Cold Chain Logistics Management
Every step of the supply chain is essential — especially when you’re dealing with temperature-sensitive cargo. Temperature and moisture control are two of the biggest challenges in shipping.
Cold chain logistics management is the key to protecting temperature-sensitive shipments. Innovative solutions like our Temcore line and refrigerated containers and trucks play an essential role in making sure every shipment is safe.
Find out more about cold chain logistics management and how it can help you protect your temperature-sensitive cargo and your bottom line.
What Is Cold Chain Management?
Cold chain management is the process of maintaining stable temperatures throughout the packaging, storage, and shipping stages to protect temperature-sensitive cargo. Refrigeration, insulation, and other techniques are used to prevent damage that extreme temperatures can cause.
While cold chain management is common in the world of food and beverages, there are countless examples of temperature-sensitive cargo. From pharmaceutical shipments to frozen food, we offer a wide range of products to help with cold chain management.
Stages of Cold Chain Management
There are several stages of cold chain logistics, so keeping your cargo safe is a holistic effort. Temperature-sensitive cargo needs to be protected during every stage of the process, from packaging to shipping.
Packaging
Cold chain logistics begins with the packaging stage. Any potentially temperature-sensitive products should be protected by appropriate packaging. There are several solutions available, including coolers, box liners, and insulated containers.
We offer several Temcore products that can help you safely package your temperature-sensitive cargo, including thermal pallet covers that protect palletized products.
Storage
Once you’ve packaged your products, you need to store them somewhere until they’re ready to ship. For food products and pharmaceuticals, we recommend a temperature-controlled warehouse where you can maintain stable temperatures.
You can also use our Temcore pallet covers and thermal blankets to protect the cargo you store in your warehouse.
Shipping & Tracking
As important as packaging and storage are, they’re not the most vital stage of cold chain logistics. When the time comes to ship temperature-sensitive cargo, choosing a reliable carrier and leveraging technology to track your shipments is crucial.
Perishable goods like food and medication are often shipped on refrigerated trucks or in refrigerated shipping containers. Less sensitive products can be shipped using insulated containers and boxes.
Once your goods are on a truck, you can use internet of things (IoT) technology to monitor temperatures in real-time. Even if you’re using our Temcore liners or pallet covers, monitoring temperatures in real-time is a key part of maintaining safe temperatures — especially for food and medication.
Who Uses Cold Chain Logistics?
Cold chain logistics play an essential role in countless industries, including everything from food and beverages to plants and perfume. We provide a wide range of solutions that are designed to simplify cold chain management in every industry. You can find a few popular use cases below.
Electronics
Electronics are sensitive and expensive, so manufacturers rely on cold chain management to protect electronics during the packaging, storage, and shipping stages.
Most electrical components can be damaged by exposure to extreme heat — that’s why computers and TVs have built-in fans that help maintain stable temperatures. The hotter electronic devices get, the shorter their lifespan.
Food & beverages
Cold chain logistics are extremely common in the food and beverage industry. Most food that’s refrigerated or frozen needs to be stored and shipped in refrigerated or insulated containers. Even food that’s not refrigerated can be spoiled or compromised by exposure to extreme heat.
Protecting food and beverage shipments is vital because we consume these products. If raw meat or milk is exposed to high temperatures for a prolonged period, consumers can get sick from these products.
Temcore pallet covers and container liners provide essential protection for food and beverage shipments. From pallets of water and dry goods to sensitive refrigerated shipments, we offer versatile solutions to meet your needs.
Medicine
Medicine is another field where cold chain logistics plays an essential role. Medicine is consumed just like food is, so maintaining stable temperatures allows pharmaceutical companies to safely ship medicine around the world.
Safely shipping medicine isn’t as simple as using a refrigerated truck. Some medications can degrade when exposed to extreme heat, while others like vaccines and insulin become less effective after cold exposure.
While cold chain logistics only play a role in shipping certain medications, we offer pallet covers and insulated liners that protect against extreme cold and heat.
Cold Chain Packaging
Cold chain packaging is the first step in the process, and it’s not as simple as using an insulated container. Choosing the right packaging depends on the sensitivity of the products you’re shipping. There are two types of cold chain packaging available — active and passive.
Passive cold chain packaging
Passive cold chain packaging is ideal in controlled room temperature (CRT) shipping and storage. When you need to ship low-risk or less sensitive goods, passive packaging is a cost-effective choice.
Passive containers use insulation to protect your cargo from surrounding temperature changes. Passive containers may also contain coolants such as gel packs or dry ice.
Generally, passive containers are rated based on how long they can hold a specific temperature. Choosing the right passive cold chain container is a key part of making sure every shipment arrives safely.
Thermal blankets, pallet covers, and container linings can supplement passive containers to maintain cooler temperatures. Our Temcore lineup includes several innovative solutions that work well with passive containers.
Active cold chain packaging
Active cold chain packaging uses a cooling or heating system that’s designed to maintain a specific temperature with little fluctuation. Unlike passive containers, active containers are an ideal solution for high-risk products and non-CRT shipping and storage.
Most active containers are powered by electricity, a battery, or both. If temperatures fluctuate too much, an alarm will notify you and a standby system will activate to make sure your cargo stays cool.
While active containers are more effective in terms of maintaining consistent temperatures, they’re more expensive. Active containers are typically rented or leased due to the cost.
Digital Technology in Cold Chain Management
Cold chain logistics begins with proper packaging and storage, but technology also plays an important role. Digital technology allows us to keep track of packages as they make their way across the country. With cold chain monitoring, you can monitor real-time temperatures and receive alerts to protect high-risk cargo.
Understanding how digital technology impacts cold chain logistics allows you to leverage technology to protect your cargo and maintain quality. Here’s how it works.
Tracking
Accurate tracking helps you ensure your cargo is on schedule, which is especially important with passive cold chain packaging.
Trucks are equipped with GSM/GPS that can display the position of the vehicle at any moment, and location data can be sent to the carrier’s internal system. From there, you can use your tracking number to figure out where your package is currently.
Battery-powered GPS devices can be attached to individual packages to provide real-time tracking information for packages transported by truck, ship, or rail. For the sake of cold chain logistics, these devices can also monitor temperatures and relay that data.
Terminals are equipped with RFID and BLE readers, ensuring every RFID or BLE tag is scanned if it’s within range. Individual RFID tags can be scanned using a handheld reader and BLE beacons can be scanned with a smartphone.
GPS devices are typically more expensive and better for outdoor use. RFID and BLE technology are better for indoor use, offering a cost-effective alternative to GPS devices.
Monitoring
While tracking allows you to see the location of your package, monitoring allows you to see real-time temperature readings and receive alerts when there’s been a major fluctuation.
Some GPS devices are capable of monitoring, but there are several common alternatives.
Data loggers are installed in a container or storage area to periodically collect data about the temperature and sometimes humidity. When you want to access this information, you have to physically connect to your data logger. This means data loggers don’t offer real-time monitoring or remote information about your cargo.
Bluetooth temperature sensors are also a common monitoring solution in cold chain logistics. The BLE devices we mentioned previously can be used to collect temperature and humidity data that can be pulled by using a smartphone or scanner to wirelessly scan the device. While Bluetooth monitoring doesn’t provide real-time monitoring on its own, you can receive real-time updates with the right setup.
IoT infrastructure allows you to collect data from monitoring devices and store it on the cloud, so you can access reports and real-time temperatures without being near a BLE device.
Cold Chain Regulations & Standards
Whether you’re shipping prescription drugs or food and beverages, there are cold chain logistics regulations you must follow. These regulations are put in place to protect consumers in the event that temperature-sensitive goods are mishandled.
- 21 CFR 205.50 Minimum requirements for the storage and handling of prescription drugs and for the establishment and maintenance of prescription drug distribution records.
- 21CFR 203.32 Drug sample storage and handling requirements.
- 21 CFR 203.36 Fulfillment houses, shipping and mailing services, comarketing agreements, and third-party recordkeeping.
- 21 CFR 211.150 Distribution procedures.
- 21 CFR Part 11 ELECTRONIC RECORDS, ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES
- Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
- Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs)
- Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP)
- Food Safety Plan Builder
- HARPC
- HACCP
We design all of our innovative shipping solutions with these regulations and standards in mind. Temcore products are made to provide total thermal protection for temperature-sensitive cargo.
Cold Chain Management Challenges
At Eurolog Packing Group, we understand how challenging cold chain logistics can be. We help you overcome these challenges by providing simple shipping solutions that make your job easier.
Regulations
Cold chain regulations are one of the biggest challenges you face when shipping temperature-sensitive goods. There are rules and regulations you have to follow to ensure you’re safely shipping food, medicine, and other sensitive goods. These regulations tell you how to store, label, and handle products to prevent damage.
Following cold chain regulations is easier when you develop a team and implement simple, repeatable processes. Once you’ve repeated the same process a handful of times, you’ll get used to it. Our shipping solutions can also help you comply with cold chain regulations.
Damaged goods
If there’s a problem with an active container or refrigerated truck, your shipment may be damaged or rendered useless. Food and beverages can spoil when they’re not stored at the proper temperature, and certain medications can become less effective when exposed to extreme temperatures.
Damaged goods aren’t a major concern with smaller shipments. If you’re shipping a cooler full of food or drinks to someone across the country, a mistake won’t cost much. When an entire shipping container filled with expensive medication or chemicals is damaged, it can result in massive losses.
Proper handling
Cold chain shipments need to be handled properly from start to finish to prevent spoiling and contamination. Food products and medication can’t be exposed to bacteria, and maintaining consistent temperatures is essential. Unfortunately, mistakes often occur during the handling stages of cold chain logistics.
Whether frozen products are repeatedly thawed and re-frozen or food is stored near potentially hazardous chemicals, improper handling can cost you money and compromise the quality of your products.
To keep goods fresh and prevent damage, everyone has to be on the same page. This is why it’s so important to develop standard practices for cold chain logistics.
Simplify Cold Chain Logistics With Eurolog Packing Group
Whether you’re shipping food, medicine, or electronics, cold chain logistics play a key role in protecting your cargo. Choosing the right packaging, monitoring temperatures, and properly handling products can help you minimize losses and ensure the safe delivery of your cargo.
Need help with cold chain logistics? Eurolog Packing Group is here to lend a hand. We offer several innovative shipping solutions to protect temperature-sensitive cargo, including Temcore covers, liners, and blankets. We even offer custom shipping solutions that we can tailor to meet your needs.
Contact us to learn how our shipping solutions can help you save money and safely ship high-risk cargo.
Sandra Malouf is the President of Eurolog Packing Group and has spent her career focused on Industrial Packaging. With a proven track record of helping businesses avoid supply chain disruptions, Sandra’s visionary leadership elevates the industry. She’s committed to developing sustainable practices and continues to shape the future of industrial packaging by listening to the customer and offering unique solutions applicable to various industries across the world. The company’s main focus is temperature stabilization and moisture damage prevention in exports affected by extreme variations in global temperatures.
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