Impact of innovation: in the refrigerated supply chain

The global transport of temperature-sensitive products like medicines and food in a refrigerated supply chain is growing rapidly. It is essential for these products that the logistics process takes place under the correct conditions and without disruptions. With ICT applications, logistics service suppliers can develop new services that improve the transparency and reliability of the logistics for temperature-sensitive products. As a result, they are now able to meet the requirements of the shippers better than before. Sense & Response bundles the knowledge and efforts of logistics and ICT.

 An interview with Eelco de Jong, Managing Director with Antaris Solutions B.V.

Real-time tracking system

Panalpina wants to continually be able to track shipments of high value medicines and, in doing so, improve the quality of its logistics process. It collects conditional information through wireless sensors from Ambient Systems that are affixed to shipments. Eelco de Jong: “Using the application SmartView that we developed, conditional information and location of the shipment can be followed real-time. The system alerts the user at the moment the temperature of the products deviates from the norm.”

Pro-active follow-up
Real-time insight into conditions and disruptions in the logistics process is only of true value when intervention can take place immediately. De Jong: “The Panalpina Operations Center in Luxemburg is active 24/7 and demonstrates the value of the proactive resolution of disruptions. Even so, Sense & Response proves that the proactive resolution of problems often requires new business processes, especially when multiple logistics parties – like the dispatcher, processor or airline – are jointly responsible for a shipment.”

“Real-time insight is only of true value when intervention can take place immediately.”

Solutions for each modality
Medicines and foodstuffs transverse the globe through various modalities. In the case of each modality, shippers want to be able to follow their shipments real-time. “Which is why in Sense & Response countless wireless solutions were developed and tested that can be fully adapted to suit the specific wishes and demands of each modality. Thus improving the transparency of the entire supply chain for medicine and food”, concludes De Jong.

Results

• Already more than 10,000 pharmaceutical shipments monitored using wireless sensors and SmartView software (Panalpina).
• SmartView is employed in the market (DB Schenker, LuxairCARGO).
• ConnectGate device for real-time temperature monitoring in vehicles and warehouses (Ambient Systems).
• First Wireless Sensor Hotspot in the LuxairCargo Pharma Center.

 Please contact Bas van Bree for more information: bree@dinalog.nl