Globalization has given a boost to world trade. To provide your clients with best possible services, you need to maintain strong business standards throughout your supply chain and geographies. However, the concept is further complicated in the global supply chain process when we add temperature-controlled items to a portfolio of products. This is where the concept of ‘Cold Chain’ comes into existence. Thanks to modern technology, the cold storage and transportation process is much less complicated than it was decades ago. With the advent of equipment such as temperature sensors and robots with temperature resistant bodies, the concept of Cold Chain Logistics is now a reality. Importance of Cold Chain LogisticsConsider a scenario where a state of the art healthcare facility is transporting lifesaving vaccines from the head office in the US to another part of the world. At the destination, it is considered a life-saving drug. Temperature is key to the effectiveness of this drug. Sometimes a rare blood group is transported from one end of the world to the other end. In such circumstances, maintaining cold chain standards becomes a matter of life and death. Consider another scenario – when you go to a grocery store and all the fresh fruits and vegetables are displayed on refrigerated shelves, the feeling of freshness is maintained from the time they are picked (sometimes from the east coast) to the time they are displayed on shelves on the west coast. All this is possible with the cold chain effect. Weakest LinkFor many years, loading and receiving of items were considered as the weakest link in the Cold Chain events. However, with the advent of technology, this link of the chain has also been strengthened. The latest and most efficient cold storage facilities use two crucial elements. One of them is called the ‘reefer’ which is temperature control equipment that is able to maintain the temperature of cargo as per the product requirement. This equipment helps in maintaining the temperature of the item such as edible products or vaccines – even after the products are dispatched to another cold storage facility. Secondly, the latest concept of loading and unloading stock is done using robots. These robots are temperature resistant allowing businesses to load and receive freight within the warehouse under freezing temperatures. Tips to ensure temperature controlCold storage warehouses should employ the latest technology to maintain and monitor temperature. Temperature can vary in a refrigerated environment. Selection of containers should be done wisely as the material of the container may influence the temperature also. While working with third-party vendors in the Cold Chain process, businesses should acquire assurance documents about their facilities. Ensuring proper compliance with cold storage standards helps. While transporting products the optimal route should be chosen for maximum temperature control efficiency. For example, moving a product container from the Nevada desert by road may influence the temperature more than by transporting it through the air. ConclusionCold Chain is an important and integral part of global transportation today. Businesses maintaining proper cold chain standards create customer satisfaction. This leads to higher revenue generation. Businesses should employ latest Cold Chain technology to compete in the global marketplace of high-quality perishable products.
RLS Logistics The post Cold Chain Logistics: Managing & Maintaining Standards appeared first on RLS Logistics. via Blogger Cold Chain Logistics: Managing & Maintaining Standards
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Global Cold Storage MarketGlobalization and trade has taken the world by storm and it is imperative for logistics and transport companies to maintain strong transportation standards especially for cold storage items. Most cold storage cargo these days deals with refrigerated and frozen foods and the market has grown by billions of dollars since the early 2000s. Some of the famous cargo vessel fleets that travel around the world transporting refrigerated items for consumption incorporate the use of the latest technologies and techniques to keep the food fresh and brand new until it reaches its destination. With the advent of technology, it is vital that cold storage warehouses make the best use of all the products to create cost-efficiencies and derive maximum value for their partners. Even when temperature sensitive items are transported to cold storage locations such as exquisite or high-end restaurants that have their own cold storage facilities, they require their own cold storage mechanism as well. The Cold ChainYou may have heard of the recent buzzword ‘blockchain’ in which cryptocurrency travels through one part of the cyber world to the other using a chain of terminals. ‘The Cold Chain’ is quite similar to blockchain at least in essence, which is a science of understanding perishable goods and using technology to maintain appropriate temperatures in order to keep these perishable goods from decaying and its third dimension is the process which is used along ‘the cold chain’ to prepare, move and store the package along the way. A Chain is as strong as its Weakest LinkThe famous quote above suggests that no matter how strong a chain is – it can break if the pressure is applied to its weakest link. The same concept applies to the cold chain as well. For example, if a perishable item such as expensive fish or a pharmaceutical product is being transported from Japan to the US, the temperature needs to be monitored along the whole supply chain from refrigerated trailers to the air or sea cargo freezers to the cold storage warehouses at the destination. Many companies now make the best use of technology by attaching small temperate measuring apparatuses to the package that shows the buyer that temperature of the enclosed item was monitored and maintained throughout its journey. Best practices for a cold storage warehouseStorage in higher densitySome of the best practices to manage a cold storage warehouse include keeping a high density storage policy i.e. keeping more products in relatively small spaces. This requires less energy to cool the smaller areas and also once the area is refrigerated, there is less space for heat loss.
Palletizing within refrigerated environmentOver the past years, cold storage companies had problems palletizing perishable, pharmaceutical or edible goods as they had to be taken out of the refrigerated space, palletized and then transported back into the freezer again making it less cost-effective. With the introduction of robots that are indifferent to freezing temperatures, this process can be done with in a refrigerated environment and with considerable ease.
Use of touch screen technology to control equipmentsOne of the latest trends in cold storage warehousing business is to use touch screen technology in order to make the process fast and easy for the cold storage crew. With touch screen technology and digital display, the temperature and apparatus monitoring is more effective as well as it is clearly visible when it comes to quality control checks.
Helpful tips for the cold storage crewFor the crew working in cold storage facilities, the managers should introduce heat sensing gloves that keep the worker warm and at the same time enable him to move and control the equipment with ease. The navigation for the worker should be clear with indication marks and pathways all across the cold storage warehouse. The pace at which the perishable goods move around the globe from one part of the world to another is an indication of change in global requirements and to meet these changes, cold storage operators need to introduce best practices and state of the art technology in order to serve the end user with the finest quality products and complete satisfaction. RLS Logistics The post Cold Storage Warehousing And Logistics Trends Of The 21st Century appeared first on RLS Logistics. via Blogger Cold Storage Warehousing And Logistics Trends Of The 21st Century E-commerce keeps growing as consumers enjoy the convenience of shopping online and receiving packages at their door. One segment driving that growth is subscription-based online merchants marketing consumer goods ranging from household items to specialized products. Subscription businesses grew nine times faster than revenues in companies comprising the Standard & Poor’s 500 index and four times faster than U.S. retail sales for 15 consecutive quarters from 2012 through the third quarter of 2016, according to Zuora, a firm that tracks the business — bolstering logistics companies along the way. Logistics firms are drawn to subscriptions because the business offers simplified planning and staffing on the fulfillment side, generates predictable monthly revenue and doesn’t increase inventory as products typically are packed and shipped shortly after arrival, said Satish Jindel, president of SJ Consulting Group in Sewickley, Penn. “It’s a great business because it’s predictable, repetitive and easy to handle,” Jindel said. The subscription business brought headlines when Dollar Shave Club was purchased by Unilever for $1 billion in 2016. Dollar Shave built a mailing list of 3 million customers with promotional $1-a-month campaigns for its razors, and generated 2015 sales of $152 million. Netflix used the e-commerce subscription model as it distributed DVDs via mail and toppled brick-and-mortar Blockbuster video stores, Jindel said. “Subscriptions are a booming area now. It’s a convenience thing and people buy it as a gift,” said Bill Young, senior vice president of St. Louis-based Materialogic, a warehouse and distribution service provider. “The challenge for fulfillment centers is to coordinate the mailing with the client. It could be a single piece or a multiple piece or multiple components,” Young said. The largest group of e-commerce subscribers are 25 to 44 years old, have incomes from $50,000 to $100,000 and live in urban environments, according to The State of the Subscription Economy, 2018 by McKinsey & Co. Logistics firms are jockeying for this rising business. RLS Logistics, headquartered in Newfield, NJ, has been handling temperature controlled direct to consumer fulfillment for over 20 years. RLS consistently is named as a top 3PL through Food Logistics magazine. The company has recently expanded its temperature controlled direct to consumer platform to Salt Lake City, UT. With this new location, they are able to service most of the US Population within 2 day ground shipping. Direct to consumer e commerce represents the fastest growing business unit at the company. “We continue to invest in this fast growing business unit with new technology and expansion plans”, said John Gaudet, Vice President Business Development. Our customers have been entrusting us to manage their complicated temperature-controlled supply chain for over 50 years. Our flexibility and custom tailored solutions allow us to be a valued partner to our customers. Whether it is fully integrated or a stand-alone solution, our dedicated team is ready to meet your needs today. RLS Logistics
The post Fulfillment Centers Promise Special Delivery for E-Commerce Subscriptions appeared first on RLS Logistics. via Blogger Fulfillment Centers Promise Special Delivery for E-Commerce Subscriptions RLS Logistics, a third party logistics company, has reached an exciting milestone as the company prepares to celebrate their 50th year anniversary. Originally founded as R. Leo & Son Mushroom Farm in 1968, RLS has transformed itself into one of the leading cold chain logistics providers in the Northeast. The 3rd generation of the Leo family now run the company.
Rosario Leo and his family emigrated from Italy in 1958 for a better life. “Our grandfather taught our father that with hard work, determination and initiative you can achieve the American Dream. Our father, Anthony, instilled in Tony and I that same mentality. That is what allowed us to achieve this milestone and continues to motivate us to this day.” remarked Russell Leo, CEO/President, Transportation Group. Russell and Tony also attribute a huge part to the companies success and longevity through the dedication of RLS’s team members, customers and vendors over the last 50 years. “We obviously have not done this on our own. Without our team members, who are the ones truly providing the excellent service our company gives, none of this is possible”, stated Tony Leo, CEO/President of the Warehousing Group. RLS’s future is very bright as it continues to expand its service offerings and locations. “While still very young, we hope that someday the 4th generation will be willing and able to continue the legacy started by our grandfather” said Tony. About RLS Logistics: RLS Logistics, a third generation family-owned and operated 3pl (third party logistics) company, has transformed itself over the years into a leading temperature controlled logistics provider offering transportation solutions, cold storage warehousing, packaging, and distribution services. For more information visit www.rlslogistics.com RLS Logistics 2185 Main Road Newfield, NJ 08344 856-694-2500 |
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