GEODIS’ David Frouin on Qualifying Cold Chain Packaging for Every Lane

Choosing cold chain packaging starts with the product and the temperature range it must hold, but the most important part of the process is being able to qualify solutions quickly enough to have a backup on every lane, according to David Frouin, senior vice president, vertical market healthcare at GEODIS.

Speaking with Pharmaceutical Commerce at LogiPharma USA 2026, where he joined the panel "Reinventing Cold Chain Packaging & Technology: Smarter Systems for a More Predictable and Sustainable Future," Frouin says lane characteristics also shape the decision, including whether a shipment moves on a regular or spot lane and its seasonal timing. Transportation mode, product and environment all factor in, he notes, but the priority should be qualifying solutions in an easy, seamless and quick manner. With disruptions frequent, shippers need the flexibility to move between qualified packaging options depending on where the product is going.

Frouin describes two distinct roles for cold chain technology. Predictive tools are applied mostly before a shipment departs, drawing on weather forecasts, historical lane data and anticipated delays to adjust departures and routing. In-transit visibility, by contrast, relies on data collected through IoT sensors, and its value depends on what teams do with it. That requires a clear action plan and escalation path to re-ice a shipment or move it into temperature-controlled storage when something goes wrong.

"Data without an actionable plan means nothing," he says.

Survey data point to wider use of in-transit monitoring than in years past. A 2025 survey of more than 300 pharmaceutical decision-makers found real-time visibility platforms were the most widely deployed tool at 37%, with increasing interest in NFC/RFID labels and serialization, and close to 60% of companies intend to expand IoT monitoring to additional lanes and products.²

Reference

1. Tive. Tive Releases New Whitepaper on Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Visibility in 2025. October 23, 2025. https://www.tive.com/press-release/tive-releases-new-whitepaper-on-pharmaceutical-supply-chain-visibility-in-2025