manchester july 2012

British Association of Cargo Surveyors / Manchester

Marine Insurance Association

Manchester 12th July 2012Mark Edwards – Global Freight

Manager

The Carriage of Temperature Sensitive

Pharmaceuticals

What will we look at today?

• Road freight characteristics• Air freight characteristics• Sea freight characteristics• Temperature excursions• Temperature control equipment• Temperature monitoring equipment• Weak points and potential solutions• Roles and responsibilities• Summary

Road freight characteristics - 1

• Typically used for trans-continental movements

• Well set up hub and spoke systems• Temperature-controlled “groupage”

services becoming widely available• Security risk higher than other modes –

primarily through theft

Road freight characteristics - 2

• Tends to be low cost• Wide variation is equipment quality and

standards• Risk of damages through handling and

cross-docking activities

Air freight characteristics - 1

• Typically used for inter-continental movements

• Primarily point-to-point operations but some hub and spoke systems

• Varying degree of “pharma” services offered by airlines

• Ground handling often of a poor quality• Fast transit times• Commensurately expensive


• Temperature difficult to control during ground handling and cross-docking activities

• 3rd party temperature control systems are available but:• limited availability (eg Envirotainers);• or practical difficulties such as too big for

airport x-ray machines (eg pod systems)

• Risk of damages through handling and cross-docking activities


• Most cargo flies in the belly of passenger aircraft

• Therefore, cargo is regularly off-loaded and does not fly due to capacity constraints

• Freight only services tend to be block booked by large shippers or freight forwarders

Sea freight characteristics - 1

• Typically used for inter-continental movements

• Primarily hub and spoke systems through “feeder” and “mother” vessels

• Slow transit times• Commensurately less expensive• Large volumes can be shipped

Sea freight characteristics - 2

• Enhanced security compared to other transport modes• Few parties are involved• Containers can be loaded and sealed at

your own site• Containers stay sealed through to

unloading destination• Negotiable documentation

Temperature excursions - truck

• Equipment quality is the key factor• Use only audited trucking companies which

meet Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines

• Understand how and where the product will be cross-docked

• Ask for proof of temperature upon delivery of the product

Temperature excursions - air

• Irrespective of any promises made by airlines, and their “pharma” services, always assume that you will have a temperature excursion

• Use a 3rd party solution such as Envirotainers or Silverpods (other systems are available)

• Use data-loggers so that stability data can be consulted and product need not necessarily be destroyed when an excursion occurs

Temperature control equipment - Envirotainers

Temperature control equipment - Envirotainers

• Active temperature control solutions such as Envirotainers• Advantages

• Reliability• High quality• Support

• Disadvantages• Cost• Availability• Require intervention

Temperature control equipment - Silverpods


• These seal the product from the outside environment

• They are validated for 4 to 5 days irrespective of outside temperature

• They protect the product from handling damages

• They can be re-used but “reverse” logistics can prove tricky


• They are relatively inexpensive to purchase (compared to the cost of stock which could be lost to temperature excursions)

• They are easy to build and dismantle• They double the air freight charge

because of their size• Other systems are available


• So far we have experienced only one excursion on our 15 to 25 degree product

• Product went from Germany to Dubai and was left in error in a normal warehouse for 2 weeks

• Temperature was maintained below 25 for the validated period plus 2 days

• Warehouse temperature was +65 for long parts of the day

• Internal temperature rose to 36 and stayed there

• The combination of data on the shipment and the control on the maximum temperature allowed us to put a case for release to our Quality.

Temperature monitoring equipment - dataloggers

• Most trucks we use have their own logging systems but these can be unreliable or data only available when the truck returns to the depot (sometimes many weeks)

• Aircraft do not typically have any logging systems

• Temperature controlled sea containers (reefers) have their own logging systems but the shipping line will only give you the data in the event of an insurance claim

• Consequently, we need to log temperature data ourselves


• We need data to be available at the point of product delivery, irrespective of systems used to download data from the logger

• We need loggers to be:• very accurate • capable of measuring a wide temperature

range• of proven reliability

• We need the data to be CFR21 compliant such that it cannot be tampered with after it has been gathered


• We have chosen the Sensitech TT4USB but other loggers are available


• Single use logger• Easy to start and stop• Minimal risk of accidental stoppage• No “reading” software required at

destination• Instant PDF available for reading on site

or emailing back to originator• Full data file can easily be emailed back

to originator


• Show datalogger report pdf file

Weak points – road

• Variable Equipment • Agree with provider what types of

equipment are acceptable• Turn away unsuitable trucks• Do this even if you are not paying for

transport – they are still your products!• Route Selection

• Agree routes with your provider• Ensure drivers use secure truck parks –

seek evidence of this

Weak points - road

• Minimal Customs / Documentary Checks • Use providers with full track and trace

capability• Avoid non-specialist groupage services• Check trailer numbers noted on CMR

(international transport delivery note)

Weak points - sea

• Container Seals• Load and seal the container at your

premises• Use bolt seals rather than plastic ones• Check seal numbers prior to unloading

container• Fully investigate seal number

discrepancies

Weak points - air

• Multiple hand offs• Use a sealed unit such as the pod

pictured previously• Use airlines with direct services rather

than connecting flights• Tell your freight forwarder which airline

you want them to use• Book your shipment as a non-

consolidated shipment

Roles and responsibilities

• Truck company / airline / shipping line• Provision of equipment

• Freight forwarders• Liaison with equipment provider• Customs & documentation services

• You• Liaison with your supplier• Temperature information• No different to current supply chain!!

Summary

• Each mode has advantages and drawbacks

• Have a full understanding of those before you make your choice

• Your choice will be a trade off between lead time, transport cost and transport quality

• Finding the right freight forwarder is a critical factor in your success

manchester july 2012

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