The need to keep product integrity, particularly for temperature-sensitive shipments like vaccines, requires a certain set of standards and procedures for each stakeholder. With more doses being distributed all over the world, carrier and cargo operators are trying to enhance the visibility of shipment data and travel long distances without having to worry about excursions. And this is exactly what Releye RLP does: LD11-sized unit with a unique air flow technology; fits 3-euro pallets (or 2-US pallets), and rechargeable with over 170 hours on a single charge. It gives every stakeholder a view to the shipment in real time.
“RLP can be the game changer in the package/bio logistic market, with new and updated tech such as real time battery, temperature, location monitoring, improved performance using VIP, and longer operating hours,” explained Paul Seet, global key account manager for airlines at Envirotainer.
Digital transformation
Digitally, this is what airlines, shippers and forwarders would like to add as part of their agendas, and in Asia Pacific, more carriers like SIA, Cathay, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Asiana Airlines have all approved the active container for fleet use in just a span of four months.
“Our newly launched Releye RLP container plays a pivotal role in the digitalization drive by providing shippers, forwarders and airlines with real-time shipment data such as the location and temperature of the cargo throughout transit”, Envirotainer noted.
In an interview, Bernt Anderberg, chief technology officer and supply chain officer at Envirotainer, mentioned 18 sensors that monitor important aspects during shipping, including eight sensors for temperature in different places in and outside the cargo space: humidity, circuit boards, door openings, battery status, cargo loaded, and GPS.
Strong partnerships
Environtainer said the demand is strong in Asia, and this is why it is important for them to build strong logistics partnership with its airline partners in the region for air repositioning support to meet the availability expectations of its customers.
“We see a strong demand for our active units in countries across the APAC region,” Paul noted. “In countries such as China, South Korea, Japan and India, the demand is particularly high. Our Releye RLP is still new, and many companies are currently in the phase of qualifying the unit. The process to qualify is very quick compared to other solutions on the market and the feedback from the market has been very positive so we soon expect a strong increase of product being shipped in our Releye solutions going forward.”
In India’s Hyderabad region—an area with a large concentration of vaccine manufacturers—cargo handling provider GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) was the first to break in Envirotainer’s new-generation containers at its cargo terminal in Hyderabad airport. The cargo handler worked closely with the Envirotainer team and partner airline QR Cargo to ensure all the infrastructure, protocols and procedures were in place to induct the RLP containers.
Service reliability
For shippers and manufacturers, the availability of this container technology can ensure that their consigned pharma or healthcare shipment does not go to waste. Crunching the numbers from their data, Envirotainer said the company had a record low 0.03% temperature deviations, meaning that virtually all shipments stayed within the set temperature interval. For the first half, the company delivered well below 0.1% in temperature deviations and even more importantly, zero product losses, which differs dramatically from the industry at large, Envirotainer claimed.
Talking about Releye RLP, Paul added: “when integrated with the airline’s flight status information, we will be able to empower cold chain stakeholders with complete monitoring and control of their shipments while minimizing the risk of temperature deviation.”
“With enhanced data visibility, we can better protect the integrity of the medicines, improve patient safety and reduce financial loss for manufacturers by proactively managing transportation risk.”
Updated correction on third paragraph: China Southern Airlines and Asiana Airlines
