What thermal-container information should pass between shifts?

When one shift starts preparation and another completes dispatch, container state can be left to verbal memory. Plate freezing time, pre-cooling and logger state belong in the handover record.

17 July 2026Updated 28 September 2026

Short answer

Record the container ID, the time the eutectic plates went into the freezer, when pre-cooling started, logger state, lid openings, last check and the handing-over owner. GEBHARDT gives 15 to 21 hours for freezing plates and 12 to 20 hours for pre-cooling, so the clock times must pass at handover.

When one shift starts preparation and another completes dispatch, the container's state is left to verbal memory, and a clock time alone does not say which preparation step remains. The times GEBHARDT gives for the Isotec TBX decide what the handover record has to carry.

Written in the record	Why
Time the plates went into the freezer	Eutectic plates take 15 to 21 hours to freeze, and capacity is reached only when fully frozen
Time pre-cooling started	GEBHARDT recommends 12 to 20 hours of pre-cooling
Logger state, number of lid openings	Frequent and long openings affect the inside temperature
Container ID, last check, owner	The label and the record must point at the same container

Match the physical status label to the record, and have the receiving person confirm the open step aloud.