Munich, January 16, 2025: FERNRIDE, a European leader in autonomous trucking solutions for port and yard logistics, announces the appointment of Guenter Schmidmeir as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective January 2025. With his vast experience and proven track record in the logistics industry, Guenter will drive FERNRIDE's commercialization and strengthen partnerships with container terminal operators as they transition toward automated horizontal transportation.
Guenter initially joined FERNRIDE as a Board Member in June 2024, providing industry advisory and strategic guidance. Now, as CRO, he is dedicated to ensuring the company’s commercial success while supporting terminal operators in adopting innovative automation solutions. With a remarkable career spanning 25 years, this industry veteran has held key positions, including General Manager at Navis and Senior Vice President of Automation Sales at Kalmar.
"FERNRIDE has made significant strides in addressing a critical need within the container terminal market: automation of horizontal container transport - the last missing piece of their automation journey," said Guenter Schmidmeir. "My focus is to build on the team's incredible work by delivering superior solutions to our customers. By deeply understanding their needs and challenges, we aim to close deals and provide seamless implementation experiences. Together, we empower terminal operators to make this transformative transition confidently and efficiently."
FERNRIDE's CEO and co-founder, Hendrik Kramer, welcomed Guenter as a full-time team member: "At FERNRIDE, we prioritize hiring the best possible people. Guenter’s unparalleled industry experience and impressive network uniquely position him to lead the commercial scaling of our solutions starting in 2025. As our cooperation in 2024 has been very productive, we are confident that Guenter’s leadership will ensure a smooth and impactful rollout, strengthening our partnerships and reinforcing our vision for the future of automated logistics."
FERNRIDE is providing a solution for yard and port logistics, with the current focus on horizontal container transport in operations with mixed traffic, where autonomous terminal tractors operate alongside manual trucks, external trucks, container handling equipment, and humans. FERNRIDE’s automation solution is designed to increase the productivity, safety, and sustainability of horizontal transportation in container terminals. With the unique human-assisted approach to autonomy, the company delivers up to 100% reliability and availability of the solution in live operations.
FERNRIDE pioneers a new safety concept for compliance with the Machinery Directive and fully CE-certified autonomous terminal tractors. The company aims to achieve certification in 2025, unlocking the commercialization within the EU and setting a benchmark for safety standards in autonomous trucking.