What we have written on the cold chain144 / 154

Do not choose thickness from target temperature alone. Compare bids using the same operating conditions and documented panel values.

Test the plan against handling units and daily movement, not volume alone. Include doors, turning space and equipment clearances.

Sort causes by product, route and event type, then compare returns against shipped quantity for equivalent periods.

Prepare orders in separate containers instead of exposing the full load at every stop. Match door openings and stop times to load records to find risk points.

The product inside sets the cold room temperature. For foods of animal origin the upper limits are written product by product: mince 2 °C, poultry 4 °C, red meat 7 °C, frozen fish -18 °C.

Map product flow before choosing a facility label. Daily preparation, stock dwell, door use, and dispatch show the design need.

The container sets the size and the route sets the weight. A pack that does not fit wastes space, and a pack heavier than needed adds vehicle load, handling effort and freezing time.

In checked baggage and parcels a gel pack is usually no problem; in the cabin it meets the 100 ml liquids and gels rule. Dry ice is dangerous goods and limited to 2.5 kg per passenger.

Link receipt, split and delivery records to locate a lot's destinations. Use a trace exercise to reveal missing fields.

Do not compare purchase prices alone. Record completed shipments, returns, labour and storage capacity for each option.

Loading at midday in summer spends energy warming the goods and then cooling them again. A worked example shows how night loading cuts the heat entering through the door, and the freezing rule for eutectic plates.

Gel ice is water thickened with a polymer and sealed in a pouch. It melts at around 0 °C and is used in cold shipping of parcels and specimens.