Things got underway a little later this morning due to a procession for a Miami Beach police officer who was killed in a motorbike crash last week. Roads around the Miami Convention Centre were temporarily closed for the motorcade.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers rode their motorbikes with the lights flashing, and a large line of black cars followed. For those of us caught within the convoy, it was very impactful.
As the roads opened up, people were able to make their way to the second day of Transport logistic Americas. As expected, today was even bigger than yesterday.
A little after 10:30, the first conference began. As always, it is impossible to attend them all, but here is a summary of today.
Airport Cargo Hubs of the Future: Automation, Smart Warehousing, and Clean Tech
A similar sentiment from yesterday’s panels was echoed in this morning’s first conference. Moderated by Reji John (STAT Publishing Group), all the speakers discussed the importance of collaboration within the greater cargo ecosystem.
Shifts towards a greener industry being another key focus. All members want to reduce their impact on the environment, and again, this is something that cannot be achieved unless everyone collaborates towards shared sustainability goals.
“The appetite to change needs everybody to be on-board,” said Ajay Barolina (Swissport North America). One of the biggest problems for Barolina is that the airports themselves often forget about cargo. “We’re like the lost child of the family,” he said.
Barolina discussed getting more support from airports and receiving long buy-ins as the two key methods for reshaping the current reality. Being transparent, upfront, and clear with your goals and systems can help build better partnerships.
Eduardo Arenas (Avianca Cargo) followed from this, emphasising that you must understand the restrictions present in each market. “You cannot connect the same way with everyone,” he said.
To resolve this, efforts need to continue to build connectivity throughout the whole supply chain. While it will always be difficult to get everyone on-board, if there were more widely agreed upon standards, real-time data could be shared smoothly and contribute to the optimisation of cargo movements.
One key method for this is to use more automation, claimed Brian Sinnwell (Amazon Air). While the desire is there, lots of warehouses do not have the electricity capacity to power a fully automated system. “The bones of the warehouse have to be structured in a certain way,” he said.
Even warehouses that have the capacity to be fully automated may need to sacrifice some of their systems for the greater good of the ecosystem. The results from advancements in technology are best achieved when all the data can flow easily between systems, and most importantly, this needs to be a collaborative effort.
Ports and Airports: Integrated Hubs of the Future
The panel, moderated by Ivan Barrios (World Trade Center), started by discussing sustainability investments, a topic that has continuously cropped up in this event.
Ralph Cutié (Miami International Airport, MIA) highlighted some of MIA’s environmental initiatives, notably, being one of the first airports to receive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) back in December 2024. Fedex will now start to get SAF when they pass through MIA, and a US$166 million roof replacement programme is underway to put solar panels across the airport roof.
Santiago Alvarez (Latam Cargo) explained that there are limited investments in SAF in Latin America, which is a real gap in the market. He wants to see this change in the next few years and make SAF more accessible to the rest of the industry.
Eric Olafson (PortMiami) mirrored MIA’s sustainability focus. Miami port has introduced a truck arrival appointment system, reducing emissions and speeding up cargo transportation. They have received grants from both the federal and state governments to make all their port equipment electric, on top of their already electric crane system.
Miami Port also has shore power, so cruise ships can turn off their diesel engines and plug into an electric system instead. They now have the capacity to do this for cargo ships too, which is an exciting step forward for a more sustainable cargo industry.
“The perishables market is pretty much ours,” said Cutié, when asked about MIA’s cargo numbers. “91% of all the flowers that enter the United States come through our airport.” This is on top of over two thirds of all the fruit and vegetables that enter the US, and over half of all the fish.
“We’re probably the states’ number one economic engine,” continued Cutié.
The newly established Miami Air Cargo Association, led by Warren Jones (AGI Cargo), is looking for members and encouraging people to sign up. They will have their website running next week. This is an exciting development, and will provide excellent networking and education opportunities, with keynote speakers and events happening across 2026.
Jettainer Press Talk
Finally, Jettainer announced a major new partnership with Trackonomy, described by managing director Shailendar Kathari as “the most significant and important announcement” at this event.
The collaboration focuses on supply chain transparency using advanced tracking technology to enable data transmission from ULDs. A contract was signed yesterday, with implementation due to start immediately.
The initiative will equip a large portion of Jettainer’s fleet with cellular-connected containers, aiming to extend this new technology, along with others, across the entire operation.
Kathari said that Jettainer has “signed for the best technology available in the tracking market.”
More information on the deal will be available tomorrow.
Other conferences today covered optimising cross-border trade, LNG in the Americas, the adaptive supply chain FDI investment in Latin America, and urban logistics.