Understanding cold chain management
The cold chain, as the name implies, is a logistics management procedure for items that require chilled temperatures that clients require. It is a process since it entails a series of operations to prepare, store, and transport items through the cold supply chain. Failure to keep cold chain products cold will render them useless, resulting in product waste. When cold things spoil, both the shipper and the customer lose money.
A good cold chain keeps temperature-sensitive items within ideal temperature ranges and in the required states from beginning to end. Ice cream, for example, must be kept cold to extend its shelf life. When temperatures rise above the sub-zero range, the product loses its solid state and is no longer considered unusable.
Food and pharmaceutical suppliers rely heavily on the cold chain to ensure that their products do not spoil before reaching the market. They are always looking for ways to improve their cold chain management, but this may not be their strong suit. Fortunately, they can always rely on specialized shipping companies to ensure that their shipments are delivered to consumers on time and efficiently.
Outsourcing relieves food and pharmaceutical industries of the responsibility of managing their temperature-controlled supply chain. It also enables them to concentrate on the core of their business, knowing that they have a dependable partner who is willing to maintain their cold chain and work around their schedule.
What are the cold chain components?
Temperature-sensitive goods must be kept cold at all points along the cold chain. The chain is made up of many parts, including the following:
- Storage
Contrary to common opinion, the cold chain does not begin when temperature-sensitive items leave the premises of the producer. It all starts with storing the items in a refrigerated facility.
If cold chain product manufacturers lack the storage equipment required to keep their products cold, they will have to farm out their cold chain operations to a partner who can provide the equipment.
Many businesses provide warehouse space for cold chain products to be stored for a period of time, whether at an intermediary location for easy distribution to the local market or awaiting shipment to a distant market.
Refrigerated containers, cold rooms, chillers, cold boxes, blast freezers, and vaccine carriers are examples of common cold storage equipment and facilities.
2. Packaging
Temperature-controlled products must be properly packaged in order to maintain their quality during shipment. Proper packaging not only reduces the risk of product contamination, but also ensures that products are stored in an energy-efficient manner throughout the cold chain.
3. Monitoring
Depending on the type of product manufactured, cold chain suppliers may need to keep track of specific types of information about their shipment. Temperature ranges and other environmental parameters, such as humidity levels, can jeopardize the integrity of temperature-sensitive cargo. Shippers can use this data to audit their supply chain processes, detecting environments and activities that cause inefficiencies.
Data recording is one of the technologies that may be utilised to make cold chain supply management more easier. This device aids in the effective monitoring of temperature-sensitive commodities in the cold chain. It also aids in quality assurance because any issues with quality can be addressed before it is too late.
Wireless data loggers, standalone data loggers, web-based data loggers, and computer-based data loggers are all options. Each option has distinct features, advantages, and disadvantages that must be carefully considered before making a final decision. Consultation with a service provider can assist shippers in determining the best data logging technology for their cold chain supply requirements.
4. Transport
Cold transport entails the use of various transport solutions to move temperature-sensitive products from storage to the consumer market.
Products in the cold chain can be transported by road, rail, air, and/or sea.
Refrigerator vans, refrigerator trucks, and reefer containers are among the specialized transport vehicles and equipment used to transport and keep shipments cold.
5. Clearance of customs
Geographically, the cold chain might be local, regional, or global. When the site of harvest or production is near to the point of consumption, the cold chain is local. When the point of production and the point of use are in different regions of the same country, it is regional. When products must be transported across borders to reach consumers on the other side of the Atlantic, the cold chain becomes global.
In the case of global cold chain supply, suppliers of temperature-sensitive products may be required to clear customs before delivering shipment to foreign jurisdictions.
A specialized cold chain service provider can manage customs procedures to prevent delivery delays that may occur if all necessary international shipping standards are not met.
6. Product management
The cold chain involves the movement of temperature-controlled items throughout the chain at several locations. Material-handling equipment, such as shipping crates, boxes, and pallets, as well as conveyor belt systems, are required.
Shippers would take a long time to transport cold chain items without such equipment. This would make it impossible for them to make the quick deliveries required to minimize cargo loss.
7. Delivery
Cold chain management may also include shipment delivery based on end-user consumers’ preferred methods for receiving cold deliveries.
For more information about Industrial & Commercial Cold Chain Refrigeration Supplier Malaysia, please visit https://www.saicond.com.my/
