There are four common ways to build a cold chain, and the choice is usually an operations decision rather than a technical one: which cost do you want to pay once, and which one every trip. This page puts all four on identical criteria; the technical comparison table lives on the product card, this is the operations side.
Four routes, identical criteria
| Criterion | Isotec | Reefer vehicle | Dry ice | Polystyrene box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid once | Container and plates | Vehicle or refrigeration conversion | None | None |
| Paid every trip | Energy to freeze plates | Fuel and unit servicing | Dry-ice supply | The box itself |
| Needed at the depot | Freezer and rack setup | None | A dry-ice supply chain | Storage space |
| Does the carrier come back | Yes, for years | - | No, it sublimates | No |
| Different regimes on one trip | Yes, in separate containers | Depends on vehicle fit-out | Limited | Limited |
| Changes to the vehicle | None | Required | None | None |
Isotec: the cold sits inside the container
The insulated container and the eutectic plates are bought once; the plates are refrozen for every trip. The vehicle needs no refrigeration, so the fleet stays standard and hired vehicles can be used. The price is on the depot side: every trip needs fully frozen plates, which means freezer capacity and a rack setup.
Reefer vehicle: the cold depends on the vehicle
The refrigeration unit is on the vehicle itself, so capacity and regime follow the fit-out. A vehicle without compartments usually runs a single regime; a mixed load needs a bulkhead or a second vehicle. The cost returns every trip as fuel and unit servicing.
Dry ice: cold that is used up each trip
Dry ice cools by sublimating at -78 °C and is gone after each trip, so the supply chain has to keep running. An Isotec container also runs on dry ice when required: that is what the dry-ice tray is for. The GEBHARDT eutectic plate brochure states a savings potential of up to 41% for plates compared with dry ice.
Polystyrene boxes: single use
They look cheap because the cost spreads across trips and there is no return logistics. In exchange a new box is bought every trip, waste accumulates and the box is not a durable transport unit. On regular long-term distribution the arithmetic turns around.
Using two of them together
The choice is not always singular. On long routes a reefer vehicle and Isotec containers work together for the last metres and inside stores; dry ice and eutectic plates can also be combined. The right mix depends on route time and volume.
