Cold Chain Monitoring
Discover Cold Chain Monitoring
Finding the right cold chain monitoring solution
Cold chain monitoring is an essential solution to enable the accurate and reliable monitoring of products that must be stored and transported at specific low temperatures to maintain their quality and safety.
Operationally, cold chain monitoring can provide many benefits in terms of reduced risk of wasted goods, real-time data logging and insights into the varying temperature data across a refrigerated storage or transit environment.
Conducting cold chain transportation temperature monitoring can have its challenges, which is why the right equipment is paramount. You can ensure that your products remain within the required temperature range from production to point of use, whether that is pharmaceuticals, vaccines, or perishable foods.
A cold chain monitoring system can be extensive or just a handful of appropriate data loggers, depending on the individual needs of the company or service provider. Regardless of the approach, data loggers and monitoring solutions are beneficial to any transportation and cold chain logistical personnel since they provide a data-led visual of temperature fluctuations and potential risks to products.
Remote monitoring, wireless logging, extensive battery life and multiple access points are just some of the valuable features that a cold chain monitoring device can bring, not to mention the immediate alert of temperatures sent directly to key facilities managers and fleet managers for in-transit updates.
What is the cold chain?
The cold chain is a temperature-sensitive and temperature-controlled supply chain. It spans the storage, transportation and distribution of goods, products and materials. It is most commonly used in reference to the healthcare sector, covering the compliant distribution of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medicines, biological samples and other medical materials.
This network unites facilities and transportation modes to fuel a coordinated series of events which ensures a product is stored, managed and transported in line with regulatory guidelines. If any 'link' fails, the quality and safety of the goods are compromised and the 'chain' is broken.
A unified approach is how we can ensure a continuous and safe distribution of essential and high-value goods, including pharmaceutical and healthcare supplies.
The cold chain, however, can also span food, beverage, chemicals, agriculture, electronics and materials testing.
Monitoring the cold chain and its key stages
Key components of the cold chain include:
Processing/Production
The moment that products, materials and goods are manufactured or 'harvested' is when they will be first introduced to cold, low or ultra-low temperatures, in order to ensure high quality from the offset.
Storage
Items are often kept in cold rooms, warehouses and other facilities where storage temperature monitoring is paramount. Here the items can be stored for short, medium or long periods of time, which is why a monitoring system which is scalable is ideal.
Transport
Distribution or Reception
Goods are usually transported to their final destination or to a distribution centre where they may be transported further. In either situation, the items will be returned to storage which requires warehouse temperature monitoring.
The SenseAnywhere device is a great example of a suitable cold chain data loggers since the wireless temperature monitoring system collects data at every stage.
Understanding Cold Chain Monitoring Logistics
Data loggers can offer invaluable data for regulatory compliance. There are many data loggers available on the market today to provide the user with real-time updates and offer alarm notifications no matter whether you're standing next to the device, driving the vehicle, or in another city. The capabilities of data loggers for cold chain temperature monitoring are expansive!
Monitoring Medicinal and Biological Temperatures in Transit
One example of regulations that govern cold chain monitoring is the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency), which declares that the global cold supply chain (and every stage of distribution and reception within it) is regarded as a storage area itself.
Therefore, many regulatory guidelines have been altered to account for this, specifically, the EU GDP Guidelines that were put in place in 2013.
Chapter 9 of the EU GDP Guidelines:
It is the responsibility of the supplying wholesale distributor to protect medicinal products against breakage, adulteration and theft, and to ensure that temperature conditions are maintained within acceptable limits during transport. Regardless of the mode of transport, it should be possible to demonstrate that the medicines have not been exposed to conditions that may compromise their quality and integrity.
ISBT Guidelines:
A risk-based approach should be utilised when planning transportation. Container validation for blood transportation calls for weight, geographical range and many other factors to be considered before travel. .
Cold Chain Monitoring & Temperature Mapping Services
Finding the right device for your cold chain monitoring strategy
Cold chain monitoring solutions are important because your temperature-controlled supply chain is critical to product quality and safety. Our customers are striving for an uninterrupted cold chain sequence from production to storage and distribution. One of the biggest challenges in the chain is often temperature monitoring during transport due to a range of logistical variables.
Our cold chain data loggers provide customers with added reassurance that environmental conditions have been monitored and recorded throughout the entire supply chain. Whether you are looking to protect temperature-sensitive food products or pharmaceutical products we have the right logger.
Our SenseAnywhere system is cloud-based and can encompass temperature monitoring throughout several elements of your supply chain. Using the robust, compact AiroSensors and discreet 'access points' it is possible to build up a wireless network that covers your process end-to-end. This system is 'hands-off' and offers many benefits from a reporting and auditing perspective with a seamless chain of data available to view in the cloud from a smart device anywhere in the world. All of these amazing benefits make it the ideal cold chain monitoring system.
