FERNRIDE, a European autonomous trucking solution provider for port and yard logistics, announces the appointment of Guenter Schmidmeir as chief revenue officer (CRO), effective January 2025.
Guenter Schmidmeir initially joined FERNRIDE as a Board Member in June 2024, providing industry advisory and strategic guidance. Now, as CRO, he will be responsible for guiding the company’s commercial success while supporting terminal operators in adopting innovative automation solutions. With a 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.”
FERNRIDE’s CEO and co-founder, Hendrik Kramer, welcomed Guenter as a full-time team member: “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.
