Boston Puts Cold Chain On Ice
In
case you missed it, last week included one of the more important conferences
this year in air cargo: the IQPC GDP and Temperature Management Logistics
Global Forum, held September 29-October 03, 2014, at the John B. Hynes
Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
The venue for the 12th annual edition
of this gathering was filled with people who not only take the Cold
Chain seriously, but also in some cases guide activities that have elevated
this growing segment of air cargo into high art.
L to R: Kris Hembree, UTI, Jim Bacon, Grifols, Inc.,Tom Grubb,
American Airlines Cargo.
American Airlines Cargo continued their industry
thought leadership with a session at this year’s event in Boston.
AA Cargo has Cold Chain topics and reality
in plain sight with an expanding menu of services aimed at bringing
perishables up where they belong.
“Cold Chain logistics exemplify
the critical need for joint collaboration by all stakeholders in developing
transportation solutions that will protect delicate pharmaceutical and
healthcare products,” said Tom Grubb, manager Cold Chain Strategy
at American Cargo.
“Given the ultimate objective of
patient well-being—by insuring medicines remain safe and effective
as they move through the supply chain—it is crucial that all stakeholders
work together toward this goal,” he said.
Session
Underway
Although there are many stakeholders in the
supply chain, American’s session focused on the relationship between
the pharmaceutical manufacturer, the freight forwarder, and the air
carrier.
“The presentation was a best practices
case-study to demonstrate how stakeholders should work together for
success,” Tom Grubb said.
Perspectives reflected in the session
were presented by: Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Jim Bacon, Grifols Inc.;
Freight Forwarder Kris Hembree, UTi; and Air Carrier Tom Grubb, American
Airlines Cargo.
Challenges
& Solutions
The key challenge was air carriage of material
from the U.S. to Europe while maintaining a deep frozen temperature
state of the product.
“Temperature maintenance for these
shipments is critical and must not fluctuate otherwise it will cause
the material to be ruined.
“Better solutions for proper management
of cold chain are developed through proactive communication and information
sharing. “This includes thorough understanding of product requirements,
identification and implementation of best practices, creation of detailed
SOPs, and insuring each participant’s complete understanding of
the process.
“A key differentiator during development
of the solution was the use of a ‘Mock Shipment’ call.
“These calls are designed to bring
all stakeholders together to ‘walk through a shipment’ from
start to finish in order to make sure each participant fully understands
the process itself and their roles within the process.
“This enables for mapping out of
the procedures, identification of weak points, and implementation of
any needed improvements, provision of work instructions for all parties,
and clear establishment of communication/escalation channels for alert
notifications during the shipment,” Mr. Grubb concluded.
With the other key differentiator for
the success of this program being Trilateral Process Development, each
stakeholder, by bringing their unique perspectives to the table, jointly
developed a solution that resulted in successful implementation and
execution.
Tom Grubb is manager of Cold Chain Strategy
for American Airlines Cargo and is responsible for leading the airline’s
global time and temperature-sensitive logistics services.
A 23-year veteran of American’s
Cargo division, Grubb previously served in Operations as Manager of
Customer Service Strategy, where he was instrumental in the development
of ExpediteTC, American’s active and passive cold chain services.
Prior to his role in operations, he served in other management roles
including Global Accounts Sales, Capacity and Pricing Management and
Information Systems development. During his tenure with the airline,
he has implemented strategic sales initiatives and operational solutions
for the carrier’s products and services portfolios.
Grubb is currently a member of the IATA
Time and Temperature Task Force (TTTF).
Teamwork
Pays Off
By working together, the product arrived
at the destination facility:
On Time: Handled properly, 100 percent
flown as booked!
On Temperature: 100 percent complete product
integrity!
On Target: Robust, clearly defined procedures
lead to a repeatable process.
“A repeatable process provides for
consistent handling,” Mr. Grubb points out. “Consistency
in handling allows for reliability and results in product safety and
quality.
“We found the right chemistry,”
Tom Grubb said smiling.
Geoffrey
