Case Study: Designing 2-8C Shippers for International

Shipments from US to Latin America

Arminda Montero, Global Distribution QA Program Manager, Abbott

Prakash Mahesh, VP Marketing and Business Development, Sonoco ThermoSafe

Ken Maltas, VP Engineering, Sonoco ThermoSafe

IQPC Chicago

Agenda

Evolution of Packaging at Abbott Evolution of Regulations

Evolution of Packaging

Current Business needs 3 sizes (Parcel to Pallet)

Shipping across continents (North to South America)

Ambient profile

Solutions and Results

Summary PUR and PCM based solution Benefits of PUR

Benefits of PCM

Next steps/Future Potential

2

Chicago to Latin America Cold Chain Shipping

Regulatory

Some countries leave cold chain compliance management and

oversight entirely to the manufacturer

Other countries require shipping temperature record with strict 2–8

°C cold chain compliance

Shipping System Performance

Despite shipping system improvements from EPS/Water to

PUR/Water, shipping system performance was not acceptable

We wanted to maintain the transport/distribution model and

therefore, focused on shipping system options

Shipping System – What We Requested / Provided

What We Requested

1. 2–8 °C for 96 Hours

2. Shipping system should maintain 2–8 °C with any of our cold chain products

3. Shipping system should maintain 2–8 °C if refrigerated anytime before 96

Hours

4. 2 shipping system configurations (Chicago-LA Summer, Chicago-LA Winter)

5. 3 shipping system sizes (Parcel, Half-Pallet, Pallet)

What We Provided

1. Lowest thermal mass product

2. Ambient temperature profiles (Chicago-LA Summer, Chicago-LA Winter)

Designing a solution to meet the needs

Ambient Profile

Solution and Results

Solution – Parcel Shipper

• Liquid PCM next to the payload

prevents cold shock at the start and

prevents from freezing in the winter

• Frozen water on the outside allows for

longer duration in the summer

• 6-sided coverage prevents surface

contact to ambient with the payload

• Liquid PCM at the payload

temperature allows for the use of latent

heat of freezing rather than sensible

heat reducing the overall mass

• Liquid PCM also allows for short-term

storage during transit in refrigerated

conditions.Universal Design

Parcel Shipper Results

• System performs past the 96 hour specification to 120 hours and beyond

• Performance line remains steady due to blanket of PCM at same temperature as payload

Solution – Half-Pallet Shipper

Summer Winter

• Uses same concepts as small parcel

• Can be made universal with some optimization

Half-Pallet Results

• Similar comments as parcel

Solution – Full-Pallet Shipper

Summer Winter

Uses same concepts as parcel

Can be made 120 hours and universal with optimization

Full-Pallet Results

• Similar results to parcel – Minor adjustments to go to 120 hours in Summer

Performance Data – Summer & Winter

• Summer performance data is warmer at the beginning and colder at the end

• Winter performance data is warmer at the beginning and colder at the end

• Total energy requirements similar for the duration between design and performance data

• Analysis of performance data to test data will allow a broader range of flexibility in shipping

• Staging at 5C is most likely to occur mid to late in the shipment which helps to boost the PCM

Designing a solution to meet the needs

• PUR/PCM solution – Long duration, challenging profiles, Potential

for 5C holds, Pre-conditioning, Stock products or products already in

Abbott's system.

• PUR – Staple of the industry for many years, durability, R-value

versus EPS, Abbott already uses them

• PCM – Versus water reduces overall weight of refrigerants (latent

heat versus sensible heat), Potential for 5C holds, Use of stock

products, Conditioning simplicity

Summary - Cost vs. Temperature Control

PUR/VIPAdvanced

Temp PCM

EPS/PURAdvanced

Temp

PCM

Temp Control

Co

st

High

High

EPS/PURWater

Based PCM

Low

© 2011 Tegrant Corporation, ThermoSafe Brands

Summary - Benefits of PCMs

Hold a variety of tight temperature tolerances

Increase Weight to Payload Efficiency (WPE)

Significantly increase Payload to Box Ratio (PBR)

Simplify pack-out

Extend transport durations

Produce lower total cost of ownership

Insulated Package Designs Integrating PCM’s can:

© 2011 Tegrant Corporation, ThermoSafe Brands

Shipping System – What We Got

What We Got

1. 2–8 °C for 96 Hours

2. Shipping system maintains 2–8 °C with any of our cold chain products

3. Shipping system maintains 2–8 °C if refrigerated anytime before 96 Hours

4. 2 shipping system configurations (Chicago-LA Summer, Chicago-LA Winter)

5. 3 shipping system sizes (Parcel, Half-Pallet, Pallet)

6. We were able to maintain transport/distribution model and confirmed

shipping system robustness to withstand transport process variability

7. Shipping system not only works for Chicago-Latin America but to other

global destinations as well

8. Shipping system works as well and in many cases better than active

shipping systems

+

Goal – Chicago Cold Chain Shipping to Latin America

Latin America

CHICAGO

SEASONS:

1) COLD = October-

March

2) HOT =

April-September

Chicago

SHIPPING SYSTEM

SIZES:

1) Parcel

2) Half-Pallet

3) Pallet

Nice – Chicago Cold Chain Shipping Globally

Latin AmericaPAA

CHICAGO

SEASONS:

1) COLD = October-

March

2) HOT =

April-September

SHIPPING SYSTEM

SIZES:

1) Parcel

2) Half-Pallet

3) Pallet

Europe

Chicago

Ideal – Chicago Cold Chain Shipping Global-Universal

Latin AmericaPAA

Europe

Chicago

CHICAGO

SEASONS:

SAME YEAR-

ROUND =

UNIVERSAL

SHIPPING SYSTEM

SIZES:

1) Parcel

2) Half-Pallet

3) Pallet