b'4American Journal of Transportation ajot.comNew logistics technology emerges from COVIDReefers and COVIDvaccine distributions complexitiesEvenwiththelogisticsof this strong market momen-A company based in Iceland has developed a data-logger solution for moni- demands of the pandemic andtum and resilience were 1) the toring temperature standards for COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. the flood of imports the reeferwork-from-home factor, which sectorhasbeenremarkablycreatedmoreconsumption By Matt Miller, AJOT resilient.Thereefersectorinthegeneralretailperish-basicallymovingperishableablecommoditiessector,and Distributing the COVID- toryclearanceandrecording and how can we respond?freightbyspecialcontain- 2) with the run on food items 19 vaccine throws off logisticalkeeping.Itgeneratesdatasaid Gisli Herjolfsson, Contro- ers has proved itself hardywhen the lockdown originally challengesofmind-bogglinganalytics capable of split-sec- lant co-founder and CEO. duringthepastyearbecausetook place. Adding that some complexity:Billionsofvialsond decisions on everything(EMERGEScontinued onofanumberofsocio-eco- stability is now underway and in millions of containers havefrom alternate destinations topage 17) nomic influences ranging fromwithreopeningslowlytaking tobeshippedasquicklyasefficacy determination. changes in consumer habits tohold, we are now experienc-they are manufactured to tensThiskindofmonitoringsupply chain challenges. ingsomeperishablecom-of thousands of separate loca- isgroundbreaking.Itpro- BobSappio,CEO,Sea- moditysegmentshiftsfrom tionsthroughouttheglobe,vides an efficiency and reli- CubeContainers,acontainertheretailtothecommercial and with exacting temperatureabilityonaglobalplatformleasingcompanyspecializ- andspecialtyfoodproducts. standardsandcoldstoragewithincritical-careproductsing in reefers has had a birdsHowever,despitethisslight necessary from start to finish.and their cold chain that wereeyeviewofthereefersec- shift in commodity sectors, the Each dose must be monitoredpracticallyincomprehensibletors performance through thedemand continues to accelerate closelytoensureintegritybefore.Sophisticatedtrack- pandemic and recent boom inwith overall reefer growth rates or the vaccine could be ren- and-tracetechnologypointsconsumerdemand.Sappio,expectedtocontinueatthe dered useless, with potentiallythe way to a much more pro- aseasonedveteranfromthe4.5-6% levels during 2021.deadly results. activerather than reactivelinersideofthebusiness,Although the reefer busi-A company based in the supply chain monitoring.offeredhisanalysisofthenesshasbeenresilientand IcelandtownofKopavogurWeve moved from WhatGisli Herjolfsson, Controlantreefermarketandtheimpact(REEFERScontinued on providesasolutiontothishappened? to What is happen- co-founder and CEO ofCOVID:Thekeydriverspage 23)need for detailed monitoring acrossgreatexpanses.Con-trolant created the technology beingusedbydrugmaker Pfizer to monitor every dose ofvaccinebeingshipped globally,fromthetimeit leaves a manufacturing plant, untilitisadministeredin someones arm.Theprocessworkslike this: Pfizer attaches reusable data loggers made by Contro-lant to each box of vaccines. These advanced sensors relay tocloud-enablesoftware platforms in real time critical informationaboutthevac-cine, including location, tem-perature,light,movement, possiblesecuritybreaches andpackagetampering. Pfizerisabletointegrate thissoftwareintoitsown enterpriseresourceplanning systems(ERPs)andquality management systems or use a Controlant platform.Making the journey more problematic: Pfizers vaccine mustbestoredatultra-low temperatures formostofits shelf life. And, complicating mattersfurther,theglobal pharmaceutical giant decided todistributethevaccines directly in the US in just-in-timeflexibilitytovaccina-tion points, instead of using wholesalersandtraditional distribution centers. Controlant also provides its technology directly to the USgovernment,including the Center for Disease Con-trolandtheDepartmentof Health and Human Services.Thedatacanbebroad-cast up and down the chain, so all the parties know whats going on. This enables both shipper and carrier a degree ofvisibilityunimaginablea few years back. It gives ship-pers and recipients, including hospitals and clinics, not only knowledge of when supplies are expected but the condition ofthosesuppliesevenafter arrival.Itprovidesneces-sary documentation to health authoritiesforbothregula-'