Cold Chain Technology – Cold Chain Shipments – Part 1

Cold Chain IQ knows that developments in cold chain technology are occurring at a rate never before seen in the industry. So how do we navigate this industry when everything is changing so rapidly. Cold chain columnist Eelco de Jong gives his thoughts exclusively to Cold Chain IQ

For more articles, webinars and whitepapers please visit our Cold Chain Technology resource centre.

In a recent radio commercial a person is calling his friend in panic: "Hey, how are you? I was getting really worried as I haven’t heard from you for 12 seconds. No SMS, no tweets, no WhatsApp. Is everything OK with you?". This commercial illustrates how the rise of the Internet and mobile communication have changed personal communication. In today’s connected world we can be assured we receive any important information from our family, friends or colleagues almost immediately.

In the near feature the technologies that have changed personal communication will have a similar impact on the way we communicate with physical objects. We believe that this "Internet of Things" will create tremendous value for cold chain management practices.

In the pharmaceutical industry the use of digital data loggers has become a standard component in managing high-value shipments. These devices record exactly when something is going wrong in the transportation process, but keep this information silent until the product arrives at its destination. At that moment it’s already too late to prevent any problems. This approach is widely accepted, but we believe that in our connected world we should no longer accept this way of working. Cold chain management simply deserves better.

For more articles, webinars and whitepapers please visit our Cold Chain Technology resource centre.