1) Healthcare companies designing their thermal packaging were very much interested in UPS’s ambient temperature profile and data. As many of them ship through UPS, learning more about environmental conditions enabled them to optimize their packaging and improve their protective performance while decreasing their combined packaging and transportation costs.

2) UPS had an opportunity to help more healthcare customers implement better cold-chain packaging solutions by designing four off-the-shelf lines that are pre-qualified against the UPS U.S. domestic temperature profile.

This service can be combined with other UPS healthcare value-added services such as UPS Proactive Response®, UPS Proactive Response® Secure or UPS My Choice® to build more effective healthcare temperature-sensitive supply chains that create a higher degree of compliance and security and a better customer experience.

DOTmed News: What engineering technology went into developing these packaging models?

A: When it came to making technical decisions, our goal was to combine cost effectiveness with a high standard of thermal protection. This is evident in the insulations and Phase Change Materials (PCM).

• The Med 100 packaging line is based on a newly developed insulated envelope for small payload shipments against extreme heat and cold environments. The envelopes are made with an environmentally friendly material that is 100% biodegradable.

• The Med 200 line uses low-cost, water-based gel packs to provide seasonal protection of refrigerated products. The unique packout design simplifies gel conditioning but also eliminates “freeze shock.”

• Our Med 300 line uses an innovative design with a rapid cooling technology that eliminates the complexities of pre-conditioning and the need for freezers or refrigerators at the point of origin. Shippers are easy to activate and self-contained.

• What stands out about the Med 400 line is its modular design and cooler that can be used for three different temperature packouts. This eliminates excess box inventory and reduces operational complexity. The use of advanced PCM helps reduce the dimensional weight of the shippers while offering a higher degree of thermal protection.

DOTmed News: How does UPS handle risk mitigation along its cold supply chain?

A: Good risk mitigation starts with a sound transportation network and a world-class, comprehensive logistics portfolio. The UPS logistics network handles millions of packages every day with a robust on-time performance.

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