5 Essential Tips for Efficient Temperature-Controlled Shipments
Organizing a temperature-controlled shipment is a complex operation, and managing data loggers can often feel like an unnecessary burden. However, ensuring the safety and quality of temperature-sensitive products during transport is paramount. To help streamline this process and avoid potential complications, here are five essential tips to optimize your temperature-controlled shipments and effectively manage your temperature data loggers.
1) Notify Your Recipient
While it may seem obvious, always inform your recipient about the required storage temperature range of your products. This ensures they are fully aware of the specific conditions needed for proper storage and handling upon arrival.
Additionally, make sure they are aware of the presence of a temperature data logger in your shipment. It’s important to confirm that the recipient can easily read the data logger as soon as they receive the shipment and quickly send you the temperature data.
Don’t fall into the trap of assuming all USB temperature data loggers are universally readable. Many companies, due to security concerns, no longer allow the use of removable USB drives. This oversight can lead to a return of your shipment at your expense. Confirm that the recipient is equipped to handle your data logger before shipping.
Finally, ensure that both parties are in agreement on the procedure in case of a temperature excursion, as well as the responsibilities involved in addressing such situations.
2) Position Your Data Logger Closely to the Product
Place your temperature data logger as close as possible to the product, ideally at the center of the packaging. Smaller-sized data loggers are perfect for this, as they can easily fit within the core of the shipping boxes.
Why is this important? Temperature fluctuations that affect the outer layers of packaging often don’t impact the product itself due to insulation from the surrounding materials. However, if the data logger is placed on the exterior of the package, it will directly experience temperature changes, which can lead to false alarms and temperature excursion reports.
If you’re using passive cold chain packaging (e.g., isothermal boxes), ensure the data logger isn’t in direct contact with the cold source. This could cause an extreme excursion in temperature and skew the results.
3) Indicate the Data Logger’s Position Clearly
Make sure that your temperature data logger is accompanied by a clear positioning label that specifies its exact location within the shipment. This will help the recipient easily locate it upon arrival.
In logistics, particularly with co-loading shipments, your package may be mixed in with many others, making it harder to track the data logger. Some logistics professionals have reported that finding a single data logger in a large truck can take up to two days—if it’s even located at all.
During this time, the shipment may be put in quarantine, or worse, the products may need to be reanalyzed due to missing information. This can be particularly detrimental if the products are urgently needed, such as in pharmaceutical shipments where patients may be waiting.
4) Establish Robust Traceability Between Your Data Logger and Products
It’s crucial that you can provide proof that the temperature data you report during audits corresponds accurately to the products being shipped. This means creating a link between each data logger and its associated product batch.
Unfortunately, many shipments rely on manually recorded serial numbers for their data loggers, which can result in mistakes due to illegibility, incorrect entries, or incomplete information. To avoid this, use a fully digital system, such as Sensolabo®, which allows for secure and easy tracking through barcode scanning.
By linking the barcode of the pallet or box with the data logger, you can effortlessly maintain traceability, ensuring you have complete and accurate records for each shipment.
5) Ensure Your Data Loggers Are Functioning Properly Before Shipping
Before shipping, always check that your data loggers are fully functional. Use data loggers equipped with visible indicators, such as LED lights, to confirm that they are activated and recording as intended.
Also, pay close attention to the calibration and expiration dates of your temperature data loggers to ensure they will remain accurate throughout the transport process. As the battery or power source ages, it can lose performance, which might lead to inaccurate temperature readings during the shipment.
It’s also important to consider that data loggers—like any electronic device—can malfunction due to extreme conditions during transport, or even suffer damage through mishandling. To mitigate the risk of lost data, it’s advisable to use multiple data loggers for shipments containing several pallets or boxes. This ensures that, in the event of a failure, you won’t be left without vital temperature data upon arrival.
Conclusion
Effectively managing temperature-controlled shipments requires careful attention to detail, especially when it comes to handling data loggers. By following these five tips—informing your recipient, positioning your data logger correctly, establishing clear traceability, ensuring proper functionality, and using multiple loggers for added security—you can avoid common pitfalls and ensure the safe, compliant, and efficient transport of temperature-sensitive products.
By implementing these strategies, you can streamline your cold chain processes, reduce the risk of costly errors, and ultimately safeguard the quality and safety of your products.
Write a Comment