How to choose the best cold chain packaging solution for shipping products

How should you choose your insulated shipping packaging solution?

Have you made your choice between a refrigerated truck and a temperature controlled packaging solution? Now it’s a question of selecting the most suitable insulated packaging solution for your needs from our range of products: insulated boxes with an outer layer of cardboard, reusable icebox, refrigerated fabric shoulder bag, etc. How can you arrive at the best choice of cold chain shipping system?

Which type of insulated packaging solution? 

Are you running a pharmaceuticals manufacture, shipping thousands of vaccines across the world every day? Do you work at a hospital, distributing medicines to the internal wards and clinics? Are you running a biotechnology company, dispatching samples from time to time? These are the questions you should ask yourselves: 

• Should your insulated packaging solution be reusable? 
• Should your packaging solution be flexible or rigid? 
• Should your packaging solution facilitate rapid preparation?

Tubs and rigid iceboxes, as well as (flexible) refrigerated shoulder bags, are washable and reusable. Refrigerated boxes are particularly suitable for non-regular shipments. Using the Pallet Shipper Frizbox® XXL, you can reduce the preparation time by inserting your pallet of products directly into the container.  

What is the temperature range?

You choose a temperature controlled packaging solution in order to comply with a fundamental requirement: conservation of all the therapeutic properties of the healthcare products being shipped. The temperature ranges are defined by the MA and various insulated packaging solutions satisfy these requirements: 

• Keep your frozen products at a temperature of –18 °C, with an insulated container and a special eutectic gel, or even with the Clinibox® or the VIP cooling box for example.
• Keep your products cool at temperatures between +2 °C and +8 °C with most Sofrigam packaging solutions. 
• Ensure that your products are shipped at ambient temperature (+15 °C to +25 °C) by choosing a Plasibox® or a Sofribag®. 
   

Find out more about transporting products at +15 to +25 °C

What is the storage period? 

Are you shipping your products from London to Newcastle or across the world? Does your logistical network include transhipments or temperature profiles under extreme conditions? Choose a packaging solution with a storage period that conforms to your requirements, without over-estimating the storage period. Here are some examples of packaging solutions that may be suitable, depending of the duration of the shipment: 

• The VIP temperature controlled packaging solution maintains a constant temperature for up to 240 hours!
• The semi-active iBox cooling box will preserve your products for up to 120 hours, thanks to its innovative temperature control technology. 
• The Sofribox® packaging will maintain the cold chain for up to 96 hours.
• The Textibox® rigid shoulder bag is effective for up to 48 hours in transit.
• The MedTraveller® box is ideally suited for trips lasting up to 24 hours – an inexpensive and practical solution!

What is the volume of the heat-sensitive products to be shipped?

One of the golden rules for the shipment of heat-sensitive healthcare products is rationalisation. An insulated packaging solution is most efficient when it is full and occupying the entire net capacity also has the advantage of being economical and ecologically-sound. 

From the Frizbox XXL pallet box (2,000 litres) to the small cooling pouch (1 litre), the packaging solutions are available in different sizes. The insulated boxes can hold up to 500 litres of products, the capacity of the Olivo® insulated containers and iceboxes is up to 130 litres, etc. You can easily find the most suitable packaging solution to make the most of your shipments. 

Our cold chain experts are at your disposal to guide you toward the most suitable packaging solution in order to optimise your shipments and ensure that your products are transported securely! If your logistics network is complex, we can adapt the packaging solution to satisfy your requirements; alternatively, we can devise made-to-measure insulated packaging solutions.