Operational Conditions of Cold Chain LogisticsThree operational conditions are fundamental in a cold chain:
Conditional demand. The demand of a product
at a market (or place of consumption) is conditional to its
qualitative attributes. Each product has a specific
perishability. For some products, such as vaccines,
value (and demand) drops to zero if the shipment has been slightly
damaged. Other products, such as produces (fruits & vegetables),
see a decline of their value in relation to the level of
spoilage that took place during transit, since it will limit
their shelf life and as such their commercial potential.
Load integrity. Relates to the load
conditions that must be provided to insure that a product keeps
its value during transport. It can include adequate packaging
and packing, as well as the conditioning that the product must
go through before transport (being washed or cooled down). The
reefer has become a common temperature-controlled transport unit
used to insure load integrity since it can accommodate a wide
range of temperature settings and accordingly a wide range of
temperature sensitive products.
Transport integrity. The series of tasks
and safeguards that must be performed to insure that the
temperature controlled environment remains constant during
transport, in the modes, at the terminals and the distribution
centers involved in the transport chain. For instance, the
temperature of a shipment is often constantly tracked so that
deviations can be mediated as soon as possible.
