The global logistics operator DHL, in partnership with Microlise and AeroScout, recently developed a system for the pharmaceutical industry to enable real-time monitoring of product shipment temperatures throughout an extended supply chain using RFID sensors. But is the award-winning system set to change the pace in other sectors as well?

     When the system was originally conceived, DHL, Microlise and AeroScout partnered with a large healthcare company to develop a system that would help meet temperature compliance regulations set within the pharmaceutical industry. 116.30.197.66 This article is copyright 2007 UsingRFID.com.

Tracking the goods
     Through the new system, real-time visibility of the location and temperature of the pharmaceutical shipments throughout the supply chain was made possible, based on a web browser-based link to Microlise''s Transport Management Centre (TMC) software, which provides tracking of vehicle positions along with temperature data from the Wi-Fi-based AeroScout active RFID tags attached to the goods.

     The system has already been installed in trailers by Mueller Transporte, a Vienna-based company that specialises in temperature controlled transportation, and it is used for the transportation of BioScience products that need to be stored at between 2 and 8 degrees C. The first shipping lane to test the system is from Belgium to DHL''s 3PL Warehouse in Sweden.

Using the sensors
     RFID Wi-Fi temperature sensor tags from AeroScout are attached to shipments inside the load compartment. These tags continuously monitor and transmit the load''s temperature to a Wi-Fi reader connected to the Microlise Tracking Unit installed in the vehicle. This unit sends temperature and vehicle location data, using a GPS device that transmits data via GPRS to a central server provided by Microlise, which hosts the TMC.

     During the journey, the system compares the temperature of the shipment with customer-defined rules and, if the shipment undergoes a significant change in temperature, an alert message (either by SMS or e-mail) is automatically generated so that the appropriate action can be taken without delay.

More regulation to come?
     According to Jeroens Martens, RFID programme leader for DHL Exel Supply Chain, "The pharmaceutical industry is facing more regulation than ever before and companies are increasingly required to track their shipments to ensure that they have been transported under the correct conditions. This system allows them to monitor temperature-sensitive shipments and can help them meet the stringent requirements of the sector."

     Recently DHL''s new application won an RFID Journal Award in the Best Use of RFID in a Service category. The pilot project was conducted by the DHL Innovation Centre, and was commended for "offering a promising service to the pharmaceutical industry, as well as other sectors searching for a solution for sensitive temperature-controlled transport".

 

 

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