Borderlands Mexico: Wiliot chatbot would like a word about food supply chain safety

Wiliot recently released a generative AI chatbot, WiliBot, that enables conversations with any ambient IoT-connected product.

WiliBot uses AI programs known as large language models, as well as ambient IoT and generative AI computational power, and can respond to verbal queries about whether a product is fresh and safe to stock.

“You have billions of tags on the items that are in the supply chain that are pushing data through the Bluetooth readings that surround us, and all that data ends up in the cloud,” Statler said. “Then we have machine learning that takes the packets and decides when something is moved, understands whether there’s been a temperature change, and basically generates software events that are put into a database. That database is then available for a large language model to parse and say, ‘OK, I see millions and millions of these events. Which ones are interesting?’ And maybe respond to a question like, ‘What should I stock next?’”

AI technology comes at a time when supply chains are shifting and food safety regulations are becoming more stringent.

The Food and Drug Administration will begin enforcing a Food Traceability Final Rule (FSMA 204) in January 2026 aimed at identifying and removing potentially contaminated food from the market quicker.

In June, Wiliot launched a safety initiative — a partnership with iFoodDS and Trustwell — to help retailers navigate and comply with FSMA 204.

Statler said WiliBot and the food safety initiative are aimed at securing the food supply chain for both the U.S. and other countries.

“Trust is a fleeting thing, so having real data is valuable,” he said. “FSMA may be a U.S. rule, but it impacts producers in Mexico and all around the world.”

While the U.S. typically exports more agricultural goods annually than it imports, in fiscal year 2024 imports are projected to far outpace exports.

U.S. agricultural imports in fiscal year 2024 are forecast to increase 4% year over year to $202.5 billion, a record, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In comparison, agricultural exports are projected at $170.5 billion this year.

The import increases are being led by fresh produce, beer and tequila from Mexico, as well as livestock, poultry and dairy products from Canada.

Total food and beverage imports from Mexico in fiscal year 2024 are forecast to be $47.8 billion, a 7% year-over-year increase. Imports from Canada are forecast at $41.1 billion, a 3% increase from 2023.

“What we’re doing is connecting the digital and physical world, and we’re doing it with ambient IoT,” Statler said. “More and more of the offline world is starting to come online, and in particular the food supply chain is probably the tip of the spear, because there’s so many issues, and it affects us all, and it’s a matter of profit and loss and life and death.”

Maersk opens logistics warehouse in El Paso

Shipping giant Maersk has opened a 402,000-square-foot facility in El Paso, Texas, aimed at meeting the demand for logistics services at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a news release.

The facility is five minutes from the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge that connects El Paso to Juarez, Mexico.

The customs-bonded warehouse has 73 dock doors, two ramps for oversize cargo and 116 truck yard parking spaces. The facility is designed for receiving, separating and consolidating cargo, as well as facilitating the quick turnaround of freight to destinations across North America, Maersk said. 

“The opening of the El Paso facility reinforces our commitment to serving customers’ cross-border and less-than-truckload needs,” Gordon Branov, Maersk North America’s head of truckload and LTL, said in a statement.

Maersk has more than 150 warehousing facilities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, totaling more than 26 million square feet. In March, Maersk announced the opening of a warehouse facility in Tijuana, Mexico.

Stotland Trucking expands operations in Texas

Stotland Trucking LLC recently moved into a 48,000-square-foot headquarters in Austin, Texas.

The move is part of Stotland Trucking’s plan to expand linehaul and last-mile services throughout Texas and the Midwest, according to a news release. The carrier will add more locations across the state by the end of the year.

“This new headquarters gives us the needed space to grow and execute on our business plan,” said Derik Stotland, president of Stotland Trucking. “With access to additional capital over the next couple of years, we will expand as fast as we need to in order to build out an organization capable of last-mile deliveries throughout the Southwest and Midwest regions.”

Stotland Trucking has 42 power units and 37 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

In August, Stotland Trucking was acquired by Apple Rush Co. Inc. (OTCpink: APRU), a distributor of consumer packaged goods products under the trademarked Apple Rush brand, Element brand and other labels.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. 

Continental Tire plans $87M Fort Worth production facility

German tire and industrial parts manufacturing giant Continental AG plans to build a 752,000-square-foot facility in Fort Worth, Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The site, which will also include 7,500 square feet of support offices, is scheduled to be completed in 2026. The investment in the project will be $87 million, the company said.

In August, Continental announced it has begun construction on a 914,932-square-foot factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico, that will produce hydraulic hoses. Aguascalientes is about 300 miles northwest of Mexico City.

Once completed, the factory will be Continental’s largest plant in Mexico, according to a news release. Construction is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2025.