Rail freight operator Ferrovalle has selected INFORM's Syncrotess Optimization Plus software to run a Smart Yard automation initiative at its intermodal terminal in Mexico City, where the intermodal division handled around 550,000 TEUs in 2025. The contract was signed in early September 2026, with go-live planned for June 2027, about nine months later. The announcement describes the site as one of Latin America's largest inland intermodal operations, which makes the choice of an optimization layer rather than a full system replacement a signal for other operators weighing similar projects.
What the Smart Yard project covers
The deployment combines four INFORM modules: the Yard Optimizer, Crane Optimizer, Vehicle Optimizer, and Train Load Optimizer. The initial optimized fleet includes eight RTG cranes, four reach stackers, and 14 terminal tractors. Ferrovalle aims to lift equipment throughput, raise the ratio of billable moves to overall handling volume, and meet defined service-level targets for truck handling, train loading, and train discharging. The project covers two yards, one customs-cleared and one customs-controlled, and the optimization must maintain that separation while accounting for different processes for maritime and cross-border containers. Dedicated inspection and loading areas will be integrated into the workflow through automated tractor assignments and status exchanges with the terminal operating system.
INFORM said the software will draw operational data from Ferrovalle's existing systems to provide greater operational transparency and produce coordinated recommendations that update continuously across yard, equipment, and train operations. The project uses a hybrid architecture: rather than replacing Ferrovalle's internally developed terminal operating system, Syncrotess Optimization Plus runs as an additional optimization layer, exchanging train consist data, load plans, container status, clearance information, and operational updates with the in-house system. The software will support yard, equipment, and train operations across two operational areas while the existing system remains in place. Integration with the terminal's Equipment Control System allows automatic weight checks as part of routine crane lifts, so cargo no longer requires separate weighing stops.
Planning container storage, equipment deployment, and train loading and discharge still depends heavily on manual criteria and dispatcher judgment at the terminal, according to the announcement. The Train Load Optimizer will automate a planning process that is currently largely manual: it generates optimized train load plans based on available containers, train configurations, operational restrictions, and clearance status, and planners remain able to review and adjust the proposed plans when required. Customs clearance is built into the loading decision itself: before Syncrotess Optimization Plus assigns a container for train loading, the in-house system confirms that customs and documentation clearance has been granted, and only cleared containers can be released for loading. Ferrovalle's terminal is one of Mexico's most important rail freight hubs and acts as a last-mile link for rail traffic moving through the Valley of Mexico.
What this means for intermodal operators
For companies running container yards, the Ferrovalle case shows that automation is moving past the gate and into the core of terminal operations. The practical consequence is that an operator does not have to abandon its own terminal operating system to get optimization: the hybrid model lets an existing in-house platform keep handling transactions while a separate layer coordinates yard, equipment, and train decisions. For a mid-sized terminal, that lowers the entry barrier because the project can start with a defined fleet — here eight RTG cranes, four reach stackers, and 14 terminal tractors — instead of a full-scale rebuild. For a large hub, the same approach allows phased rollout across separate yards with different customs regimes, which matters when maritime and cross-border flows follow different rules.
What remains to be verified is whether the promised gains in equipment throughput and the ratio of billable moves to overall handling volume materialize after go-live in June 2027. The nine-month implementation window is a useful benchmark for judging how long integration with an in-house terminal operating system and an Equipment Control System actually takes. The announcement does not state the contract value, the number of containers affected, or the expected percentage improvement in any metric, so those figures should be requested from the vendor or the operator before treating the project as a proven template. Buyers evaluating similar software should ask how the optimization layer handles customs-controlled containers, how it exchanges data with an existing terminal operating system, and whether planners can override generated train load plans.
The trend will be confirmed if Ferrovalle reports measurable results after the June 2027 go-live — specifically, whether the ratio of billable moves to overall handling volume rises and whether the defined service-level targets for truck handling, train loading, and train discharging are met. A second marker is whether INFORM signs comparable hybrid-architecture deals with other inland intermodal operators in Latin America, since the model's value depends on working alongside existing systems rather than replacing them. For business, that would mean optimization software becomes a layer that can be added to current terminal infrastructure, not a reason to rebuild it.
