Top Trends in Cold Chain Logistics

With the pandemic rampaging through the planet, people were horrified as businesses shut down, manufacturing and supplies reduced drastically and stores with empty shelves and counters. This made the importance of cold chain transportation grow manifold. Not only businessmen and logistic partners, but general consumers also started to look into the bits and pieces of cold chain management and how what happens where. More than ever, people have started to be aware of the products that they pay for and ensure quality that comes with no compromise.

Quality always comes before quantity!

Cold chain companies, especially the ones dealing with the food production industry, find their customers being extra-cautious about the quality and freshness of the product that they transport and serve. The customer pays the bill and hence, their satisfaction matters solely to us. 

As food standards have direct impacts on one’s health and hygiene, cold chain service providers take it as a matter of integrity to be able to deliver the best quality products to their customers. Most cold-chain transported products are highly perishable by nature which makes appropriate quality control and regulated storage temperature recommendations a job that the owner of any cold-chain company must look deep into.

Quality checks are not just limited to food and beverage shipments. Vaccines require a low (but not freezing) temperature to be preserved in order to be effective upon inoculation. With the government trying to push the citizens to take their jab with their COVID-19 vaccination scheme, the onus of delivering those vaccinations in a safe and effective manner lies with the cold-chain management process. 

Because it's always better to be doubly sure.

While the cold-chain logistics has never been much of a nuisance in itself, the commercialization of any service comes with its own cost. With most countries having opened the gates of their trade to the wider world, nations across the world now have their own designated way of verifying what comes inside and what goes outside. In the case of imports into India, the importer must be able to complete an allowance form given by the Government of India that legally allows the imported items to be inspected and sanctioned for further distribution by a government official. 

There is much paperwork to do even before and after those steps as all countries follow their similar method of cross-verification. Increased awareness of product safety, hygiene and freshness has led many developed as well as developing economies to put such standard checks in place. This is to mainly ensure the safety protocols, admissible standards and check for the permissible limits of distribution within any national territory. 

However, many cold-chain logistics companies find it daunting to juggle between the regulations and maintaining quality standards. This mainly is seen around pharmaceutical companies. Different nations have different requirements for their pharma products to be imported. Some like those in the EU demand that more than 80% of the pharmaceutical products being imported are coming through cold-chain managed systems. The Food and Drug Administration board of the United States (popularly abbreviated as the FDA) is seemingly looking for similar regulations to be put in place for pharma products.

We all need to think globally.

With more focus towards maintaining quality and necessary mandates, cold-chain logistics are gradually moving towards a more global and holistic solution when it comes to parceling and transporting perishable commodities. With the ease in transportation and handling transactions, consumers are able to order any an item from literally any corner of the world.

This may even involve perishable commodities or medicinal products which may have no other way to be transported in quick times other than effective cold-chain management systems. The business has been booming for such cold-chain logistics companies who are now managing not just domestic but even international shipments according to their requirements. Maintaining quality in transit is not that easy and many logistical providers may have a hard time figuring that out.

Technology is indeed the mirror of the future

It is needless to say that cold-chain logistics require much more advanced and sophisticated equipment and transportation strategies than just packaging and being on the go! From temperature regulation in warehouses or transit points to being able to track the status of the package as well as empowering the customer to do so, cold-chain management requires a lot of technological assistance. 

One needs to be constantly updated with the latest trends in order to serve the best possible service to the desired consumer. This, in line with the rapid technological advancements in the field of software and hardware facilities make cold-chain transportation the one-true solution for all our perishable logistical needs.

May the experts handle the rest!

Not all production chains can afford their own cold-chain management. Also, consumers demand to have more visibility and accountability when it comes to transportation as no one wants to settle for anything less. Hence, most production chains happen to outsource their transportation to other companies that are solely responsible for transporting and tracing packages from the manufacturer to the consumer. 

Such companies are mostly abbreviated as 3PL which stands for third-party logistics. Having specialized equipment and sufficiently trained personnel, these 3PLs often do a much better and efficient job at transportation than the original manufacturers. Today, there are an array of companies that come forward and help manufacturers and production chains with the packaging and moving of their perishable goods in the freshest condition possible.

I guess judging the book by its cover is a trend now!

This works for any business venture of the modern world and does not only apply to cold-chain logistics. You may think what a colorful packet does to the business which people eventually tear and throw away. It is often a psychological tactic. Innovative and attractive packaging is a subtle way of impressing one’s customers and luring them to have them again. 

The cold-chain transportation industry has also taken on this cue to add their own extra layer of packaging for safety as well as to make it appealing for the customers. That not only keeps them in the good eyes of the customer but also helps to perpetuate their brand name and create recognition for them in the market.

To sustain is to save for our future

Sustainability is a key topic that is being dealt with at international levels. The rising pollution levels and overall climate change has been affecting India at great levels. Our country has been in global talks to reduce its carbon consumption and bring about change at a policy level. Thanks to global warming, much like the entire world, even the cold chain management companies of India are looking forward to cutting down their carbon content and working towards better sustainable ways of conducting business. Plastic packaging is being replaced by paper or cloth-based ones, styrofoam padding is replaced by padding and natural gas is used instead of fossil fuels in cases of storage energy and transportation.

Remember, what the customer wants is what the customer gets!

Back in the day, customers were not much bothered about the specific quality or state in which their services were carried out. They used to be satisfied just by getting their desired package on time. While Indian consumers are yet to reach the amount of awareness and caution that perhaps citizens of more developed countries may feel, however, these days customers in India as well have grown more conscious about the kind of service they receive. 

India being the third-largest global producer of pharmaceutical products wants to maintain its position in the top levels of the global market. We want to ensure the best quality transit for their shipments so that they are absolutely sure about the quality of the product being received. Not only the end product but also the transit points and storage facilities have to be according to the satisfaction levels of the customer. 

This motivates cold chain companies to ramp up their warehouse, transport facilities and even the kind of air conditioning that they provide so that the customers are content with the kind of service received. India has been ramping up its logistics services based upon extensive customer review and demand trends.

This is the age of digitalization!

With everything is being moved to digital spaces as compared to the previous analog systems, even cold chain logistics are looking forward to having more and more digitized and technical facilities that have been seen to provide better quality service with optimum performance and effort. 

The mode here is being shifted from hardcore pen-and-paper methods to online and digital platforms. The benefit of online systems is that it is possible to get more real-time data about one’s shipment and can track it at every possible level. It is also more convenient to manage for the suppliers and logistics personnel which makes it a success in all spheres of the work.

Ultimately, the demand dictates supply!

The supply of cold-chain companies depends vastly on the kind of demand that drives it which obviously affects the logistics line as well. With the pandemic booming up the requirements for sensitive drugs and vaccine vials, India has been currently seeing a great rise in demand for cold-chain supply logistics. It is in the interest of both parties to ramp up supply chains and have it available for the general public in high volume.          

In essence, most of the top trends in the field of cold-chain management are quintessentially similar to most industries. With modern concepts like globalization and digitalization rampaging across the planet, science and technology have been forced to adapt to different changing wants and lifestyles of people. Cold-chain logistics is no exception to that. India being the second-most populous nation faces the problem of demand overdrive quite frequently. 

However, we do have the resources to serve us all given the right allocation and right distribution of work. Cold-chain industries have seen a recent hike in their utility and usability which is indeed undeniable.