Introduction
Since 1954, Lund’s Fisheries’ seafood products have inspired trust and confidence around the world. With locations on both coasts of the USA, Lund’s is a leader in finfish and scallops—and is the only domestic producer of all three U.S. squid species. Their 200+ employees operate one of the largest seafood processing facilities on the eastern seaboard, with over 1200 feet of waterfront which supports both company and independent vessels landing wild-caught seafood on a daily basis.
Deeply committed to sustainability and quality, Lund’s also holds Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifications, and works only with fisheries that meet strict chain-of-custody requirements. “We see it as our responsibility to not only follow industry best practices, but to exceed those standards,” says Dale Gerhard, Intermodal Coordinator at Lund’s.
As their global footprint expanded, so did the complexity of managing their import/export logistics. With seafood traveling by truck and ocean container to destinations worldwide, even minor disruptions in temperature control or shipment security could lead to spoilage, rejections, or costly insurance claims. Protecting product quality across such long and fragmented journeys became mission critical, and they turned to Tive.
Rising Risk & Limited Visibility
Lund’s originally relied on a mix of steamship line tracking and various temperature monitoring solutions. While these tools provided basic information, they were extremely limited in scope, inconsistent across carriers, and didn’t offer real-time visibility across all modes of transportation. This left huge visibility gaps in the company’s ability to proactively manage risk, especially during overseas voyages or domestic trucking legs.
The team also began noticing increased risk within the domestic transportation landscape. “We were seeing a rash of thefts, and we needed to make sure our products were protected,” said Gerhard. At the same time, load rejections, temperature excursions, and gaps in visibility were creating operational and customer service challenges. The company needed a dependable solution that would eliminate those visibility gaps and protect both product quality and brand reputation.
Problems Detected. Problems Prevented.
The turning point came when Gerhard began researching temperature tracking technologies for international container shipments. “I was looking for a temperature tag I could stick on a container going overseas that would be trackable,” he explains. He discovered Tive during his search, had a quick call with a Tive team member, and soon kicked off a short trial using Solo Lite trackers.
Visibility was what Gerhard wanted, and visibility was what he got. He was immediately impressed by the Solo Lite’s ability to immediately transmit data via cellular and WiFi, and loved that he was able to get instant notifications when containers reached international ports.
The trial quickly demonstrated value. Within days, Gerhard learned of a serious temperature issue aboard an ocean vessel headed for Europe—but instead of finding out after arrival, when the product might already be compromised, Gerhard got a real-time alert from Tive. He immediately notified the steamship line, which corrected the issue mid-voyage and the temperature was stabilized… which potentially saved the entire load from rejection. “Once we alerted them, they rectified the problem, and it ran at temperature for the remainder of the trip,” said Gerhard.
Using Real-Time Insights to Transform Daily Operations
Today, Lund’s uses Tive on nearly all of its shipments. With more than 50 active shipments in transit on any given day, Gerhard relies on the Tive cloud platform as his central command center. “It’s like putting together a puzzle: you get to watch all the pieces moving on the map, and can quickly ensure that everything is good on the other end,” he says. Temperature alerts, light sensor notifications, and geolocation data empower Gerhard to intervene early, proactively set customers expectations, and coordinate with carriers.
One recent example: a trailer stranded in the southern U.S. triggered an alert that enabled the Lund team to confirm the load’s temperature and security… even after it left their custody. In another case, a Tive temperature alert helped Gerhard figure out that a driver had adjusted the reefer temperature to save fuel—avoiding what would have resulted in a costly spoilage incident. “Sometimes, drivers turn the reefer up to lower fuel costs,” Gerhard explains. “With Tive, we get immediate alerts when the temperature isn’t where it’s supposed to be so we can fix issues before they become problems.”
Long Term Impact & Competitive Advantage
The benefits provided by using Tive were quickly recognized across Lund’s. “It took no time at all for stakeholders to see the value of adding a Tive tracker to a shipment,” said Gerhard. Export managers, customer-facing staff, and even the ownership team began relying on the data to validate product quality, prevent customer problems, and assure on-time, successful deliveries. “Tive gives us a big advantage as far as maintaining quality from start to finish,” Gerhard stated. “The trackers and platform help us deliver on our two primary objectives: keeping the customer happy and ensuring that the product is what they expect.”
Gerhard believes that Tive also strengthens Lund’s reputation for quality and dependability. With improved visibility and documentation, the company can confidently demonstrate due diligence, improve driver accountability, reduce the number of rejected loads, and protect its brand in an industry where product integrity is everything.
And they’re not done yet. Going forward, Lund’s has plans to deploy Tive trackers on virtually every shipment coming out of every facility. For Gerhard, the thought of going back to life without real-time visibility is unthinkable. “Once you have the level of technology and exposure provided by Tive, you’d be working blind without it,” he says. “The combination of transparency, accountability, and product protection aligns perfectly with Lund’s long-standing commitment to quality.”
