Roosendaal, Netherlands: The Cool Chain Association has launched a data sharing project, called the LAX Initiative, to provide a neutral platform to collaborate, communicate, and share ideas.
“Our industry is in the spotlight as never before and facing challenges that we could not have envisaged; it is time to embrace collaboration and new ways of working,” Stavros Evangelakakis, chairman, Cool Chain Association says.
“We know CCA members are working on a daily basis to keep cargo moving and arriving safely where it is needed. We would like all of our experiences to provide an opportunity for us to learn from each other and so please let us know if you have a story to share, we will be reporting back to members on a regular basis with these,” he said.
The initiative is part of the association’s search for ways to improve the temperature supply chain, fight food loss, and ensure pharma consignments safely reach their destinations.
The Lax Initiative is built on the association’s data sharing pilot last year, when it tracked and measured perishable shipments moving along the Los Angeles and Amsterdam trade lane. The tests will involve tracking shipments of commodities, such as avocados and berries, from grower to consignee via electronic logging devices attached to pallets and containers.
The devices will record information on the elapsed time and temperature of the products, as well as moisture and shock levels, in relation to the goods’ location.
All members of the supply chain will share the collected data to identify temperature excursions and pinch points along the supply chain. CCA member Xtreme Technologies will analyse the data collected to pinpoint weak points in the supply chain.
“The project is unique because the initiative uses degree hours as a key parameter to measure temperature excursion of the goods shipped, rather than just temperature of the products,” Gerton Hulsman, CCA board member and managing director of Dusseldorf Airport Cargo Logistics, said earlier this year.
“Furthermore, the goal of the initiative is to help strengthen weak parts of the supply chain and reduce waste through transparency and data sharing, rather than just cutting someone out of the supply chain for shortcomings.”
The Lax Initiative is open to all interested CCA members and complete results will be available for purchase upon completion of the tests to demonstrate how collaboration can tangibly improve the cool supply chain.
For more information see the website: http://coolchain.org/industry-news
