Have you heard of the Internet of Things? As a shipper, odds are pretty good that you have engaged with it, even if the phrase doesn’t sound familiar. The Internet of Things (or IoT) is the concept of connecting non-traditional devices to the internet. If an item has an on/off switch, it could potentially be a part of the IoT and ‘talk’ to other devices. 

This technology has major implications for pharmaceuticals. The challenges that the IoT addresses go beyond convenience, to facilitate distribution of life saving drugs.

One way that is happening is with temperature sensors. If you are reading this blog, you probably know that pharmaceuticals must be kept within a specific temperature range. Fall outside of it and you risk damaging your wares. But temperature fluctuations are almost inevitable (and hard to pinpoint). The International Air Transport Association finds that 20% of temperature sensitive products are damaged and 25% of vaccines are degraded by the time they reach their location. This is during a ‘normal’ year. Now imagine losing 20% of Covid vaccines.

Fortunately, the Internet of Things can address this. Gary Bull, Managing Director, Able Freight Services LLC, adds: “Carriers and shippers are using the IoT to track temperatures and locations throughout the shipping journey. Sensors can detect temperature changes, and can alert all involved operational team members if it falls outside of an optimal range”. The IOT technology also collects valuable data, giving freight forwarders a way to identify problematic parts of the journey (say, if a shipment sits on a runway exposed to heat for too long).

You can bet the farm that when Covid vaccinations are shipped, there will be a temperature sensor on most of shipments, and the data it produces will be closely monitored and analyzed.

If you are an Able Freight customer, you can take advantage of this technology. DataHub, our in house digital platform, tracks shipments from start to finish, including location, temperature and humidity trackers.

Not familiar with DataHub, or curious to learn more? Give us a call or contact us at sales@ablefreight.com, and we’ll get you set up!

“In just the last year, Mexico has initiated eight new agricultural export markets, including blackberries’ export to China and mangos to Australia”, states Xavier Ripoll, Director of Marketing, Able Freight Services. Not only are Mexico's perishable food exports expanding in reach, but the existing markets are seeing significant growth – mangos, various berries, avocados, limes, papayas, pineapples, citrus, bananas, figs, and pitahayas or dragon fruit.

Mexico easily has the largest market share of avocados exported worldwide. Peak season runs October through February, but like berries, avocados are experiencing an extended production season. From the market year of July 2019 to June 2020, exports to the United States reached a record-breaking $2.4 billion (USD), and another 6% increase is expected next year. Globally, the entire avocado market could reach $21.56 billion (USD) by 2026, a sizeable growth compared to the $13.64 billion (USD) value in 2018 (3).

Overseas, the demand for Mexican avocados in the Middle East has the opportunity for long-term growth. While the market share decreased in 2019 for that region, it has rebounded in the last year on account of year-round production in Michoacan, the state of Mexico providing 74% of the national output. With Emirates SkyCargo now flying in and out of Guadalajara Airport (GDL) as of October 2020, Mexican growers are positioned for further success in the Middle Eastern market.

Mexican mango season, which runs from March through July, benefits from following the Peruvian season of January and February, as this brings more demand and growth to the Mexican market. Mangos in general are gaining popularity in Europe, namely in the UK, Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany, as well as in Asia. Interestingly, although Spain produces what is commonly considered a “better-tasting” mango, European grocery stores elect to carry the cheaper varieties of mango such as those from Latin America and South America.

Berry season in Mexico is typically known as October through May, which in the United States, supplements the spring through summer berry season. In recent years, Mexico has had success with extending their growing season to nearly year-round. Blueberries are moved by a truck even in July and August, and other berries, such as blackberries, are active through June.

Vijay Nallamilli, Country Manager (Mexico) at Able Freight Services, adds: “Able Freight offers growers the advantage of alignment with our proven partners in Europe as well as the ability to facilitate a consistent flow of product from Mexico to global consumer markets.”

On Tuesday, August 25th, 2020, an Antonov 124 flew to Campinas, in the southeast region of Brazil.  The airplane landed at the Viracopos International Airport at 11:33 AM local time. Normally, a high capacity cargo plane landing at an airport would not be newsworthy. But this was one example of a growing trend for Brazil. As the country’s perishable imports and exports continue to increase, it requires parallel development in infrastructure to accommodate the new growth in business. 

In July 2020 alone, Brazil shipped out $10 billion worth of agriculture products, an 11.7% year over year increase. Brazil’s exports to China alone totaled $3.85 billion in the first seven months of 2020, as the South American country replaces the United States as a supplier of agricultural products. And that’s just in one sector. In 2018, Brazil exported $1.19 billion in pharmaceutical products. The country imports much more. A study from Brazil’s Association of Pharmaceutical Research finds that the market can expect to grow from $39 billion in 2020 to $43 billion in 2023.

But Brazil’s export capabilities are highlighting a gap. According to the Brazilian Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Derivatives, Brazil is only the twenty-third largest exporter, despite being the third-largest fruit producer in the world. Logistics snags, particularly as the world grapples with Covid, are holding Brazil back from becoming a larger participant in the world market.

It all points to a need for cold chain infrastructure and optimized processes. Pharmaceuticals and produce both require specific handling procedures, and that’s only the beginning of the story. Most of these products have a limited shelf life and require very specific and seamless temperature controls.

“What is needed is a fresh cold chain strategy in the country”, says Alex Brandao, Business Development for LATAM at Able Freight. “A strategy that allows produce and pharmaceuticals transport intact, it's economically viable and at the highest quality levels”.

It’s time to unleash the power of Brazil on a global scale!

If you are new to exporting, you may be pondering this question. If you don’t feel prepared to navigate the documentation, insurance, handling requirements, rate negotiations, and customs challenges that come with international shipping of perishable goods and pharmaceuticals, you may want to hire a specialist to handle it.

An air freight forwarder is an expert at the shipping process, who will make sure that your cargo gets where it needs to be. They will manage bookings, negotiate rates, and handle whatever bumps come up along the way. That way, you can focus on your product and your business growth minus the headache of trying to distribute it, too.

Of course, there are some things to watch out for. It’s important to get a good price. But compromising on service - particularly in the cold chain - isn’t an option! Your perishables freight forwarder must stay on top of the details, be transparent in communication with you, and have a record of excellent service.

Enter Able Freight. We specialize exclusively in moving temperature-sensitive cargo. Able has been in operation for over 28 years, with more than 400 employees across seven facilities, and 75 specialized cold chain partners around the globe (or as we like to call them, ‘local heroes’). 99.97% of our shipments are claim-free.

At Able Freight, we are just as committed to technology as we are to customer service. Team members are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to assist you. Our in-house cargo tracking platform, called DataHub, gives you access to shipment tracking and all relevant documents, from origin to destination, around the clock.

As our CEO, Mr. Orlando Wong, says, ‘our unwavering processes, clear expectations of our teams, and entrepreneurial mindset define who we are.’ If moving temperature sensitive cargo is in your future, give us a call. We would love to help you out!

Consider the effect of a manager who actively has his or her hand in every task of a team of people. The model may work for small operations, but if the workload increases, the manager will be unable to keep up with demands, and the performance of the entire operation will suffer. A manager stepping back and trusting the experts on the team is a similar idea to outsourcing. There are enough benefits to be gained by outsourcing that it should be a top priority to make the transition as soon as it is feasible.

The outsourcing of cold chain logistics can be one of the biggest moves to increase a farmer’s, retailer’s or trader’s competitive advantage. They stand to gain efficiency, cost-savings, and the benefit of additional resources like technology. Andrew Russell, Sales and Marketing of Able Freight, adds: “By strategically outsourcing logistics responsibilities, it provides your employees more time to focus on core activities. As a result, companies have experienced improvements in their internal operations and an increase in overall efficiency."

Before outsourcing, a supplier of fresh fruit or vegetables would be concerned with the best way to ensure their produce stays at the optimal temperature range throughout the cold chain. They would have their own system of monitoring and their process of responding to errors. If there was a claim, it would take a significant amount of time to stay on top of the resolution. By outsourcing these areas that are not the essential focus of the company, they can instead concentrate on growth, sales and market reach and have the confidence in the expertise of their logistics provider. Let the expert handle the logistics so the farmer, trader, or retailer can do what they do best: Grow quality product, sell and market it!

A perishables logistics company will already have the expert knowledge, connections, and systems to solve your company's global logistics challenges efficiently. They bring you cost-savings as they're able to hone in on the best process, cutting the time and effort it takes to complete the tasks. If you're experiencing growth and need to scale quickly as well as demonstrate focus on revenue creation, there is no waste in navigating how to take your company there – the logistics providers have already navigated that process for many years for you.

Logistics companies are also working with access to valuable resources. They have fleet networks with competitive rates due to the volume of their total business, offer direct buyer relationships and they have the technology to aid in shipment management, visibility, and reporting. The benefits of these resources extend to your business and have a direct impact on the bottom line.

"Able Freight can elevate your cold chain logistics and give your business the upper-hand it needs to grow. Our company handles the complete logistics cold chain so clients can focus on buying, selling, and developing their own business," says Dr. Michael Kronenberg, CSO/CTO of Able Freight.

Contact us at sales@ablefreight.com to learn more!

For shippers and retailers relying on cold chain logistics, technology adoption offers opportunities for increased efficiency on multiple fronts. Control and visibility as well as proactive decision-making must be at the center of these technical solutions.
 

The quality of service and product improves with better monitoring and analytics and with the ability to fine-tune adjustments. The goal is to have a process of improvement made possible by complete end-to-end visibility.

By adopting the latest technology available to the perishable logistics industry, companies get the capability to maintain quality control and minimize the temperature variability of their product. This leads to higher-quality product for the end customers. This technology also allows companies to reduce errors by identifying them sooner for fewer claims and greater cost savings.
 

A pharmaceutical company already has good distribution practices (GDPs) to abide by to ensure their drug products are up to standard throughout the entire cold chain. With monitoring and alert systems in their tech toolbelt, they can be in control when conditions deviate from the requirements in order to begin responding right away. This ultimately reduces waste, and when a company is able to bring resources away from responding to errors, it's able to focus on growth.

Able Freight has a suite of innovative solutions made to advance the ways technology can work for your company. DataHub can become your center for all information regarding your shipments’ location, temperature and other relevant data in real-time.
 

Find all your documents, quality control photos, and customized reports, plus get notifications for the parameters that matter to you. Our open platform is made to easily integrate with your own IT systems. These are only a few solutions we've designed to serve you and fit your unique business needs. 
 

We work to innovate for the perishable logistics industry because we know the potential it can unlock for your business!