EMEA Entrepreneur. Hendrik Kramer, Jean-Michael Georg, and Maximilian Fisser, Co-Founders, FERNRIDE. The vision to redefine the role of humans in an automated world through human-assisted teleoperators and sustainable driving logistics automation is the new scalable automation solution that FERNRIDE offers today. The Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain, and Storage company based in Munich, Germany has been employing a human-assisted teleoperators autonomy approach that enhances productivity, and worker safety, promotes sustainable logistics, and reduces the overall cost of ownership in the long run. With its founding and establishment in 2019 by Hendrik Kramer, Jean-Michael Georg, and Maximilian Fisser, FERNRIDE was built to address growing challenges in the shortage of drivers available and the negative environmental impact left by the logistics operations. Combining advanced modern cutting-edge technology and simple reliable operations, FERNRIDE today works closely with high-profile customers providing seamless transportation logistics solutions, easing manufacturing supply chains, and helping efficiency and autonomy in storage facilities.
This article explores the current possibilities and benefits of sustainable, autonomous, and human-assisted teleoperators driving logistics automation in various greenfield, brownfield, and mixed-traffic settings worldwide. It also highlights the journey of FERNRIDE’s co-founders – Hendrik Kramer, Jean-Michael Georg, and Maximilian Fisser – and examines FERNRIDE’s impact and role in today’s industry.
Hendrik Kramer, Jean-Michael Georg, and Maximilian Fisser – The Trio Who Made FERNRIDE Happen:
Hendrik Kramer, Jean-Michael Georg, and Maximilian Fisser are the founding partners of FERNRIDE. Founded in 2019 and established in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, FERNRIDE is a sustainable and human-assisted driving logistics automation that established autonomous vehicles in logistics operations, in the transportation, logistics, supply chain, and storage industries and sectors.
To address the challenges faced in the industry in the growing shortage of drivers available and the increasing negative environmental impact of logistics operations, the founders wanted to establish an autonomous fleet of emission-free and electric trucking solutions, that are human-assisted whenever necessary. Through its unique driving logistics automation for yard trucking and transporting cargo in container terminals, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers, FERNRIDE implements the adoption and integration of modern advanced cutting-edge technology with reliable operations and existing processes.
Hendrik Kramer, the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at FERNRIDE, has a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from the University of Bremen, Chemical Engineering Research at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, a Master’s in Management and Technology (MMT) from the Technical University of Munich, and a Research Study focused on Autonomous Driving at the Center of Design Research from the Stanford University. His career includes founding and co-founding companies like Kramer-Dressage, AQUAIO, and FERNRIDE, as well as roles such as tutor at the University of Bremen, student consultant at BNP Paribas, and cohort member at XPRENEURS Incubator for High-Tech Start-Ups.
Jean-Michael Georg, the Co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer, is currently FERNRIDE’s Chief Engineer. The former CTO has a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Development and Design from the University of RWTH Aachen. Jean-Michael’s career includes diverse roles such as Lab Assistant at the Institute for General Mechanics and the Institute for Machine Elements from the University of RWTH Aachen and a Research Associate at the FTM Institute of Automotive Technology TUM. In between he did a Bachelor’s Thesis at MAN Diesel & Turbo and a Master’s Thesis at AUDI AG.
Maximilian Fisser, Co-founder and former Chief Product Officer of FERNRIDE, now serves as the Director of Strategic Projects. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt, a Master’s from the Technical University of Munich, and a Ph.D. from Victoria University of Wellington. His career includes internships at BMW Group and MTU Aero Engines and a role as a Research Development Consultant at Victoria University of Wellington before co-founding FERNRIDE in 2019.
These three visionaries have helped many high-profile customers like Volkswagen Group Logistics, DB Schenker, and HHLA by accelerating the transition toward the sustainable future of logistics automation.
FERNRIDE – Driving Possibility, Autonomy, and Human-Assisted Sustainable Trucking Solutions:
FERNRIDE – is a driving logistics automation firm that helps customers improve operations in productivity, monitors worker safety, reduces the overall cost of ownership in the long run, drives and encourages all-electric autonomy, offers human-assisted teleoperators when necessary, and promotes sustainability within its core.
With productivity, safety, and sustainability at the forefront, the current possibilities and benefits of sustainable, autonomous, and driving logistics automation that FERNRIDE brings into the world is through its human-assisted autonomy approach. This approach allows the human-assisted teleoperators who are professionally and well-trained to lead multiple vehicles concurrently from the Operations Control Center without a physical driver in each truck seat. As part of the company’s ESG Goals, an increase in productivity, worker safety, reduced carbon footprint and emissions, optimized allocation of resources, and saving operational costs are successfully achieved. With emission-free yeard operations and FERNRIDE’s sustainable trucking solutions, the amount and cost of fuel consumption are also reduced.
Driving and fostering green and environmentally friendly logistics operations, FERNRIDE’s innovation in logistics operation offers electric, autonomy, and sustainable trucking solutions in Container Transportation (automated and horizontal transport with human assistance), Manufacturing Supplies(automating production supplies and reducing manual processes), Yard Shunting (automating yard capacity and reducing operational costs), and Open-Road Trucking (automating cargo transports on open roads, between various facilities and hubs). With the on-site Automated Vehicle Fleet and Management Suite alongside the stand-out Operations Control Center, FERNRIDE’s automated real-world logistics operations with the integrated human-assisted autonomy approach are 100% reliable, safe, efficient, and deployment-ready.