Last-Mile Cold Chain Security

The standard for temperature monitoring in cold chain applications such as pharmaceuticals is the passive temperature tag. Devices are activated by the sender, usually by pressing a button, and then included in the package being shipped. Then the package is received, the tag is read by the recipient (usually using a PC with a USB port), checked for temperature excursions, and uploaded or emailed for future reference.

This process, although cumbersome, generally suffices for parts of the cold chain where the receiver bears responsibility for the integrity of the shipment, and has a vested interest in ensuring that temperature excursions are identified and addressed. For example, pharma shipments from contract manufacturers to their customers, where the customer is maintaining strict inbound quality control, can use traditional passive tags without much difficulty.

The Problem

Passive tags, however, don’t do particularly well in situations where the sender, rather than the recipient, has responsibility for the chain of custody. Examples of this include distributor shipments of perishables to retail stores and vaccine deliveries to remote villages. These recipients typically have someone receiving the shipment who can check the tag for a simple go/no go indicator, but plugging in a USB, checking excursions, and uploading or sending data files is likely to be a “bridge too far”.

Real-time Tags?

Real-time tags that use cellular communications offer one alternative, since they transmit data continually (as long as coverage exists) and thus provide the sender with temperature data up to the point of delivery. Unfortunately, situations where the sender is the responsible party tend to not have a well-developed reverse logistics path, so that recovery and reuse of the devices is problematic. Since real-time cellular monitors are, for the moment, prohibitively expensive to be single-use, they aren’t suitable for the final leg of the cold chain.

Temperature Indicators

With USB data loggers being too cumbersome for most “last mile” applications, and real-time loggers being too expensive, many cold chain managers have had to rely on single-use temperature indicators, often referred to as “go no-go strips”. These are simple to use, with a simple “is the circle filled in” user interface. They’re also inexpensive, making them well suited to retail and consumer shipments.

Unfortunately, temperature strips have some significant disadvantages. Since they’re not actual loggers, they don’t record any history, aren’t configurable, and don’t allow for any cloud connectivity or even data retention. Most importantly, there is no way to determine whether the indicator has been checked.

The Seguro Solution – “Smart Passive”

In Seguro’s “outbound” model, the workflow is flipped, and the setup of the logger is handled by the sender. The receiver only needs to tap the logger with any smartphone, and they see a complete history of the shipment, as well as automatically upload the history to the cloud. They don’t even need to have a special app on their phone.

There are a lot of advantages to this model, obviously. For the receiver, there is the opportunity to get a full temperature history for the shipment, rather than a simple dot on a paper strip. They can even save or email the history for future reference, and have access to attached files, such as an MSDS or use instructions.

For the sender, gaining visibility into the last leg of the cold chain is a huge benefit. As well as receiving positive confirmation of successful shipments, the sender has instant knowledge of potential problems, and can proactively follow up with the customer. And, since the full history is available in the cloud in a variety of formats, there’s the opportunity to analyze history data and look for ways to improve the integrity of these last mile shipments.

Conclusion

Traditional monitoring technologies work well for intermediate parts of the cold chain, where trained personnel are available at the receiving end of the shipment. For last mile deliveries, though, temperature strips, USB loggers, and cellular loggers all have significant drawbacks. Ironically, the last mile is often the most tenuous part of the cold chain from a temperature security standpoint, making monitoring even more critical.

If you're looking to close the loop on your cold chain and bring security and peace of mind to your clients and customers, Seguro shipment monitors, such as the Seguro 150, will help you get there.

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