Some types of freight, especially perishables like food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals, are sensitive to temperature. They have an optimal temperature for use and storage, and prolonged exposure to temperatures outside this optimal range can impact the freshness or even medical efficacy of these products. To ensure the viability of these temperature-sensitive products, additional protection is required.
If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive products in volume and taking advantage of an entire cargo container, the most cost-efficient solution is a container liner. However, it’s important to make the right choice in this regard.
Passive Protection
Container liners are an excellent alternative to traditional, powered and active environmental control systems like “reefer units,” or refrigeration containers. There is an added expense to this type of equipment as refrigeration units require electrical power to operate, so the cost of a power source must always be accounted for in shipping costs.
However, depending on the duration of shipment, container liners are a cost-effective alternative. Container liners provide a layer of insulation throughout the container itself, preserving the initial shipping temperature rather than providing constant powered temperature maintenance the way a reefer unit would. But an additional benefit is that container liners provide protection to temperature-sensitive products, not just for those that must be protected from a rise in temperature but for those products that must be protected from a drop in temperature as well.
Picking Sides
Container liners all do one thing as a standard, and that is to provide a protective insulating layer for the top, sides, front, and back of a container. This ensures that despite whatever variances in temperature may be occurring outside, the optimal shipping temperature within the container itself remains steady.
But there is at least one consideration when looking at container liners and that is whether to invest in a liner that also insulates the bottom of the container. Container liners can come in a five-sided configuration that leaves container floors unprotected, but six-sided configurations are also available. The choice to go with one or the other depends on various factors considered during the logistics process. Variables like the amount of time to ship, whether a product must be protected from heat, cold, or even both, and what specific steps during the trans-shipment process are all factors that help determine which liner is right for you.
If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive products and want to know which techniques and products are best applied to your logistics needs and situation, we can help. Contact us today to explain your shipping needs and obtain a quote.
