When it comes to providing logistics, there are few areas more challenging than transporting temperature-dependent goods. Cold chains are a variation from your standard supply chains in that it involves moving refrigerated or frozen products from temperatures of two degrees celsius all the way down to negative 70 degrees celsius. Industries that rely on cold chains include food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and florists.
What Is The Cold Chain Process?
The cold chain process is a stringent series of steps for managing perishable products that need refrigeration. It maintains the quality and safety of goods across preparation, storage, transportation and delivery.
Frozen transportation is a core part of the process and one with the most risks. Refrigerated vehicles must be reliable, both in their refrigeration systems and mechanical servicing, to ensure the sensitive goods are delivered on time and safely. Technology and data at every point of the process enable the cold chain process to be tracked and give assurance that goods integrity is maintained.
Why Is The Cold Chain Important?
The cold chain provides a vital solution for perishable products. It makes certain that they are delivered in a safe condition and of high quality at the point of consumption or use.
Without continuous temperature control, there is a high chance goods can develop discolouration, bruising or microbial growth. By ensuring the quality of your cold chain products, you’ll keep customers satisfied, increase demand and protect public health.
Why Is Efficiency Important In The Cold Chain Process?
Non-perishable goods such as cars and furniture are less difficult to transport because they aren’t sensitive to temperature. For perishable goods, interruptions to the cold chain can have a drastic impact on the quality of the product and possibly render it unsellable.
An efficient cold chain process uses monitoring and reduces the amount of handling from end to end. This reduces spoilage, unnecessary costs and waste.
Many products can be damaged by uncontrollable weather conditions, temperature changes, and even humidity. Cold chain delivery preserves goods at their peak condition throughout the journey to the end-user.
What Products Use Frozen Transport?
Here are some examples of products that rely on frozen transport:
Fresh Produce – Most farm-fresh produce will wilt or ripen too quickly if shipped without proper refrigeration. Reefer vehicles stop ripening fruit from spoiling faster than normal vehicles which heat up.
Animal products – Whether frozen or refrigerated, they must be transported in a temperature-controlled environment. The ideal temperatures for meat, seafood, egg and dairy preservation are different but work with suppliers to determine the best temperature for products.
Pharmaceuticals – Many pharmaceutical products require refrigeration or freezing at specific temperatures to be safe for patients and health professionals. This has made refrigerated transport especially important for the medical industry during the pandemic.
Beauty products – Minerals and chemicals in beauty products can melt or deteriorate if heated beyond recommended temperatures.
Flowers – Sensitivity to light and temperatures makes flowers wilt or rot if not kept in the right shipping conditions.
Candles – It’s not just a flame that can melt a candle, the heat of a standard vehicle on a hot day will do it. Simply put, candles require refrigerated transport too.
Enhance Your Frozen Transport With Scully RSV
As you can see, frozen transport plays an important role in cold chain logistics. That’s why it’s important to partner with a provider that has the experience and knowledge of the industry.
You can ensure the integrity of your deliveries with a Scully RSV Truck. For over 30 years, we have been manufacturing and servicing high-quality refrigerator trucks for the cold chain logistics industry. As market leaders, we know what matters most to customers — quality, reliability and flexibility in the vehicles we supply and the service we offer.
Get in touch with us today.
