Running on Ice: Indiana is the coolest place to be

Your latest info on all things cold chain

Hello, and welcome to the coolest community in freight! Here you’ll find the latest information on warehouse news, tech developments and all things reefer madness-related. I’m your controller of the thermostat, Mary O’Connell. Thanks for having me!

All thawed out 

(Photo: NewCold)

Lebanon, Indiana, is about to become the coolest place to be. Netherlands-based NewCold has opened one of the largest cold storage facilities in the world for a casual $300 million. NewCold specializes in food supply chain resilience. The new facility has over 100,000 pallet positions at opening, but phase 2 has begun and will add another 100,000 pallet positions come next summer. 

To improve the food supply chain, why was Lebanon the new hot spot? The local government was very helpful in locating space for the 150-foot-tall building and made setting up shop a breeze. Not only that but it turns out Indiana has become a major food hub. This new facility has automation at the highest scale.Through its advanced technology and processes, NewCold can do in 400,000 square feet what others need a million for. 

Jonas Swarttouw, executive vice president and chairman of NewCold in North America, said in a news release, “None of our warehouses shut down during COVID. That period underlined the importance of building resilience into the supply chain of leading food companies in the US. That’s aside from the positive economic impact, including over 250 high-quality employment opportunities, the Lebanon facility has created.”

Temperature checks

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Drones in the supply chain is not a new concept. There have been a lot of drone pilot programs, especially in trials with direct-to-consumer goods. Well, it’s time for the cold chain to take to the skies as well. The pharmaceutical industry has taken to involving drone technology to get medicines to people. Drones are perfect for time-sensitive goods and most packaging solutions can work with them. 

For example, in remote places in Rwanda and Ghana, where roads can become impassable due to weather conditions, Zipline’s drone technology is helping hospitals get blood, medicines and anything they need to treat patients. 

An Air Cargo news article said: “Dr. Radhika Batra, founder and president of Every Infant Matters, explained that the industry was helping by finding and promoting innovative solutions to bridge the gaps in the supply chain, with drones being just one example. ‘There are 1.5 million children dying every year from vaccine-preventable illnesses and many more living with blindness and other disabilities that don’t need to be,’ she said.”

Food and drugs

(Photo: Business Wire)

Why bother with a trip to Flavortown when it can come to you? Guy Fieri is bringing Flavortown to the freezer aisle with his new line of frozen food. This new collection is available exclusively at Walmart. The first representatives of Flavortown are sweet and sour pork, cheesy lasagna with pepperoni, sloppy joe mac and cheese, and the cheesy chicken enchilada bowl. 

The Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host has risen to mass popularity, particularly with Gen Z. It turns out Gen Z has a massive love for Fieri. His approachable nature and down-to-earth attitude have made him beloved by all. 

All this popularity has paid off because now I don’t have to leave my house to experience the glory that is Flavortown. I just have to walk to the freezer. 

Cold chain lanes

(SONAR ROTRI heat map)

This week’s SONAR chart is the Reefer Outbound Tender Reject Index. The markets with the darker blue maps indicate there is a higher rate of tender rejections in that market. The Pacific Northwest and the northern Midwest are the areas with the most significant rejection rates. Bismarck, North Dakota, while a smaller market, brings home the top spot with reefer outbound tender rejection rates at 38.46%. Roughly a third of all reefer loads are rejected in Bismarck and Fargo, North Dakota (33.68%). As the produce and harvest season comes to a close in the North, reefer rejection rates will likely fall in the coming weeks to bring some of the capacity back to the market. 

Is SONAR for you? Check it out with a demo!

Shelf life

Fighting Food Inflation Through a Sustainable Supply Chain

Investors Have Stopped Feeding The Supply Chain

Convoy’s shutdown exposes the desperate state of trucking

UPS reports higher volume diversions due to labor unrest 

Trucking congestion costs hit record $94.6B

Wanna chat in the cooler? Shoot me an email with comments, questions or story ideas at moconnell@freightwaves.com.

See you on the internet.

Mary

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Source: freightwaves - Running on Ice: Indiana is the coolest place to be
Editor: Mary O'Connell