Future-Proofing the Caribbean Cold Supply Chain

January 01, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists this year and vaccines begin to roll out, the cold supply chain will become even more essential.

Jeff Vaughn, our Chief Commercial Officer here at Trailer Bridge, shares his ideas about how the state of this system has far-reaching consequences for delivering coronavirus vaccines, re-shoring American manufacturing, food distribution in the Caribbean and Latin America, and more in a recent column for FreightWaves.

As coronavirus vaccines get approved, an unbroken cold chain will be necessary to transport them across the globe and then store them at their eventual destinations. Will this be a challenge in the US, the UK, and Europe with Pfizer’s vaccine, which currently requires ultracold storage? Regular temperature control for other vaccines will be a test for much of the rest of the world, where there isn’t as much refrigeration in place to deploy a full-scale immunization.

Another pandemic-related issue is food security. The cold chain is crucial to transporting and storing food to and from Caribbean food-producing nations. The staggering amount of food loss in Latin America and the Caribbean has prompted the region to commit to ambitious targets to reduce this problem. What practical solutions can logistics and transportation companies provide to help hit these targets?

Our top priority is making cold cargo transport as seamless as possible for the customer. In partnering with Trailer Bridge, we know cold cargo is being inspected, monitored, and kept at temperature from door-to-door and everywhere in between. – Eric Bierman, President of Cool Transport Jax

Puerto Rico plays an essential role in shortening supply lines in the Caribbean region, but it is also a significant American manufacturing player. Will it play a role in re-shoring American manufacturing from Asia? Puerto Rico already produces more pharmaceuticals than any other single US location. Will it be called on to mass-produce a COVID-19 vaccine?

Jeff recommends a few ways that we can improve and strengthen the Caribbean cold supply chain. Heightened inspection throughout the network tops of the list. What proven strategies are the best companies using to monitor goods? Planning for more efficiency and being responsive is necessary for reinforcing the system. How can logistics and transportation professionals make the best decisions in 2021?

Jeff Vaughn has much more to say on the cold supply chain, with specific references to the Caribbean and Latin America. Check out his full article to understand the vital role 3PLs play in this region. Read Reinforcing & Stabilizing the Caribbean Cold Supply Chain at FreightWaves.

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