Trending cold chain topics in 2025—The year’s most engaged stories range from trade shifts to tech breakthroughs
December 29, 2025
A lot shifted in the world of supply chain logistics this year, and we saw it in the kinds of questions customers were bringing to us and the types of content that resonated with our audience the most. Importers asked how to plan around changing trade rules. Manufacturers wanted clearer guidance on accuracy and automation. Others were looking for practical ways to deal with growth, food waste or day-to-day bottlenecks.
We’re taking a look back at six articles that spoke directly to those timely topics and were the ones readers kept turning to throughout the year. Each was about helping untangle complicated topics and offering real takeaways for businesses with temperature-controlled products trying to navigate a year with a lot of headline grabbing moments.
1. How to stay ahead of tariffs, quotas and shifting trade rules
Tariffs were top-of-mind for nearly every U.S. importer this year, and for good reason. Policy changes ripple quickly through supply chains, especially for companies that depend on cross-border movement.
This article breaks the topic down in plain language — what are tariffs, what do they mean for your business and how can you get out in front of them.
It also pulls back the curtain on some of the tools companies turn to when the global trade landscape gets messy. It covers everything from bonded warehousing and I-Houses to integrated solutions that keep freight moving even when regulations change abruptly.
2. Why bonded warehouses became essential for importers in 2025
Many readers wanted a clearer picture of bonded warehousing, beyond just the legal definitions.
This piece peels back the jargon. It sheds light on how bonded space works, why timing matters so much for quota-limited products and how holding goods “in bond” can prevent unexpected fees or rushed market entries.
A real-world example involving Brazilian beef makes the value clear: bonded space can give importers the breathing room they need to release product at the right moment and avoid costly penalties.
3. A closer look at how inventory accuracy starts at the dock
Inventory accuracy is something we work on every day at Lineage and was top of mind for our readers too.
This article digs into how receiving mistakes that happen at the dock can quickly create bigger downstream problems and the role of Lineage Eye in stopping those accidents at the source.
Lineage Eye’s computer-vision system captures pallet images, reads labels and spots discrepancies before they reach storage. This advanced tech helps teams avoid the very issues plaguing cold chain businesses every day. The goal isn’t just to create flashy tech for clout; it’s about providing better data, smoother workflows and fewer surprises for customers.
4. The global food waste problem, and why supply chain infrastructure matters
Readers weren’t only after supply chain tactics this year; many were thinking bigger.
This article does that by looking at how we can enhance the entire food system to reduce waste: where food waste begins, how it spreads and how insufficient infrastructure can affect communities.
This is a conversation every cold chain company should be having, especially around the link between cold chain access and food security.
It’s a far-reaching issue, and the article helped explore why it matters for the people and communities behind the food system.
5. What Lineage's Dallas team learned by rethinking their process
One of the year’s most popular stories didn’t involve the big headlines or exciting new technology—it centered on a simple process problem at a single Lineage facility.
Using Lean methodologies, the Dallas Dynasty team walked through their receiving workflow, mapped the pain points and then rebuilt their faulty process from the ground up.
The results were undeniable: inbound time dropped 81% and congestion plummeted. This smoothed out operations for the entire team. Our readers connected with this one because it shows Lineage’s continuous improvement mindset in work in its most honest, raw form: our team identified a problem and fixed it.
It may not make for a flashy headline but the impact is undeniable.
6. How one produce company grew its network in weeks
A frozen produce company anticipated a record harvest and knew their current warehouse footprint wouldn’t cut it. With only weeks to prepare for the harvest, they turned to Lineage to help expand quickly without throwing delivery schedules off track.
This customer success story follows how the solution expanded from three sites to fifteen and how Lineage teams coordinated site selection, communication and freight movement to carry them through their busiest season yet.
We are so proud of how the Lineage team is able to deploy for our customers and thrilled to help this customer seize a transformational opportunity for their business.
What these articles say about supply chain priorities right now
Seen together, these stories tell a lot about where customers’ heads have been in 2025. And we’re proud to offer expertise, ideas and a spirit of partnership to deliver real supply chain wins in a time of uncertainty.
We have every reason to believe 2026 will be just as dynamic as 2025 was. Change is the new normal for the supply chain, and these stories show how and why Lineage is the partner you want in your corner – whatever twists the world has in store for you in this next trip around the sun.
