If you are active in the medical field, you’ve likely heard the term “temp-controlled shipping” thrown around every once in a while. Temperature-controlled logistics refers to logistical solutions that require extra attention to the climate in which deliveries are transported.
At Stat Experts, we understand that when a healthcare facility needs supplies, equipment, medications, or biological specimens, they need them fast.
Sometimes, those shipments only need to go across town. Other times, the packages need to travel across the country. The deliveries require specific, controlled temperatures throughout the entire distribution process.
Stat Experts has equipped a team of experts to focus specifically on temperature-controlled logistics. Temp-sensitive shipments can mean life or death to your patients, so we ensure fast and effective deliveries so you can meet your patients’ needs.
For these reasons and more, we pay special attention to our temp-controlled logistics. We’re here to answer any of your questions and help you track your shipments as they go.
What Are Temp-Controlled Logistics?
Temp-controlled logistics is transporting and storing temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals, fresh produce, or certain chemicals. The goal of temp-controlled logistics is to maintain the integrity of these products by controlling their temperature throughout the entire supply chain.
With Stat Experts, we maintain the temperature of your shipments from when we receive them to when we deliver them.
Temp-controlled logistics consists of the following four steps:
- Maintaining temperature
- Storage
- Packaging and handling
- Distribution
Step 1 of Temp-Controlled Shipping: Maintaining Temperatures
The first step Stat Experts focuses on is maintaining the temperature of your shipments. From beginning to end, we control all the details of every shipment and provide that information to the deliverer, the carrier, and the recipient.
Temp-controlled logistics is controlling the temperature of the products during transportation. At Stat Experts, we use temperature maintenance solutions like refrigerated trucks or shipping containers to solve this problem.
Refrigerated vehicles are equipped with refrigeration units designed to keep the interior at a specific temperature range (usually between 2-8°C for pharmaceuticals).
Sometimes we use temperature-specific containers for temp-controlled shipping. This type of packaging ensures a constant temperature for a certain amount of time — anywhere from a few hours to several days. We can monitor these containers off-sight to ensure the correct temperature is always present.
The temperature inside the truck or container can be affected by many external factors, such as:
- Ambient temperature
- Humidity
- The duration of the journey
To mitigate these risks, temp-controlled logistics companies often use temperature monitoring systems that track the temperature inside the truck or container in real time. The real-time information helps us to adjust the refrigeration unit as needed to keep the temperature within the desired range.
Step 2 of Temp-Controlled Shipping: Storing Temperature Sensitive Shipments
Once maintaining the temperature is squared away, the next step logistic providers need to focus on is storage. Logistics service providers need to focus on short-term storage, such as at a distribution center or warehouse, and long-term storage, such as in a warehouse or cold storage facility.
At Stat Experts, our facilities are equipped with refrigeration units designed to keep the interior at a specific temperature range.
Step 3 of Temp-Controlled Shipping: Handling and Packing
Temperature monitoring is not limited to transportation and storage. It is also critical to have accurate temperature monitoring during the handling and packing of products.
For example, if a lab sample such as blood or bone marrow spends a small amount of time at an incorrect temperature, the product can become damaged or unstable, rendering it unusable.
Step 4 of Temp-Controlled Shipping: Distribution
Once packages are packed away, we load them or pick them up and transport them to their final destination. When shipments are in transit, we maintain temperatures throughout the process.
Whether we deliver items to local hospitals or need to take the shipment across the country, the shipment will stay exactly where it’s required to be.
How Stat Experts Maintain Temperature-Sensitive Shipments
At Stat Experts, we use a combination of standard operating procedures (SOPs), staff training, and technology such as temperature monitoring systems for our temp-controlled shipping process.
SOPs provide a detailed outline of the procedures that must be followed when handling and transporting temperature-sensitive products, including temperature monitoring systems.
Staff training ensures that employees understand and can follow these procedures. At Stat Experts, we have a combined 75+ years of experience in medical logistics alone. We train our team members according to OSHA and FDA regulations. Our goal is nothing less than high-quality, premium service.
Along with our SOPs and professionally trained staff, we integrate the latest technology into our systems to ensure our temp-controlled logistics run smoothly. Stat Experts uses one of the most significant technological advancements for temperature-sensitive shipments: GPS-enabled temperature monitoring systems. These systems use GPS technology to track the location of the truck or container and the temperature inside. As a result, we can see exactly where your products are at any given time, and we can make adjustments to the refrigeration unit as needed.
Contact Stat Experts For Temp-Controlled Logistics
Stat Experts maintains the entire temp-controlled logistics process (storage, handling and packing, and distribution) by using the following three components:
- SOPs
- Professional staff training
- Updated technology
Temp-controlled logistics is a complex process that requires careful planning, monitoring, and execution.
At Stat Experts, our team is ready and capable of helping you through medical logistics. Contact us today if you want to learn more or get a quote for our temp-controlled shipping.
