Spare a thought for the Packer. The one who has been assigned to pack Pharmaceuticals for transit. Painstaking, precise and controlled. Packages containing gel packs, ice-blocks, temp. loggers, and fillers of different varieties – in specified cartons. And this is in addition to the medicinal product itself, requirements for the correct product code, batch reference, strength and packing position.
An undervalued Responsibility in itself. Actively packing with increasing frequency but in decreasing and specific time(s).
But absolutely necessary. The why’s and how’s can be discussed elsewhere.
Are we, though, too quick to disregard the options of Active Transport? Certainly the perception of short term costs on validated packaging being a lot more attractive than the use of Temperature Controlled vehicles is hard to argue with. But as demands increase, so do the alternatives.
It is frequently mentioned that, to meet the requirements of cold-storage transportation, there aren’t enough Temperature Controlled vehicles in the UK. Or even in the whole of Europe! To be honest, I can’t even begin to answer that, and I doubt it’s possible right now to prove or disprove it with any degree of certainty.
What is clear is that the transport companies want the business. They realise the potential. Provisions for differing storage conditions are increasingly advanced (along with, it has to be said, Packaging development) and so are the options. This will, at least in the long term, be good news for Wholesalers/Distributers.
Considering the time spent on the process of active packing, then the consideration that the same time may be taken by the recipient in un-packing – and it is likely that the packing materials may be wanted back by the sender (After all, they are often considered as stocked items – not just as easily discarded consumables). And then factor in the additional return transit costs.
So perhaps the economics of utilising Active Transport will become more attractive, more widely used, and a more cost effective alternative. It’s probably not quite there yet, but worth keeping an eye on and worth researching.
Written by Brian Lindsay