What we have written on the cold chain58 / 154

Compare product form, ice, drainage and unloading method on one shipment worksheet.

An ice pack is frozen at least 5 °C below the melting point of its filling. For a GEBHARDT plate that melts at -18 °C, that means -23 °C for 24 hours.

Validate SKU conditions, vehicle layout and door openings together in a route trial.

GEBHARDT recommends 24 hours for its eutectic plates; depending on the cooling technology it ranges from 8 to 24 hours. The freezer must run at least 5 °C below the melting point.

Match drawings, load and interfaces with the integrator, then trial a sample through a full cycle.

An empty box is light but bulky. Sunlight, the pressure of one narrow contact point and look-alike models are the three ways stock gets damaged; each one comes with a figure and a check.

Do not treat 2-8 °C as universal; base plate choice on product protocol and measured route performance.

Record damage and handover conditions before opening. Assess packaging damage and product acceptance in separate processes.

A passive box does not replace storage in the pharmaceutical chain; it carries a validated stretch of the route. The EU GDP guidelines ask for qualified thermal packaging for this.

The inner box should not shift, and supports should not crush its walls or lid. Validate the pack with the carrier's applicable test conditions.

Holding the temperature is half of it. A drying rind or water on the surface both say the humidity balance has slipped.

In the ATP IR class the average K value of the body is at most 0.40 W/m²K. Thin sections at corners and in the lid channel pass more heat than that average; where they sit and how much heat they pass, in numbers.