Cold Chain

C.A.L. Earns Qualified Envirotainer Provider Accreditation

C.A.L. Cargo Airlines has become the first Israeli airline to be accredited as a Qualified Envirotainer Provider (QEP) at all of its online stations: Tel Aviv, Liège, and New York's JFK. The QEP Program involves specialized training and processes for using Envirotainer’s temperature-controlled air cargo containers.

Pelican Acquires Minnesota Thermal Science

Pelican Products Inc. has announced the acquisition of Minnesota Thermal Science (MTS), the provider of temperature-controlled transportation products.

Collaborating for Control

To support carefully chosen packaging systems, pharma shippers are advised to collaborate with freight forwarders and carriers to maintain handling consistency.

Handling temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals can be a risky business. The supply chain can be hazardous, subjecting life-saving therapies to potentially damaging extremes.

Toughening up the Supply Chain

A maker of protective cases extends its products to fortify the pharmaceutical cold chain.

Pelican Products Inc. has provided high-performance protective cases to medical device manufacturers for more than 30 years. The company has custom-molded cases of all sizes for X-ray units, centrifuges, scopes, and other healthcare products.

Working directly with lifescience companies, Pelican representatives learned that some were struggling with what Lyndon Faulkner, president and CEO, calls “sub-standard packaging solutions” for transporting temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and biologicals.

ICEE Folding Box Debuts Flat Pack EPS Box

ICEE Folding Box, Melbourne, Australia, is launching an EPS container with a patented, durable, strong, multi-use hinge that enables EPS containers to fold flat. The company will showcase the ICEE Folding Box at PackExpo October 28-31, 2012, the company said in a press release.

Modality Solutions Hires Consulting Engineer

Modality Solutions, a consultancy offering cold chain management support to biopharmaceutical and health products companies, has hired Shubhra Kochar as a consulting engineer. Kochar will join the existing lineup of subject-matter experts who launched Modality Solutions last year: Gary M. Hutchinson, Paul J. Harber, Daniel J. Littlefield, Brian Wallin, and Donald Wilson. The team offers quality engineering/logistics consulting, systems integration, and simulation laboratory services.

Temperature-Monitoring Labels Progress

PakSense has launched its next generation BIOmed XpressPDF temperature monitoring label. The flat labels feature an integrated USB connection point that can be plugged into a computer to transmit complete time and temperature history, including graphs and summary data. New features include an embedded Comma Separated Values (CSV) file tied to the PDF that lists time and temperature in five-minute increments.

Pelican Launches BioPharma Division With Line Of Temperature Controlled Cases

Pelican Products, Inc., Torrance, CA, has created a new BioPharma Division for ushering in a next generation of cold chain products, logistics, and service. In August 2012, the division will launch a line of virtually indestructible temperature controlled cases for the pharmaceutical and biologics industry, the company said.

Pelican BioPharma cases will incorporate three industry-leading features: reusability, temperature control, and security.

Thin Batteries to Power Cold-Chain Sensors

At Sensors Expo 2012 on June 6-7 in Rosemont, IL, Blue Spark Technologies will highlight the potential use of its carbon-zinc batteries as a primary low-voltage power source for sensors in pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and chemical supply-chain logistics, and other operations.

Filling in the Engineering Gap

A new consultancy aims to provide technical support to those preparing products for the cold chain.

One of the most common mistakes in preparing products for the cold chain is using the wrong shipping profile, reports Gary M. Hutchinson, formerly director of global transportation at Amgen. “As a result, companies could be over designing or under designing their packaging systems.” Such a mistake means that companies could be spending far too much on their systems—or protecting their products far too little.

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