When it comes to shipping temperature-sensitive products, cold chain logistics are the natural solution people rely on. However, because businesses shipping temperature-sensitive products have specific logistics requirements, they also face unique challenges that other shipping ventures don’t.
Here are the three most common cold chain logistic challenges that businesses face when they deal with shipping temperature-sensitive products.
Exposure
If there’s a delay in shipping for something inorganic, like smartphones packed away in their boxes, this is not much of a threat to the smartphones themselves. Whether they sit in a warehouse or on the tarmac, a few extra hours or days of waiting don’t have much impact.
However, the exact opposite is true when shipping temperature-sensitive products. The longer these products are exposed to an uncontrolled environment, the greater the risk that temperature changes can affect their viability when they finally arrive at their destination. The potential dangers run the gamut from discolored but edible food to medication that no longer works as prescribed.
Mechanical Breakdown
Many businesses rely on active environment control systems, such as “reefer units,” that refrigerate a space to keep temperature-sensitive products at their recommended storage temperature. As long as these units are working, there’s no risk to the products themselves.
However, refrigeration units, like other types of hardware, can’t run perfectly indefinitely. Whether it’s the result of an accident, age, or even neglect, with no proper maintenance, refrigeration units can develop faults that interfere with their operation. If this happens with a delicate shipment, then those days—or even weeks—without being at the proper temperature can irreparably damage the product.
Cost-Management
A final challenge that every business owner should be mindful of when shipping temperature-sensitive products is managing costs. Because of the stricter requirements these products have during transport, this typically means more money must be spent to protect them during shipping. Contracting the use of a cargo container with a reefer unit, for example, will understandably cost more to use versus a standard cargo container with no mechanical or electrical modifications installed.
Additional costs are also incurred from damaged goods when temperature fluctuations during shipment damage them. This challenge, however, is more rooted in management and can be offset with smart, proactive shipping decisions, such as using thermal blanket insulation foil to act as a secondary layer of protection against possible exposure or mechanical breakdowns. In some cases, secondary protection alone may be sufficient for some types of cargo or shipping times.
If you want to protect temperature-sensitive shipments and help address these cold chain logistics challenges, contact Protek Cargo with your needs and get a quote.
