In all the supply chains that it deals with, cold chain logistics favors a greater degree of integration, since maintaining the integrity of the temperature requires a greater degree of control over all the processes involved. It can even prompt third-party suppliers to acquire elements of the supply chain in which time and other performance factors are the most important, including agriculture. This may include the acquisition of farms from producers (for example, orange orchards) to ensure security of supply. Temperature control in food transportation is a component of the industry, which has continued to grow in relation to international trade. As more and more countries focus their export economy on the production of food and products, the need to keep these products fresh for a longer period of time has become more important for business and health reasons. The cold chain is also a public health problem, as proper transportation of food reduces the likelihood of bacterial, microbial and fungal contamination of the shipment.
Companies operating in the cold chain packaging market are striving to strategically cooperate with technological partners. High investments in technologies such as cloud computing and IoT solutions are expected to benefit the cold chain packaging market in several ways. These improvements promise better control, transparency and accountability for cold chain packaging solutions. For example, Aeris Communications, Inc. it provides infrastructure for cold chain transport systems for food, pharmaceuticals and other perishable supply chains. Cold chain packaging is extremely useful for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to maintain the quality of products. It has proven to be extremely effective in reducing losses and ensuring optimal freshness for the food and beverage industry.
Food products are common examples of products that may require this type of thermal packaging. Pharmaceutical packaging testing is crucial for medical devices that need to maintain a certain temperature. Pharmaceutical containers must be able to maintain the product at the desired temperature throughout its shelf life. Some medicines have a very short shelf life, so it is important that the medicine packaging remains intact throughout the distribution. “More than ever, our customers are turning to UPS Healthcare for state-of-the-art temperature-sensitive packaging and solutions to improve visibility,” says Van den Bossche.
Restrictions on trade and a decrease in demand for perishable food and special industrial materials had a negative effect on the growth of the market. For example, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s GAIN report, the main dairy producers in Europe, Germany, France, Denmark and the Netherlands had a negative impact on milk production and consumption in 2020. CertiCold is a quality seal for cold chain products, which is delivered on the basis of private technical specifications and is created in cooperation with relevant manufacturers and professional users.
CCT is a leading provider of passive reusable and disposable thermal packaging solutions for the shipment of temperature sensitive materials, primarily serving the life sciences supply chain. By focusing on advanced engineering and technical know-how, CCT continues to develop innovative and differentiated packaging solutions for incredibly demanding applications. In particular, the passive side of temperature-controlled packaging is very fragmented, which in itself creates significant opportunities for consolidation. “There is also the possibility that active packaging suppliers, who are more consolidated, will add passive product lines,” adds Döring.
Since then, we have become an industry leader by investing in our people, equipment and technology to provide the most effective, efficient and user-friendly customized and out-of-the-box thermal packaging solutions. With the advent of inexpensive inorganic phase change materials, a number of temperature-controlled packaging solution providers have begun to offer PCM-equipped packaging solutions. These PCMs are non-hazardous, non-toxic and non-flammable, require less energy to freeze and are reusable with a stability of 1000 cycles.
While globalization has made the relative distance between the regions of the world much smaller, the physical separation of the same regions remains a very important reality. The greater the spatial separation, the greater the likelihood that the cargo will be damaged during one of the complex transportation operations. Some products may be damaged by shock, while excessive temperature fluctuations may damage others. For a number of products marked as perishables, especially food, their quality deteriorates over time, as they maintain chemical reactions, the speed of which can usually be mitigated by lower temperatures.
With a greater preference for maritime transport, companies must adopt more economical and improved solutions based on extended service life and protection at extreme temperatures, such as those based on vacuum insulated panels. The demand for refrigerants based on phase-change materials for different temperature ranges and duration requirements is also increasing. Cold chain packaging solution providers can take advantage of this opportunity cold chain by introducing new product ranges specifically designed to comply with shipping regulations. The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market in the world and is expected to dominate the market by the end of the forecast period. The introduction of refrigerated packaging solutions in the region is increasing at a healthy pace due to the rapid development of cold storage projects, increasing disposable income and population growth.