Page 20 - LUA May - June 2023 for Magzter

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perishable items, decreased product waste
and spoilage, and boosted supply chain
efficiency. However, there are several
challenges that market participants are
confronting and considering solutions for.
“The unique set of challenges
within the supply chain within Africa
necessitates innovation and technology
for cold chain packaging. Some of the
products are required to reach the
most rural regions that are not always
accessible by road, rail or air. Therefore,
especially within the continent of Africa
there is a strong drive towards innovation
and the use of technology as a solution
to complex logistical challenges. The
technological and innovation drive is
to make the solution affordable and
accessible to the continent,” said Chetty.
Like all international pharmaceutical
supply chains, cold chain operators
in Africa must continually upgrade
technology to ensure efficiency, integrity,
and safety. Demand for increased visibility The shifting trend towards
will drive businesses to innovate and add
value to services. producing pharmaceutical goods
“Cold chain logistics providers must within Africa aligns also with
invest in the latest on-board equipment the African Union and African Centres
built into our containers to track
temperature and location, and to make for Disease Control and Prevention’s
data available to partners and customers. goal to produce 60% of Africa’s vaccine
Smart packaging which delivers end-to- needs locally by 2040. With this sudden influx of
end traceability and precise shipment
tracking is now a cornerstone of supply domestic manufacture, cold chains will continue
chain fulfilment in Africa. Built into to be pushed to globalise.
all Tower containers are data loggers, NOSIPHO NTSHANGASE
designed to monitor external and TOWER COLD CHAIN SOLUTIONS
internal temperatures throughout the
container's journey. Assurance of physical this, the final mile becomes a serious issue widely accessible in all areas within Africa.
and temperature product integrity is in Africa due to the lack of infrastructure, In most cases the most available cold chain
paramount in the cold chain which is why particularly in the continent's rural parts. packaging is used that may not necessarily
reliability is a key foundation for Tower. “The temperature requirements on be the most suitable,” said Chetty.
Data downloaded from over 20,000 air freight perishable produce can be “Paradoxically, despite a high demand
shipments demonstrates less than 0.1% of maintained using cold chain packaging for projects and sufficient capital,
temperature excursions on average, a vital and material to reduce temperature there is no rapid action in terms of
indicator in the maintenance of the cold loss. On some products the temperature infrastructure investment. With local
chain,” said Ntshangase. solution used is often associated with the distribution partners often having to
insulation properties of storage containers deal with farm or rural deliveries where
INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALSO to maintain the integrity of the product the patient or medical centre resides in
A CHALLENGE quality. The escalating cost of logistics isolated, remote areas, these deliveries are
Animal and human specimens, vaccines, within the African continent often leads to extremely challenging with containers
medications, and human blood are just the industry using the cheapest cold chain requiring an electricity source, where
a few of the commodities that must be packaging solution that may not assist to infrastructure is not available to support
packaged and transported with extreme maintain the temperature of products. a compliant supply chain. It is here
care to ensure proper temperature and The accessibility of the suitable cold chain however that passive temperature-
handling practices. This is mostly owing packaging is also another stumbling block controlled technology has helped simplify
to the product's nature and the fact that within rural regions within Africa. Hence the delivery of thermally sensitive
these items are possibly dangerous. Given cold chain packaging is not easily and pharmaceutical items,” said Ntshangase.

18 LUA MAY - JUNE 2023