself around Americans’ virtually overnight shift to eating at home, fresh produce, milk and other perishable items went to waste.

On the supply side, the pandemic also emphasized a challenge

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farmers have been experiencing for years—labor shortages. Gary Wishnatzki, a grower whose operation ships strawberries and other berry crops year-round, says growers have historically relied on the H-2A guest worker program, but in the past decade, there have simply been fewer workers available.

That’s why farmers are looking into robotics to supplement their traditional workforce.

Agtech could also make a difference in addressing transparency and traceability. Optimizing the supply chain around tracking and leveraging applicable data could provide consumers more confidence about where their food is coming from and that it’s safe.

While robust food safety and traceability programs are already in place for growers and retailers, new technologies could have other benefits. For instance, innovations can provide even more specific traceability, down to the precise location in a field from which a berry was picked.

Post-pandemic implications for agtech Ultimately, the pandemic may force agtech to go back to basics. Cloud connectivity is not universally available in many of the rural areas where much of the nation’s food production begins, which inhibits technology adoption.

Stakeholders across the supply chain face economic pressures and uncertainties that may make them less likely to invest in new

technologies. The agtech space will also need to consider how agtech can improve the perishable supply chain. Companies are already trying to address the challenges at protein processors in a number of ways, such as using vision systems to monitor the shop floor to see which butchers are faster and have better yields.

The agtech space also should consider how agtech can make data more valuable. A first step toward creating a more nimble and effective supply chain lies in interconnected data and technologies that allows for insights to help with business planning, anticipating supply and demand and maximizing efficiency in logistics across stakeholders.

Another thing to consider is how agtech can provide holistic solutions. One thing is the blurring of the line between agtech and foodtech. Technology innovators need to think about how their products impact the full food and ag value chain, from planting all the way to the app the consumer uses to order their groceries.

The need remains for technology to solve problems throughout the supply chain. The key will be to emphasize collaboration, integration and value for all stakeholders.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR SHARI ROGGE-FIDLER president and CEO Farm Foundation

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SECTOR REPORT

OCEAN PORTS & CARRIERS

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LOOKING AHEAD TO Odyssey FoodTrans LLC, a subsidiary of Odyssey Logistics & Technology

2021

—WHAT COMES NEXT FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE COLD CHAIN? Here are five trends to watch for in the maritime sector come 2021.

U

ndoubtedly, 2020 brought seismic change to the cold food and beverage logistics industry. The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that made its way to the United States in early 2020 sent the industry scrambling to meet the rising demand for refrigerated services, upending many of the time-honored processes and practices for transportation, cold storage and cold chain logistics. Here are five trends to watch for in the maritime sector come 2021.

COVID-19 anxiousness to continue With or without a vaccine for COVID-19 in 2021, demand will likely continue to be high for refrigerated services. In 2020, demand for cold food and beverage soared in

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response to the pandemic. Big box stores were hard-pressed to keep refrigerated and frozen foods on shelves.

Unease about a potential second or even third wave of the pandemic will drive consumers to continue to predominantly cook and drink at home or order take-out, even as restaurants operate at limited or full capacity for indoor dining. In the last quarter of 2020, restaurant business started to increase, and certainly the availability of a vaccine in 2021 will instill more confidence in dining out.

But, the mass transportation of a vaccine will put pressure on refrigerated capacity, cutting into refrigerated services already strained to meet the current surge in demand for cold food and beverage.

Ongoing upward cost pressure Price, demand and capacity issues will continue to converge, especially into the first quarter of 2021, possibly extending into mid-year. The current demand for refrigerated trucks, cold bulk storage and intermodal transportation remain high as the industry contends with ongoing capacity shortages. Without enough capacity to transport cold food and beverage, more products are being held in already congested warehouses.

To mitigate upward cost pressure, cold chain logistics providers are negotiating rates. There will also likely be more forward-buying in 2021, as retailers and consumers anticipate additional virus waves,

www.foodlogistics.com

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with warehouses preparing for disruption by securing more space longer term. All of this would compound the upward cost pressures the industry already faces.

Expect to see more trucking, cold storage and cold chain logistics consolidations to capitalize on market conditions in 2021.

Further supplier consolidation and services expansion Expect to see more trucking, cold storage and cold chain logistics consolidations to capitalize on market conditions in 2021. Larger enterprises will continue to purchase smaller organizations and sole cold

chain players will exit the dry space entirely and build out fleets for temperature-controlled transport.

Cold storage warehouses may expand services to offer refrigerated short-haul trucking and drayage.

The industry will also see shippers rationalizing the cold food and beverage production chains. Orga-

Balancing price and quality As more cold food and beverage transport throughout the United States, the impetus will be on ensuring quality through temperature-controlled transport, and that will likely drive up costs for logistics services. For instance, shippers today are willing to pay more to ensure products arrive with a high level of quality assurance. Not long ago, about 10% of dairy was transported in temperature-controlled containers from California to Hawaii. Today, it’s almost 100% refrigerated shipments. To combat rising costs, logistics services will likely start to consolidate refrigerated and dry freight where possible and optimize delivery routes and processes. They’ll also likely seek to secure more cold storage space, especially big box stores, to minimize the impact of potential future disruptions.

The pandemic also reinvigorated concern around the shrinking pool of truck drivers. Shippers will continue to use all of the services they can—truck, rail, intermodal—to gain more flexibility and prevent situations where they can’t deliver services. Customer expectations for quality cold food and beverage products will also come into play, likely driving competitors in the cold chain logistics space to enter into joint ventures.

www.foodlogistics.com

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SR: OCEAN PORTS & CARRIERS continued nizations will rationalize where they are making product to limit the amount of time it has to dwell somewhere before hitting the retail shelves. Furthermore, holiday spikes in demand may drive warehouses to add delivery services to their mix of offerings. Rather than parking cold food and beverages in cold storage waiting for cold trucks, warehouses will likely add trucking operations and take on deliveries. And, with e-commerce being a fast-growing market for cold food and beverage, warehouses may even start to take on last-mile deliveries if they can access refrigerated trucks.

Navigating safety and seasonality When it comes to temperature control, shippers are increasingly required to prove that their facilities and vehicles comply with food safety regulations at every touchpoint.

As a result, third-party audits have become increasingly common among shippers and warehouses. With the drive to secure additional storage space and more modes of transportation in the event of a second or

third wave of COVID-19 as well as increased direct-to-consumer delivery, the industry can expect higher safety regulations and expectations for cold food product delivery in 2021.

Seasonality for cold food and beverage products has typically been very predictable. But, recovery times after seasonal demand spikes for items like spring produce, turkeys at Thanksgiving, ham at Easter and cold beverages for the Fourth of July will be shorter due to the consistently high demand caused by the pandemic.

For instance, a warehouse might normally have an inventory of 1.5 million cases of alcoholic beverages during the month of September. But, the rise in demand during the pandemic has reduced inventories dramatically, in some cases down to 25% of historical volumes. However, inbound volumes of product being cross-docked through warehouses has increased well in excess of historical volumes. Moving into 2021, this will likely continue. And, large shippers will continue shipping inventories, keeping demand high between seasonal peaks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ANNICK CASIER president Odyssey FoodTrans LLC, a subsidiary of Odyssey Logistics & Technology

ABOUT THE AUTHOR HENRY MONTES DE OCA senior refrigeration specialist American Fast Freight, Inc., a subsidiary of Odyssey Logistics & Technology

ABOUT THE AUTHOR RICK EHRENSAFT chief commercial officer Grand Worldwide Logistics Corporation, a subsidiary of Odyssey Logistics & Technology

ADVERTISER INDEX ADVERTISER ....................................................................................PAGE AFS Technologies Inc. ................................................................................... 31 Alliance Shippers ........................................................................................... 25 Burris Logistics .............................................................................................. 29 Choptank Transport, Inc. ............................................................................... 37 Clean Energy ................................................................................................... 7 Columbia Machine, Inc.................................................................................. 36 Controlant ...................................................................................................... 35 CT Logistics................................................................................................... 34 DAMBACH Components ............................................................................... 19 DSC Logistics .................................................................................................. 5 Elitech Technology ........................................................................................ 43 FreshOne ....................................................................................................... 39 Hillebrand ...................................................................................................... 23 iGPS Logistics LLC ....................................................................................... 45 INFORM Software ......................................................................................... 33 Krack ............................................................................................................. 17 Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. ...................................................................... 15 PNC ............................................................................................................... 54 Port of Long Beach ....................................................................................... 49 Schaefer Systems , Inc.................................................................................. 41 Sensitech, Inc. ............................................................................................... 11 Thermo King .................................................................................................. 21 Trademark Transportation ............................................................................. 38 Utility Trailers ................................................................................................... 9 Voxware ......................................................................................................... 50 Witron .............................................................................................................. 2

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FOOD (AND MORE) FOR THOUGHT

DIGITIZATION EXPRESS LANE:THE FUTURE OF SUPERMARKETS

To profitably keep up in this rapidly changing market, grocers must replicate the consumerfacing disruption within their backend financial operations.

Grocers that digitized supplier management maintained and increased speed, efficiency and agility.

G

rocery digitization is not new, but the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has accelerated the industry into the express lane, forcing supermarkets to adapt quicker than planned.

The pandemic has completely transformed consumer behavior and shifted a higher proportion of the food supply chain to neighborhood grocery stores. There’s also been a drastic change to the way people shop and buy, with a significant rise in demand for delivery services, pickup and online ordering, with services seeing up to a 150% surge in orders.

Most experts say this new era of grocery shopping is here to stay.

According to a report by Brick Meets Click and Mercatus, during the peak of COVID-19-related shutdowns in March, online grocery sales reached $4 billion. But, even as states began to ease restrictions, online grocery sales continued to grow, reaching $6.6 billion in May and a record-setting $7.2 billion in June. Comparatively speaking, online grocery sales totaled just $1.2 billion in August 2019.

Procurement and AP digitization Despite the revenue growth, margins still lag, as building out various fulfillment options can be costly. Complicating things further is the increase in competition among online and home delivery options.

To profitably keep up in this rapidly changing market, grocers must replicate the consumer-facing

disruption within their backend financial operations. This requires a complete modernization of finance and procurement operations, with a focus on boosting efficiency and agility, reducing indirect operational costs and increasing spend under management.

While modernizing backend operations may sound daunting, it’s critical in today’s environment.

Here are a few areas to start with:

1. The supply base One thing the pandemic has taught us is the importance of having a diverse set of suppliers, so if one can’t deliver, you can quickly pivot. Back in the spring when COVID-19 first became widespread in the United States, grocers struggled to keep aisles stocked.

While these consumer items grabbed the headlines, there were also operational shortages on critical indirect items, like personal protective equipment (PPE).

Grocers that were forced to communicate with suppliers manually struggled to

adjust to the new pace and the rapid changes to demand.

On the other hand, grocers that digitized supplier management were able to maintain and increase speed, efficiency and agility. With a digital supply base, operational teams can easily collaborate and communicate with vendors and suppliers electronically vs. interacting via phone and email.

This improves visibility and reduces inefficiencies and errors, which is especially critical in time of crisis.

And, when an issue arises, causing teams to seek alternate suppliers, a centralized

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FOOD (AND MORE) FOR THOUGHT

Vroozi

supplier directory can help your team find and buy the goods they need at pre-negotiated rates.

2. Invoices and payments

In an industry with razor-thin profit margins, having full visibility into your organization’s spend makes all the difference.

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Paper-based processes like vendor invoices and payments not only are hard to manage, but they also eat away at the bottom line. In fact, the average cost to manage and pay a paper invoice in the grocery industry is $25-35. And, that doesn’t take into account the cost associated with payment operations, over-payments, duplicates and payment errors.

Modernizing these processes equips grocers to have more control over who they’re paying, how much and when. Not to mention, eliminating the manual processes results in improved workflow and realized payment rebates. And, in the “New Normal” of remote work, eliminating the need for employees to go into the office to write out or cash paper checks creates huge process efficiencies. In fact, the time and costs saved by going digital often pays for itself within a year.

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3. Business purchasing As grocers, you put your customers first. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t modernize your approach to indirect purchasing. When it’s time to invest in strategic items like freezers or shelving or even purchase small items like office supplies, you should be reaping the benefits of negotiated discounts just like your end-customers ultimately do when it comes to your inventory.

A user-friendly purchasing system that your employees actually want to use, keeps you in control with digital workflows that allow procurement and finance to approve purchases, resulting in less rouge spending and improved spend visibility. With automation, the team will be freed up to focus on more strategic work rather than keeping track of manual purchase orders, requisitions and approvals via email or on paper.

4. Reporting In an industry with razor-thin profit margins, having full visibility into your organization’s spend makes all the difference when it comes

to making proactive and strategic decisions about where to cut costs and negotiate rates. Digitizing with modern tools that proactively perform spend analysis across all related categories and capture all financial and procurement-related data in one centralized location makes this possible. Optimizing spend by supplier, category, within budget and pricing associated with critical goods and services not only increases visibility and leads to move savings, but it also helps manage supplier risk.

In this era, grocers can’t afford to move slowly. A modern, fast-moving front end requires a digitized back end—the benefits of which can’t be ignored—more spend under management, lower costs for goods and services and increased efficiency.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR JOE FOX CEO Vroozi

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YOUR FAVORITE

NEWS & RESOURCES AT THE TIP OF YOUR FINGERS.

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VISIT FOOD LOGISTICS ONLINE FOR:

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• Digital editions of the magazine • Channels of content specific to technology, cold chains, 3PL/4PL, and risk/compliance and more • Upcoming educational webinars • Nomination information for the following industry awards: Food Logistics Champions, Top Green Providers, Top 3PL & Cold Storage Providers, and FL 100+ • E-newsletter subscriptions • And more!

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See what PNC can do for your agribusiness. _ Get banking solutions that help you make each moment matter.

You know how important it is to make each moment in the day matter.

At PNC, our team of Food, Beverage & Agribusiness Bankers will partner closely with you to guide you through your unique challenges and provide you with customized financial solutions for your specific seasonal needs. So whether you’re looking to optimize cash flow, get capital or plan for cyclical changes, we’re here to help make banking easier.

Visit pnc.com/agriculture or call 877-535-6315 to learn more.

©2020 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC

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