Improving the supply chain is an ongoing process among the cold chain industry, but temperature monitoring has proven to be increasingly valuable for all handling procedures in the industry.
In the post-pandemic era, the drug and medical product delivery system known as the cold chain has become more important than ever. With many people relying on vaccinations and boosters to stay healthy and protected, and on home delivery to reduce human interaction and avoid long lines at pharmacies, a properly functioning, safe and uninterrupted cold chain is critical.
How can distributors keep pace while maintaining efficiency in the last mile? The implementation of temperature monitoring equipment helps determine if the cold chain is being maintained. Here are 4 things to keep in mind!
In the case of vaccines, medications and other related products, time is of the essence, so the ability to streamline the distribution of refrigerated shipments through arrival and departure notifications speeds up the process. Once the shipment arrives at each checkpoint, the required temperature monitoring equipment is kept up to date and indicates whether damaging temperature changes have occurred during transit.
The shipping and delivery process for shippers and consumers can be considered high risk when it comes to ensuring product efficacy. When proper temperature monitoring technology is implemented and communicated to all partners in the chain, fewer shipments experience temperature deviations, which means more shipments can safely pass through the cold chain. Reliability is critical for cold chain products. If the temperature is not within the proper range, it can affect the effectiveness of the product, or worse, make the product unusable all together.
Product delays can be detrimental to people who rely on the cold chain for their conventional medications, as well as to immunocompromised people who rely on vaccines and boosters. Temperature monitoring can reduce the number of delays by giving distributors the opportunity to make quick decisions before proceeding with shipments. For example, devices that indicate how far and for how long a product’s temperature exceeds a set temperature threshold will notify handlers when a product needs to be discarded or only needs to be used first. All of these features of temperature monitoring devices ultimately help deliver medications and vaccines to consumers in a fast and efficient manner, thus ensuring their satisfaction.
As cold chain rules and regulations continue to evolve, so do the ways in which temperatures are monitored. Improving the supply chain is an ongoing process, but temperature monitoring has proven to be increasingly valuable for all handling procedures in the cold storage industry. The variety of cold storage equipment on the market today allows for a safer, more transparent supply chain.