Supply chains and Logistics are an essential part in any business which is involved with effectively connecting people and products throughout the world. There are many kinds of Supply chains all over the world depending on the complexity and tight control needed for effective preservation at a comparatively lower cost.
COLD STORAGE SUPPLY CHAIN
One of the most challenging kinds of Supply chain transportation is the Cold Storage Supply Chain because tight temperature control must be employed in the transport of sensitive goods. Even if something small goes wrong in Cold Storage Supply Chain, the products cannot be used or distributed which will result in a massive loss to the manufacturer.
Usually, only big multinational companies have their own Logistics units for transporting the goods as it is very complex and requires proper maintenance too.
The temperature must be maintained at low freezing temperatures or room temperature in most cases. When the goods need to travel through different time zones, this becomes quite a headache as proper adjustment must be provided at each stage. If some control goes wrong, it is difficult to repair them at mid-journey. So, everything must be taken care of and checked before transporting the goods.
PRODUCTS USUALLY TRANSPORTED THIS WAY
The goods using transported through Cold Storage Supply Chaininclude sensitive products like blood, medicines, pharmaceutical products, medical stuff, etc. in the majority. After that comes the seafood. Transporting seafood through the air isn't economical. So, in land and water transportation, it might take hours together for transporting them from one part of the world to another.
With the development of technology and infrastructure, world might seems to be a smaller place now. However, when it comes to supply chain factors such as time and distance plays a vital role. Hence, the need to sustain the temperatures for an extended amount of time is essential in transportation. Other products which are usually transported through Cold Storage Supply chain are meat products, agricultural products, milk products, confectionaries, etc.
MULTICELL TRANSPORTATION
In the transportation of goods throughCold Storage supply chain, things can become quite complicated when the distance of travel is more for, at each time zone, suitable temperature control must be employed. Suppose the goods are less in number, this tight control becomes expensive. So, some people use multicell transportation units where the container will be split into portions or cells, and each cell will be insulated according to its temperature requirement. In this way, multiple products can be transported by using the same container, and they can be dropped out accordingly at each location along the way.
Packaging is essential in these scenarios. Proper insulation must be provided from the hot surroundings to maintain the required temperatures. All this must be planned well in advance, and there must not be any flaw. Some packaging companies try to reuse the previous packaging. This is a horrible practice and must be avoided. Apart from these factors, the driver's efficiency also plays a role along with the vehicle’s efficient maintenance and fuel consumption as they add up to the expenditure. This is how Cold Storage Supply Chain works all over the world.