Many of us simply purchase our refrigerated or frozen items at the grocery store without thinking twice about how they got there and whether or not they’re actually safe to eat. Cold chain logistics transports our perishable food and pharmaceutical items — making sure that they are kept at ideal temperatures to maintain safety and effectiveness.
If this process seems simple so far, it’s anything but. However, there are cold chain logistics experts who are well aware of the ideal temperatures for different items in addition to the federal regulations that are designed to keep us safe and healthy. So here’s everything you need to know about what cold chain logistics is, how it works, why it’s important, and how it can be outsourced.
What Is the Cold Chain Process?
The goal of the cold chain is to keep frozen or chilled products cold at every step of the transportation journey. That way, they arrive at their final destination fresh and usable instead of spoiled.
There are several different steps involved in the cold chain process, including warehouses, transport, and destination points. Let’s dive into what happens to cold chain products in each of these steps:
1. Warehouses
In most cases, cold chain products originate in refrigerated warehouses after being produced in refrigerated production areas. Refrigerated warehouses are where the products are stored and kept until they are ready to be transported.
2. Transportation
After the refrigerated warehouse, cold chain products are then transported using refrigerated shipping containers on trucks, trains, boats, and planes.
3. Retailer and Wholesaler Destinations
Finally, cold chain products arrive at the retailer or wholesaler destination and are then stored in refrigerated equipment until they are purchased by consumers.
Why Is Cold Chain Logistics Important?
Even if you’ve never heard of cold chain logistics before, it plays a huge role in your daily life and is incredibly important. If you’re still not convinced about the importance of cold chain logistics, here are some factors to consider:
Foodborne Illnesses
For starters, cold chain logistics is important as it prevents foodborne illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year. Of these 48 million, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die as a result of these illnesses.
There’s no shortage of illnesses out there — the CDC has identified more than 250 that are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. To avoid this, food items need to be kept at a certain temperature within the cold chain.
Food Quality, Flavor, and Consistency
Cold chain logistics also helps preserve food quality, flavor, and consistency. Even if a food item won’t make you sick if it’s kept above its desired temperature, this doesn’t mean that it will still taste good. Take frozen waffles, for example. It’s perfectly fine to eat waffles that aren’t stored in the freezer, but the odds are that they will taste quite soggy and nasty after being stored at a warmer temperature.
Temperature-Sensitive Medications
Finally, cold chain logistics is used to transport temperature-sensitive medications. Countless types of medication and even vaccines need to be transported at extremely cold temperatures to ensure effectiveness. If the cold chain is broken and these pharmaceutical items are heated up, they won’t work as well. For people who depend on these medications to function, it’s extremely vital that they take medication that’s been properly stored and is actually effective.
How Does Cold Chain Logistics Work?
Now that you know a little bit more about what cold chain logistics is and why it’s important, it’s time to talk about how it works.
Data Science and Technology
Data science and technology are used to keep cold chain products at specific temperatures. These technological systems are used to keep shipping containers at the ideal temperature and are able to adjust the internal temperature based on external factors.
Quality Standards
Strict quality standards are also used within cold chain logistics. After all, the proper temperatures for food items and medications weren’t just made up randomly. Instead, they are a part of quality standards set by authorities based on data and research.
For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established regulations that cover the transportation of food and medicine. There are also processes outlined by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the CDC in addition to international entities like the World Health Organization (WHO).
Speed and Visibility
Speed and visibility are also important components of cold chain logistics. This is because most cold chain products have short shelf lives, meaning that they need to get from their origin to their destination quickly so that they can be purchased and consumed—slow shipping results in spoiled products and lost profits.
Thanks to technology, real-time visibility is often demanded by shippers when it comes to cold chain products. These features give shippers the peace of mind that the shipment is on time and won’t spoil.
How Cold Chain Products Are Transported
Cold chain products can be transported over the road, through the air, over the sea, and by rail. Let’s discuss some of these different transportation methods to give you a better idea of how they can work together to establish the cold chain:
1. Road
The most common method of transport for cold chain products is over the road by trailer. Specifically, temperature-controlled trailers referred to as reefer trailers are used to transport cold chain products over the road. These reefer trailers function similarly to the refrigerator in your kitchen with a condenser, compressor, evaporator, and insulation. Unlike your kitchen refrigerator, there are also air chutes, air ride suspension systems, and tire inflation systems.
This system makes it easy to set a specific temperature for the trailer. It also makes it easy for the trailer to maintain that specific temperature based on the outside temperatures and elements. Depending on the specific reefer unit, these trailers can be used to keep extremely high and extremely low temperatures that range from negative 85 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reefer trailers have been around for ages but have evolved into the effective and efficient units we have today. Most of these trailers are about 53 feet long, but there are other sizes to choose from if you need something larger or smaller — keeping in mind that the larger the trailer, the harder it is to cool it. Many companies offer this method of cold chain transportation, you just need to make sure that you find the right fit for your needs.
2. Air
A less common method of transport for cold chain products is through the air by plane. This method is uncommon due to the high costs that come with it. After all, taking a road trip is often cheaper than flying, and the same is true for cold chain products that require special handling.
When you ship cold chain items by air, they end up spending a lot of time in the airport and being loaded and unloaded from the plane. It’s very important that these cold chain products don’t spend too much time on the actual tarmac as this can quickly heat them and cause them to spoil. Instead, they need to be transported to the airport as soon as possible.
Since shipping cold chain items by air is complicated and costly, it’s mostly used to transport foods with short shelf lives that need to be transported quickly so that the items arrive fresh and ready to eat.
3. Sea
Instead of spending a lot of money shipping cold chain products through the air, they can instead be shipped by the sea with a cargo ship. At the same time, it’s important to note that this method is a lot slower than the alternative. And since it’s so slow, it can be challenging to achieve since the ideal temperature has to be maintained for an extended period of time.
Refrigerated shipping containers are used to transport cold chain products by sea. Similar to reefer trailers, these containers are equipped with cooling mechanisms that are able to maintain specific temperatures. The containers are placed on specialized refrigeration boats that are equipped with the proper cooling mechanisms.
Since shipping cold chain items by sea is so inefficient, it’s mostly used to transport important foods from overseas that ground methods cannot transport.
4. Rail
Cold chain products can also be shipped by rail using ice-cooled cars and insulated cars. That being said, rail isn’t a particularly popular method of transport for cold chain items since it’s not as fast or convenient as other methods. Instead, it’s largely used to transport items long distances that would take more than two days to ship by truck.
5. Intermodal Transit
Most cold chain products are shipped using intermodal transportation — meaning that multiple different methods of transportation are used to get the products from the origin to the destination. For example, let’s say that a shipment of produce needs to go from Brazil to a grocery store in Phoenix, Arizona.
Depending on how perishable the produce items are, they would most likely be transported in a refrigerated shipping container on a boat from a port in Brazil to a port on the West Coast of the United States like San Diego, Los Angeles, or Long Beach. From there, the produce items would be picked up by a reefer truck, where they would then be driven from the American port to the Phoenix grocery store.
So while many different methods can be used to transport cold chain products, the process often begins and ends with trucks. Refrigerated trucks are used to transport the perishable products from the field or the plant to the port, airport, or rail terminal of origin. They are then used to transport the products from the destination port, airport, or rail terminal to the grocery store or restaurant.
Can You Outsource Your Cold Chain Logistics?
Clearly, a lot of work goes into cold chain logistics, and the stakes are quite high. However, you can take some of this work off your plate by outsourcing your cold chain logistics to a specialized logistics partner. Here are some of the benefits of outsourcing your cold chain logistics:
- Increased capacity: Specialized logistics partners have more capacity that you can access to ship more products. For example, RPM is a top logistics provider with a network of over 30,000 vetted and monitored carriers. With a network this large, you can always find a carrier to haul your products.
- Increased efficiency: Since specialized logistics partners have more capacity, they can also offer more efficiency. With so many carriers to choose from, you no longer need to wait around for one to pick up your load. Instead, they can quickly accept your load, pick it up, and get on the road.
- More cost-effective: Thanks to the aforementioned benefits, outsourcing your cold chain logistics actually ends up being more cost-effective than doing it all yourself. Since you’re able to ship more goods faster than ever before, you can make more money as a result. So think of your partnership with a cold chain logistics expert as an investment in your business.
How to Outsource Your Cold Chain Logistics?
Outsourcing your cold chain logistics is only beneficial with the right partner. Here are the five steps you need to follow to effectively outsource your cold chain logistics and start reaping the benefits:
Step 1: Consider Your Needs
The first step in outsourcing your cold chain logistics involves considering your needs. For example, are you looking for a partner who offers a wide variety of different shipping services ranging from full truckload to less-than-truckload, or are you looking for a single specific service? Are you looking for a partner that operates within a specific area or region, or are you looking for a partner with nationwide and cross-border capacities?
Step 2: Research Potential Partners
The second step in outsourcing your cold chain logistics involves researching potential logistics partners. If you know anyone working in the industry, reach out to them to see if they have a specific company they would recommend. If you’re not able to get any personal recommendations, then you can turn to the internet.
Conduct a simple Google search for “cold chain logistics partners” and see what comes up. Spend a bit of time on the resulting websites to make sure that these companies meet your basic needs before moving on to the next step.
Step 3: Vet Potential Contenders
The third step in outsourcing your cold chain logistics involves vetting the potential contenders you gathered in step two. Your cold chain logistics partner shouldn’t just meet your basic needs; they should go above and beyond.
Some things to look for here are experience, reputation, and reviews. Make sure that your cold chain logistics partner has extensive experience in the wider industry and within the cold chain space.
Also, make sure they have a good reputation based on awards and news articles. Finally, make sure that they have positive reviews by checking out review websites like Google, Yelp, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Step 4: Get Quotes
Once you have narrowed down your list of potential contenders based on the information you gathered in step three, it’s time to reach out to these companies for quotes. It’s important to involve price last as it shouldn’t be the only factor you consider when making your decision. Instead, you need to make sure that these companies are actually worth reaching out to before you do.
Step 5: Make Final Decision
Now that you have gathered all your information, it’s time to make your final decision. From there, you can finalize your quote and agreement to get started.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the best cold chain logistics partner, RPM is a complete transportation service provider that offers a wide range of different shipping services, including FTL, LTL, intermodal, cross-border, and drayage. We have nearly ten years of experience in the industry and have won countless awards during that time.
We gain glowing customer reviews by providing strategy, communications, and market insights. We provide each of our customers with a dedicated customer representative they can go to with any questions or concerns. We also offer personalized digital solutions that include real-time integrations and onboarding, automated shipping creation, and custom-managed transportation management service solutions.
So skip these drawn-out steps and reach out to RPM for more information and for a quote.
Sources:
About the Cold Chain | GCCA
Key Regulations for Cold Chain Management Guide | Cole Parmer
Foodborne Germs and Illnesses | CDC
