Cold-chain integrity for Vaccine handling

While this is an example of cold-chain integrity for Vaccines handling, it is applicable to other cold chain applications and any other logistics movement of any kind.

In most systems, the whole system is ONLY as good or as bad as the weakest point in the whole system.

Testing the system at all nodes and paths at all times is challenging even with IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), real-time operating systems and high bandwidth, computing and storage.

The first list of steps to establish in any system are the following …

1. Assume the system has transactions and each transaction within the system has a beginning and and end. In terms of time, geography, virtual, people, things, places on any one criteria at least.

2. Each transaction has finite 'nodes" or touch-points or just points at which you would like to check - for example every 1 hour. Between all these points are 'paths', which may or may not be important and may or may not need tracking.

Have established the 'touch-points', each touch-point should have a 'few' preferably 'one' parameter for tracking. In our vaccine-cold-chain example, it's the temperature at any time there is a 'transfer' from one mode of transport to another. (Here we assume that within a transit on the path the temperature need NOT be known).

Why at the nodes? Transfer points? Here is the most risk. When taken out of an aircraft it is open to the sun, rain and elements. For how long? Is it lying on the tarmac? Being cleared by customs? Next touch-point could be warehouse. Is it being opened to make into smaller containers or packaging? How long does each operation take? To keep it simple let's assume only a third point of consumption. After being removed from the cold storage, how long does it take to get it into the arms of a person.

So we see that at the '3' touch-points above, while the temperature is important, the time taken or 'node-itself-has-a-path' is the significant parameter that needs to be automatically captured.

Now for a touch-point we need a matrix of 5 x 2 numbers. 2 columns which are the 'plan' or target time, temperature or whatever. Column 2 is the actual at that touch-point. The 5 rows are upper measure and lower measure. The middle is the 'ideal' target number. Between the upper and lower are the boundaries of acceptance - an upper and lower limit, above or below which 'rules' comes into play.

The 'rules' at a touch point may be escalate the situation. Raise an alert. Raise an alarm. DO NOT USE. Lock the box. De-activate. Depends on the touch-point, type of industry, activity and movement of whatever that is in the cold chain.

This cannot be done without the 'right' technologies. We can talk GPS, RFID, IoT, IIoT, mobility, internet, 5G, sensors and actuators, clextra ERP, backend, middle-ware, front-end, UI and UX. Who is going to make the right decisions and give you a lean-sigma-cold-chain, quick turnaround at least cost and uptime over many years?

Find and talk to the right person, I said the cat.