Dubai, UAE, 16 April 2019: Ensuring product integrity in the cold chain is a crucial need, said Julian Sutch, Head Global Pharma Sales, Emirates SkyCargo. He pointed out to the constant need to be aware and to adopt effective methods of tracking temperature across the cold chain.

Elaborating on the role of handlers in the chain, Sutch said that typically, a consignment passes through 15 hand-over points before it arrives at its destination, making it vulnerable to temperature excursions, as it is difficult to monitor the temperature. As and when we learn of a possible excursion in temperature, we either re-assess whether we must accept the cargo or if we must conduct a risk-analysis, Sutch said. “In some cases,” he said, “when we know that a delay is imminent, we use active containers, also known as ‘cool dollies’, which are large fridges.” If the transit exceeds three hours, the dollies are loaded and brought to the Dubai Hub, he said. They are kept there till it’s time for the out-bound flight, he added.

Julian Sutch

Sutch pointed to technology as having a key role to play in temperature monitoring. He said: “The idea is to be able to monitor every shipment that we move.” However, he said, technology does come at a price, and today, manufacturers are pushing the bar by coming out with WiFi-integrated data loggers. WiFi on data loggers, Sutch said, helps give continuous feedback on any rise or fall in temperature and is apt for temperature monitoring.