COVID-19 demanded increased agility along the cold chain. Billions of temperature-sensitive vaccines needed to be moved and stored at -20 to -80 degrees Celsius to reach patients, many of them highly vulnerable, many of them in remote areas, as a deadly virus disrupted global networks.
"We didn’t just need visibility. We needed an evolved cold chain that would give us better data and an increased ability to take action. There were lives at stake and this product had to keep moving," said Mark Taylor, strategy director at UPS Healthcare.
Even with the first vaccines still in development, the healthcare logistics industry expedited solutions to flex and bolster cold chain capabilities. Companies like UPS Healthcare charted the course and expanded cold chain infrastructure to include ultra-low temperature freezers in critical hubs around the world and enhanced services like inventory management, temperature-controlled packaging, and trace-and-track technology.
The pandemic exposed five key challenges that will shape the future of the cold chain:
- Increased need for deep frozen and cryogenic storage: Storage at these temperatures is not new for the logistics industry but will continue to be an important requirement in the coming years.
- Continued supply chain disruptions: Whether it's labor disruptions, shifts in manufacturing or added strain on the global freight market, problems and pressures within supply chains will remain.
- Enhanced costs and complexities of scale: Shipping compliance and costs can be a major barrier to growth, especially as companies continue to expand globally.
- Expanded players in the value chain: As the cold chain grows to include more players responsible for smaller pieces, coordination and collaboration is increasingly critical.
- Increased sustainability requirements: Reusable packaging cuts down on single-use waste and can drive significant cost savings and better performance.
To keep in lock step with this growth, companies like UPS Healthcare are finding ways to get out in front of these trends with comprehensive cold chain logistics solutions including an expanded cold chain footprint, end-to-end visibility with contingency plans, integrated inventory services, and reusable thermal packaging.
"We delivered over one billion vaccines with the world on its heels. Now, we have to keep going. Not only to meet changing patient needs over the next five years, but to support our customers no matter where they are in the value chain," said Taylor.
Ultimately, the necessitated innovations of the last two years accelerated the development of a smarter, more resilient global infrastructure. UPS Healthcare can create customized logistics plans to help you capture the new opportunities it affords. Request a call from a UPS Healthcare expert to discuss the possibilities – no cost, no commitment.