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MINNEAPOLIS, February 11, 2025 /3BL/ – Thermo King, a leader in sustainable transport temperature control solutions and a strategic brand of global climate innovator Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), announced today the expansion of its telematics offering with the launch of TracKing® Smart Trailer telematics, delivering comprehensive visibility into trailer health and cargo operations. This new platform complements the business’s existing TracKing® Pro telematics, providing fleet operators with a robust platform for managing the complete trailer, cargo and reefer.

Fleet managers today face a variety of challenges, from regulatory pressures to rising fuel costs. The TracKing Smart Trailer telematics system directly addresses these issues by offering actionable insights that can boost operational efficiency and help fleets remain compliant with modern regulations. With TracKing Smart Trailer telematics, fleet managers and drivers gain real-time, 360-degree visibility of critical trailer components like tire pressure, brake health, door position, lights and axle weight, which can enable smarter decision-making, reduce road risks and increase uptime through proactive maintenance.

“As cargo management gets more and more complex, the need for reliable, real-time data becomes critical,” said Adam Wittwer, president, Thermo King Americas. “The TracKing Smart Trailer telematics system empowers fleet operators to make smarter, faster decisions that help minimize costs, all while reducing environmental impact. This comprehensive solution can enable fleets to operate more efficiently, keep trailers on the road longer, and help their businesses to remain competitive in today’s market.”

“Our customers are continually looking for ways to streamline operations and reduce costs,” said Paul Kroes, trailer innovation leader at Thermo King. “The TracKing Smart Trailer telematics solution was developed in response to this demand, allowing fleet managers to monitor and maintain every aspect of their trailer’s performance, helping prevent costly repairs and avoidable downtime.”

The platform is designed to support Thermo King’s broader sustainability goals, aligning with Trane Technologies’ 2030 Sustainability Commitment to reduce customer carbon footprints by one gigaton by 2030. The platform also helps Thermo King customers reduce fuel use and cut back on emissions by minimizing idling time and supporting proactive maintenance.

The TracKing Smart Trailer telematics system leverages cutting-edge sensors, integrated video cameras and advanced analytics to provide fleet operators with deep insights into trailer performance. Key features include:

Operational efficiency: A dashboard delivers remote monitoring, diagnostics and real-time alerts of all relevant trailer components, while advanced GPS tracking provides route history and live trip monitoring. The system includes multiple wireless sensors for accurate cargo temperature monitoring with an accuracy of +/- 0.9°F, and a cargo camera provides visibility inside the trailer to capture open- and closed-door events. Dynamic tire inflation keeps tires optimally inflated, reducing drag and emissions while extending tire life.Enhanced monitoring features: A full suite of features, including anti-lock brake system (ABS) health monitor, trailer backing camera and door position sensors, support safer trailer operations and help to reduce accident risks. The system also provides video recording and playback from both the rear camera and interior cargo camera.Increased uptime: A full fleet health dashboard allows for predictive maintenance of key components, including tire pressure, brake health and temperature monitoring. These datapoints can reduce unplanned stops by allowing operators to address maintenance needs before they become costly issues.Regulatory compliance: TracKing Smart Trailer telematics can help fleets remain compliant with regulatory requirements by providing lights-out detection, brake monitoring and weight monitoring to avoid fines and prevent violations that could impact fleet safety scores.

When combined with Thermo King’s existing refrigeration telematics platform, TracKing Pro telematics, the TracKing Smart Trailer telematics solution offers a bumper-to-reefer view of both the trailer and its cargo. This integration enables complete operational control, from monitoring cargo temperature to tracking the condition of key trailer components, for seamless and efficient fleet management.

“We saw the value of Smart Trailer telematics immediately,” said Michael Job, director of safety, fleet maintenance and facilities for JBS Carriers. “Our first trailer we installed it on, the air pressure sensor detected low tire pressure that our driver hadn’t been aware of.

This allowed us to safely bring the trailer back to the shop, repair it and get it back on the road quickly. Without Smart Trailer telematics, the tire could have blown out, requiring a costly mobile technician repair. Now, we can monitor trailer performance and address maintenance needs before they hit the road.”

To learn more about how TracKing Smart Trailer telematics can transform your fleet operations, visit thermoking.com/smarttrailer or contact your local Thermo King dealer for details on installation and subscription options.

About Thermo King
Thermo King – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator – is a worldwide leader in sustainable transport climate control solutions. Thermo King has been providing transport temperature control solutions for a variety of applications, including trailers, truck bodies, buses, air, shipboard containers and railway cars since 1938. For more information, visit thermoking.com or tranetechnologies.com.

Math is everywhere, and when Doodles and Digits is involved, math is fun, too. This year, Doodles and Digits and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation announced a partnership to underwrite the television debut of “How It’s Math” on Public Television.

Foundation Partner

Director of ESG and Social Impact Katherine Dickens shared why this is such a great fit for our company: “When Caroline from Doodles & Digits approached us, she shared a compelling picture of the dire state of education for elementary age children post-Covid. Caroline has a local link to Scotts as someone living in Columbus with awareness of the company. She presented a need that was really meaningful.”

Continued Connection

It turns out that not only was the Foundation a wonderful fit for Doodles and Digits, but ScottsMiracle-Gro’s R&D department was a winning equation for a program segment. As we mentioned, math is everywhere, and that includes throughout a lawn and garden company. From product development to field tests, math is at the forefront of innovation at ScottsMiracle-Gro.

Caroline Farkas, founder of Doodles and Digits, loved the connection between education, math and gardening: “First and foremost, we seek organizations that are passionate about education and making a positive impact on young learners. It’s important that the organization values creativity, innovation, and real-world learning,” says Caroline. “We consider how the organization’s work intersects with the themes we explore on our show, such as science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM).”

If you’re ready to learn “How It’s Math” both at ScottsMiracle-Gro and in a variety of other real world examples, check it out on PBS.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With approximately $3.6 billion in sales, the Company is the world’s largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company’s brands are among the most recognized in the industry. The Company’s Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hawthorne Gardening Company, is a leading provider of nutrients, lighting, and other materials used in the indoor and hydroponic growing segment. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com.

View original content here.

Mastercard

Creating and sticking with good habits isn’t easy. It takes time and repetition and requires the kind of discipline that, for many of us, is hard to access.

That’s where gamification comes in. The idea behind this strategy is that by introducing the elements of a game — competition, rewards and fun — you can motivate people to make better choices again and again until they become habits. Tech companies are using it to build tools that, for example, help kids with diabetes more efficiently manage their blood sugar by monitoring a baby dragon’s blood sugar.

Financial institutions can harness this same technology to advance inclusion. As banks look for ways to build trust and encourage people to use digital tools that can help them better manage their finances, gamification is proving to be a powerful option, especially in Latin America, where account ownership and financial digitalization is growing faster than in other regions.

Gamification can help those new users improve their financial health and become long-term customers of banks. Studies have shown that gamification can help people financially stay on track with things like bill and loan payments, which means better credit, more financial stability and a strengthened relationship with their bank.

“Moving people from access to usage of financial tools can go a long way toward building a more financially inclusive world, but getting people to usage is still a challenge,” says Natasha Jamal, vice president of social impact for Mastercard Strive, a global program that helps small businesses around the world to thrive in the digital economy.

Making financial services fun

“Part of the challenge is that in some cultures, simply talking about money can be taboo,” says Pedro Moura, co-founder of Flourish Fi, a California-based fintech that combines gamification with behavioral science to increase customer loyalty and engagement with financial institutions across the Americas. That means consumers are missing the knowledge they need to embrace healthy financial habits, and banks have an opportunity to help with that financial education. When money isn’t discussed, good money management can feel out of reach.

“This can be as simple as paying their bills on time, building a little bit of a rainy-day fund or making smarter decisions in their financial lives,” says Moura, who was the first in his family to access financial services in the U.S. after they emigrated Brazil. “We’re turning that interaction from transactional into a fun element.”

Flourish Fi, a veteran of Mastercard’s Start Path startup engagement program, aims to help banks better connect with people who are new to the banking system. Moura says the key is mixing personalized nudges with data intelligence and incentives to drive behavior. Flourish Fi uses APIs — the application programming interfaces that help software systems talk to each other — to connect with financial institution partners’ apps or websites to give consumers opportunities to play games that help them improve their financial health.

When customers log in to their account, paying bills on time might trigger a wheel of prizes for them to spin. Or they may choose settings that automatically make micro-deposits based on a beloved sports team’s wins.

In partnership with a number of banks, Flourish Fi rolled out its product in Brazil and across Latin America for individuals in 2018. After using Flourish Fi, consumers increased their deposit values by 32% and their online bill payments by 26%, and they doubled their usage of partner banking apps. Banks and credit unions also benefit from the technology because it helps them strengthen customer relationships and build trust with people who might otherwise transact offline.

Brazil’s Banco Carrefour and Bolivia’s BancoSol have found that customers log in to their app or website twice as much as they did before Flourish Fi was added, Moura says. Customers who previously saved nothing over six to eight months now save some $600 over the same period. Incentives on Flourish Fi, such as the ability to spend points earned from quiz-taking or on-time loan payments on prizes, also mean that banks’ repayment levels are rising.

Bringing gamification to small businesses

Most recently, Flourish Fi forged a partnership with Mastercard Strive to expand its service to yet another group in need: micro-entrepreneurs. These small-business owners often struggle to use digital financial services to help them meet their business goals.

In Brazil, 77% of micro-entrepreneurs have never taken a course or training in finance, according to Brazilian micro- and small-business support service Sebrae. At the same time, one in three don’t check their bank account and have no record of money coming in and out of their business.

Through gamification, Flourish Fi incentivizes responsible financial business management practices like saving or investing money and paying loans and bills on time. For example, Flourish Fi helped inspire Brazilian corner store owner Maria Lourdes to digitize her business.

“What’s top of mind for a small entrepreneur is they want to sell more and manage their time more effectively,” Moura says, “and we support individuals with journeys of better understanding financial services.”

Using Flourish Fi, Lourdes was incentivized by personalized rewards and micro-content on ways she can bolster her business by accepting digital payments and then paying her bills with the money she’s bringing in. Micro-content on the app also taught her how to further tap into financial services to enhance her business’s financial health.

Flourish Fi now helps 375,000 people across five countries. But there are millions of individuals like Lourdes who still need support, Moura says.

It’s his hope that through continued partnerships with the private sector, Flourish Fi will foster many more individuals’ and small businesses’ resilience and growth by incentivizing them to make better use of digital financial services and build responsible money management habits.

“If you design a more inclusive financial system, you’re unlocking the dreams of millions of individuals,” Moura says. “People want to be the best version of themselves. They just need access, support and sometimes just a little bit of a reward to stick on their path.”

Originally published by Mastercard

Follow along Mastercard’s journey to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.