Three major elements- A personnel to maintain the materials and equipment, materials for secure storage and products transportation, and processes for program management, safe distribution, and usage of the products.
Production phase- This phase manages the storage of products in cold storage where the products are arranged in different segments. The storage is dependent on the quantity of the product, duration to store the product and the temperature required. The widely used cold storages are icepack freezers, cold rooms, and others.
Consumer phase- This is the phase where transportation is done, and the transportation vehicles are maintained with the temperature that prevents any damage to the product. The transportation vehicles reach wholesalers, supermarkets, retails shops and finally consumers.
Use of harmful gas compounds- The gas that is used in the storage of products in cold storage is non-environmental gas, CFC gases that are harmful to the environment. The materials that are CFC free are costly to use.
Frosting- The defrosting of ice on the surface of the refrigerator where freezing occurs is necessary to prevent lowering of cooling performance of the equipment used in vehicles.
Safety issues- There are safety concerns regarding electricity used in cold chain supply equipment as the failure of electricity will affect the function of the equipment.
Continuous temperature monitoring- The temperature needs to be correct, and suitable depending on the products and cold chain materials are working properly.
Packaging solutions- The packaging in cold chain solutions are improved through the usage of Phase Change Materials as it manages the environment.
Tracking of sensitive goods- The widely used tracking system is Radio Frequency Identification that proves to be beneficial for Cold-chain supply logistics. There is another tracking system becoming popular due to real-time tracking and monitoring of vehicles.
Air carrier and advanced technology- Air carrier is the recent development that is increasingly growing due to fast delivery of products. The advanced technologies are developed for temperature control and minimizing the extreme temperatures if there is a delay in international flights.
Issues and challenges
Developments in cold supply chain logistics
The cold supply chain logistics are beneficial in transferring perishable products from one place to another. They are responsible for maintaining the temperature throughout the storage and transportation phases and entities. The recent developments are necessary to improve the issues in this industry. This industry is applicable to many other industries and hence need to update their services with additional equipment.
