Cold Chain Technologies extends ambient-temperature packaging line

Cold Chain Technologies (Holliston, MA) has expanded a line of packages, GTS, to include case or package dimensions as small as 7x5x4 in., and as large as 48x40x48 in. (a full pallet), with pre-qualified thermal protection between 5 and 30°C, and for durations up to 96 hours (120 hours in some of the less-than-pallet sized units). The containers feature corrugated cardboard side panels, “stand off” pads (essentially, baffles), and the company’s KooliT “bricks,” which are phenolic-foam cubes encased in a leakproof cover, and loaded with water or gel-type refrigerants (depending on the application). According to TJ Rizzo, director of sales and marketing, the water-based bricks need no special pre-conditioning for room-temp shipping; packagers can simply assemble all the components, load in the bricks and payload, and send the package on its way.

Cold Chain Technologies’ GTS line competes with thermal blankets for controlled-room-temperature shipping, says Rizzo, but other factors enter into the decision for choosing one solution over the other. These include whether the insulating materials are to be re-used, whether the shipment needs protection on all sides (including the bottom), and the duration and level of temperature control required. “More and more countries are requiring documentation that room-temperature pharma products have been shipped safely,” he says. “Our pallet-size GTS 6000 has been well-received since it was introduced a couple years ago, and now we’re extending that capability to other package sizes.”