Logistics of Frio Barcelona

Cold logistics is an indispensable element for the pharmaceutical industry, as the use of generic drugs, biotechnology applications and the rise of personalized medicine are increasing.

If you want to know more about this service and its applications, feel free to continue reading this article about ensuring the treatment of products with the specialized care they require.

What is cold logistics?

Cold logistics are known to refrigeration or freezing products. It is a concept that refers to a grouping of elements and activities that are essential to ensure that the quality of food, medical products or pharmacists are maintained throughout the process. This method causes temperatures to drop to inhibit the development and abundance of microbes and agents that alter them.

These elements consist of primary and secondary active transport, cold stores, storage areas, and sales sideboards. You should know that the key element in this type of logistics is transport, since it is the one that can generate the most danger for different reasons such as the stoppage of the vehicle or the lousy operation of the refrigerator.

Today, transportation lines that are dedicated to the cold chain are scarce and are trying to develop more opportunities for the future.

Application of cold logistics in pharmacy

The temperature-controlled supply chain in pharmacy logistics ensures that the product received by the consumer has met the temperatures required to ensure quality.

Currently, there are many medicines that need a temperature control for the maintenance or care of the same. According to WHO, vaccines, biological preparations and materials related to transplants, reproduction and clinical analyses are the most well-known.

The most common temperatures in cold chain storage are as follows:

– Between 20 and 23 oC for products that only need a slight cooling with wet environment.

– Between 2 and 8 oC for medicines that need total refrigeration.

– About -20 oC for frozen products.

– About -70oC for solid-state carbon dioxide.

– About -190 oC for products such as cryogenic liquid nitrogen.

This type of chain encompasses production, transport, storage, sale and consumption of the patient, taking into account that it is normally handled by an entire logistics operator.

Planning pharmaceutical cold logistics

For the planning of the storage and subsequent distribution of material from the pharmaceutical sector, a number of additional criteria must be taken into account which should not be taken into account in conventional logistics units.

All areas must be perfectly qualified from the start of planning, paying special attention to climate control, access control and entry areas, and changes in the flow of material in the production area.

Here are the phases of the planning process.

Temperature-controlled logistics units

In the pharmaceutical field, temperature is of vital importance in the storage of products. The first phase in the planning process is to evaluate current regulations regarding room hygiene and temperature needs. The law states that the storage of materials with different classes of risk and toxicity is not permitted. Therefore, it is necessary to establish different compartments for each temperature range.

Data assessment

Once the different temperature ranges are established according to the materials to be stored, the next step is to transform the data from the database into information. It is important to accurately estimate demand to ensure dynamic performance and adapt the capacity of the logistics unit. In addition, we need to anticipate the future needs of the market, analyzing the strengths and threats, as well as the changes in each area.

Warehouse planning

All requirements that apply in the warehouse planning process should take into account the potential risks: waterways, toxic or hazardous substances. An essential differentiating element in the combined warehouses is the division of finished products to have, on the one hand, the distribution of raw materials and, on the other hand, production.

Qualification standards

And finally, it’s about the optimal balance between logistics systems, buildings and processes. The qualification of the design is essential, as it lays the foundation for further planning. During the validation process, all actors involved should be aware that the building standards of the pharmaceutical sector are exclusive and not general.

Come and know the different logistics solutions for the organization of the supply and distribution of your pharmaceutical goods with the logistics of the cold that we can offer you. Don’t think about it for another second!