Mercitalia Intermodal and PJ Messtechnik sign digitalisation agreement
Mercitalia Intermodal and German company PJ Messtechnik PJ Monitoring have signed an agreement to implement the digital WaggonTracker system on 600 intermodal wagons between 2025 and 2027. This investment aims to enhance digitalisation in rail logistics, improving operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, and safety. The technology will enable real-time monitoring of the braking system, ensuring greater load stability and optimised train composition management. Additionally, wireless communication systems will facilitate interaction between train and ground staff, enabling automation of operational processes related to wagon management.
Commercial vehicle market: sixth consecutive decline in January
The Italian market for commercial vehicles under 3.5 tonnes recorded a 16.1% decrease in January 2025 compared to the same month in 2024, with 15,040 registrations, or 2,900 fewer units. The share of pure electric vehicles remains stable at 2.7%, up from 1.9% in January 2024. Unrae awaits the European Commission's action plan, scheduled for 5 March, and urges the introduction of a 50% tax credit for fast-charging infrastructure in the 2025-2027 period to promote zero-emission mobility. President Michele Crisci highlights the urgency of interventions to avoid a demand freeze and the need to review the national tax regime, considered penalising compared to other European countries.
Gebrüder Weiss opens new branch in Phoenix
German transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss has inaugurated a new branch in Phoenix, Arizona, to strengthen its presence in the United States. The facility will offer air and sea freight services, including customs clearance and partial and full truckload transport. The expansion aims to meet the growing demand for trade between the United States and Mexico. Phoenix joins the Texas locations of El Paso and Laredo, specialising in cross-border transport. With this opening, Gebrüder Weiss now operates 17 locations in North America.
Logista Italia celebrates twenty years
Logista, a European distributor of products and services for points of sale, celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its presence in Italy. Founded in 2005 with the acquisition of Etìnera, the logistics division of the Ente Tabacchi Italiani, the company connects producers and retailers through a network that supplies over 60,000 points of sale weekly in all Italian municipalities, managing four million orders per year. In 2024, it recorded a turnover of €4.4 billion and a tax revenue of about €15 billion from the distribution of smoking and inhalation products. With the creation of Logista Pharma Italia in 2023, the company entered the healthcare sector.
Mol Group starts biofuel production in Bratislava
Mol Group has announced the production of diesel containing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava. The quality of the products was verified through radioisotope analysis by the independent laboratory Isotoptech. HVO is obtained using oil derived from cashew shells, processed together with crude oil. Simultaneously, SAF was produced by co-processing partially refined cooking oil with traditional raw materials. Currently, few refineries worldwide produce SAF, and according to the EU's environmental objectives, the SAF share must reach 2% of total aviation fuel consumption this year, progressively increasing to 70% by 2050.
Italy's first hydrogen train inaugurated in Rovato
In Rovato, in the province of Brescia, the first Italian hydrogen train was presented, destined for the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo line. The convoy, one of 14 funded by the Lombardy Region, arrived on 23 January and is currently undergoing tests and trials, with the aim of starting commercial service by the first half of 2026. The new Rovato facility, built by Ferrovienord, is the first in Italy designed for the maintenance and refuelling of hydrogen trains.
Warehouse availability rates in Mexico at historic lows
Warehouse availability rates in Mexico have reached historic lows due to the nearshoring trend. Despite uncertainty related to the threat of tariffs, foreign investment inflows are expected to continue. In the central Bajio region, warehouse occupancy increased by 51% last year, surpassing capacity absorption in the rest of the country, despite strong growth in major cities and key logistics hubs. This has brought the availability rate in Bajio to 3.6%. With availability rates at historic lows in most of the country, rents are rising, registering a 10%-15% increase in 2023 compared to 2022 levels. The growing demand for warehouse space is part of a broader rush for industrial real estate, primarily attributed to nearshoring, which has led to an unprecedented boom in the industrial real estate market, especially in major cities.
Gxo Logistics reports 20% growth in 2024
Gxo Logistics has announced a 20% increase in annual revenues in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching $11.7 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for 2024 was $815 million, up from $741 million in 2023. In the fourth quarter, sales reached $3.3 billion, a 25% increase over the same period the previous year, while adjusted EBITDA increased by 30%, reaching $251 million. CEO Malcolm Wilson highlighted the acceleration of organic growth and the closure of over a billion in new contracts for the second consecutive year. In 2024, Gxo completed the acquisition of Wincanton, expanding into markets such as Germany, now the company's fastest-growing market. Despite the Wincanton acquisition being under review by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, Gxo expects organic revenue growth between 3% and 6% in 2025, with adjusted EBITDA estimated between $840 million and $860 million.
Evergreen invests over $3 billion in container ships
Taiwanese company Evergreen has announced an investment of over $3 billion for the construction of 11 new ultra-large container ships, each with a capacity of 24,000 TEU. Six of these will be built by South Korean shipyard Hanwha Ocean, while the remaining five will be constructed by Guangzhou Shipyard International in China, with a unit cost between $265 and $295 million each. With this order, Evergreen's order book reaches a total capacity of 821,423 TEU, placing it fifth worldwide. The new ships will join the twelve 24,000 TEU units already operating in the Evergreen fleet. Although delivery dates have not been confirmed, Alphaliner predicts that the first units will not be delivered before 2028, as major shipyards are already occupied for the next two years.
