International. With expensive and intensively equipped equipment, strict temperature requirements and energy dependence, the cold supply chain has always been a demanding segment of logistics. Now, the industry is clinging to additional challenges, from increasing the capacity of its team, to quality standards and continuous implementation of regulations.
The cold chain also faces many of the same issues that challenge the entire supply chain, such as serving the global marketplace, reducing costs, becoming increasingly strategic, and addressing capacity and resource constraints, while managing the demanding needs of the sector. mainly food and pharmaceuticals.
Refrigerated transportation not only transports fresh fruits, meat, vegetables and medicines, there are many more categories that have begun to realize their temperature-controlled transportation needs, such as chemicals and engineering materials, organs and blood, art and antiques, flowers, cosmetics, perfumes and tobacco. All of these with very different and varied needs.
There are some challenges facing the cold chain, which can be countered by some strategies on the part of manufacturers and logistics service providers, to adapt and thrive; such as those described below:
1. The cold chain is becoming more global
Growing interest in healthy food, and a growing middle class in countries like China, are pushing cold chains to go global. Now, consumers demand high-end products, such as Alaskan salmon, which must travel long distances and be shipped quickly to ensure their freshness and quality.
Demand for fresh food is growing and requires further innovation to overcome capacity and infrastructure constraints, and mitigate disruption risks to ensure quality delivery. Meeting these demands without increasing inventory locations and costs adds pressure on every element of the supply chain.
The strategy is to reach customers wherever they are and have strategic allies for that, as do some vendors like Thermo King, a manufacturer of transportation temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and an Ingersoll Rand brand. they have global network reach that provides service almost anywhere in the world with the same high quality.
2. The growing focus on product quality and sensitivity
In any industry, mainly in the food industry, the big trend is a greater focus on quality, health and integrity. To gain a reputation for business with fickle and demanding consumers, manufacturers must ensure an optimal brand experience. For cold chain dependent products, this also means avoiding the changes in texture and taste that occur when a shipment deviates from recommended temperatures.
More premium products are entering the market with shorter shelf life and increased temperature sensitivity. This intensifies the focus on quality and consumer experience, meaning that refrigerated warehouses across the food cold chain must maintain up to five different temperature zones.
The FDA has finalized seven main rules to implement the FSMA Act, recognizing that ensuring the safety of the food supply is a shared responsibility among many different points in the global supply chain for human and animal food. The FSMA rules are designed to make clear the specific actions that must be taken at each of these points to avoid food contamination.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers also deal with more sensitive products every day, such as personalized treatments for rare diseases. These products often include active ingredients of the highest value with shorter shelf life and lead to strict temperature requirements. Only a few suppliers, such as Thermo King, ensure delivery with maximum safety, with high quality products and services, in addition to experts recognized worldwide for their reliability, efficiency and innovation. It also has a simulation analysis in its design process, to simulate cases of rupture of the parts and units, and correct them in advance to ensure maximum safety.
3. Market pressures drive demand for supply chain efficiency
Driver shortages and capacity constraints are hitting the cold chain. Everyone involved in the supply chain must take precautions to deliver the best products to the end customer, and running a refrigerated fleet requires significant capital investment, specially trained drivers, increased accountability, and increased risk for close inspection.
Cold chain operators are eager to find new strategies to reduce costs. In retail, requirements for small, frequent orders are driving the use of multi-trailer cells, such as cell-insulated refrigerated trailers to create different temperature zones, but consolidation of a multi-cell trailer is not always possible. Because of the space and cost management to manage insulation, it works better to acquire the equipment rather than a common refrigerated container. Thermo King is the world leader in the manufacture and innovation of transportation temperature control systems for trailers, truck bodies, buses, containers on board and rail cars.
4. Investment in technology remains critical
Like all supply chains, cold chain operators must continuously update technology to ensure efficiency, integrity and safety. This includes both back-end and front-end IT infrastructure, as well as devices to collect and report key shipment data in real time, etc.
Cold chain carriers have invested heavily in equipment that has integrated into refrigeration units, systems to track temperature and location, and to make this data available to 3PLs and carriers in real time, offering greater visibility and the ability to prevent or mitigate losses.
Some other manufacturers in different industrial areas use sensors to independently track the temperature of their loads, usually for high-value products and their international shipments; after all, it is better to invest in good transportation than to lose the goods due to poor handling.
This increased demand for temperature status and real-time location is strongly driving demand for IT infrastructure that can analyze and deliver data where and when needed.
Undoubtedly, the serialization element will affect the cold chain, not only marking the integrity of the product, but requiring 100 percent accuracy with the flow of information for the customer, to ensure that their products do not spoil. Thermo King has an extensive network of customers and monitors drive performance data in real time.
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