Cold Chain Technology and Compliance: Insights for the Future.
Key Takeaways:
- What are the recent technological advancements in cold chain monitoring?
- Cold chain regulatory compliance changes and their impact on operations.
- Importance of proactive planning for cold chain compliance and emerging technology.
Products across several industries require shippers to maintain freight at the right temperature during transit and when stored. Cold chain logistics is a growing market that is highly regulated to protect consumers.
Cold chain logistics affect the food and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Shipping medications requires precise temperature regulation and monitoring. Plus, the same principles apply to frozen and refrigerated food.
Emerging technology improvements are helping cold chain businesses increase the reliability and quality of merchandise during shipping and storage. Better product maintenance and monitoring mean less waste, increased profit, and an improved business reputation.
In this guide, we’ll learn about recent cold chain technology advancements, compliance changes, and strategies to optimize cold chain operations.
Cold Chain Regulatory Changes and Their Impact
Every compliance change presents distinct challenges for cold chain businesses. With new compliance rules comes the need to adopt new technology, re-train employees, and manage an increasingly complex cold chain.
Keeping up with changes and implementing them effectively is key to business success. Managing compliance across a complex cold chain is challenging. It’s essential to stay informed about upcoming regulatory changes that impact the pharmaceutical and frozen food industries.
Recent changes for pharmaceutical companies under the DSCSA (Drug Supply Chain Security Act) include:
- Electronic data exchange or data sharing systems, including transactions, statements, and history.
- Standardized data formats allow secure and efficient electronic data sharing.
- Unique product serialization for every drug product or unit for tracking.
- Track and trace every drug product’s journey from production to consumer.
- Secured databases with authentication for access control.
The DSCSA regulation also mandates that drugs must be stored properly for humidity, light exposure, and other environmental factors that impact the quality and viability of the drug. Additional regulations exist for CRT (Controlled Room Temperature) and refrigerated storage. Compliance with standards in the cold chain is mandatory for patient safety.
Managing regulatory compliance for DSCSA is complex and resource intensive. Ensuring compliance requires experience and understanding of the ever-evolving DSCSA regulations. Consider upgrading your technology to track and monitor compliance proactively.
Technological Advancements in Cold Chain Monitoring
Technology can be a valuable tool in maintaining an efficient and reliable cold chain. To meet or exceed changing regulatory requirements, cold chain suppliers can benefit from new technologies such as sensing, monitoring, tracking, secure data sharing, and even innovative packaging solutions. These technologies help to ensure that the product quality is maintained as it travels from production to the end consumer.
Popular technology advancements to improve cold chain processing include:
- Connected devices for remote tracking and monitoring:
- Improved efficiency with live tracking and real-time data per product.
- Remote tracking and monitoring of location and temperature.
- AI and ML-equipped devices:
- Constant data from AI and ML devices assists with predictive analytics that improves product management.
- Robotics:
- Automated inventory management.
- Accurate product tracking.
- Warehouse and shipping automation and monitoring:
- Lean processes that eliminate repetitive tasks with computerized automation.
- Improve fulfillment time and accuracy.
- Automated payments:
- Modern, secure, and fully electronic payment processing.
- Faster and less error-prone accounting.
- Improved fraud prevention.
- Improved packaging for home delivery:
- Better packaging means less product waste.
- eCommerce software for faster order-to-delivery processing:
- Improves fulfillment accuracy and speed.
Implementing advanced cybersecurity protocols is also essential for all these systems to protect the cold chain customer and, their business data. Security evolves daily, so keeping up with the latest security protocols is critical to keeping systems safe from cyberattacks.
Security failures often result in well-publicized data breaches, which not only cost you financially but also damage your brand reputation. Having a credible cybersecurity approach and plan is essential for any modern-day business.
Preparing for the Future with SpotSee
Keeping up with innovations and compliance changes affecting cold chain suppliers is not an easy task. From the complexity of implementing new technology that includes compatibility across systems, to managing cybersecurity – it takes a dedicated team to proactively manage, proactively plan, and continuously improve for ongoing business success.
Cold chain businesses must be ready to adapt to evolving cold chain compliance requirements. One of the most critical elements of the DSCSA is monitoring for temperature excursions. Proper temperature monitoring helps keep the product safe and in premium condition during transport and storage. Otherwise, many products may be ruined, or the quality compromised when received by consumers, and of course, unsafe medications are a safety hazard for patients.
SpotSee has the technology to keep your cold chain safe, tracked, and monitored. Quality, accuracy, and cost-effective temperature indicators ensure proper monitoring is implemented on products that require specific temperatures during storage and transport.
Regardless of the product or industry, you must comply with temperature monitoring and tracking. Some of our great solutions for temperature monitoring the cold chain include:
Ready to Tackle Cold Chain Compliance and Innovations?
Global supply chains continue to grow in complexity, from maintaining compliance to managing security and product technology. The future of the cold chain is technology and industry collaboration. Creating new efficiencies while improving safety will lead to increased business profitability.
You need a qualified, reliable partner with the products, planning, and compliance to succeed.
At SpotSee, our products are developed to provide solutions for your cold chain and build efficient processes. Every degree matters when product quality and safety are at risk. Check out our cost-effective products you can customize to meet all your product monitoring needs.
