A national retailer with over 250 retail stores services those locations using two distribution centers, located on the east and west coast. The retail stores sell 90% non–perishables and 10% perishable goods, and goods are distributed to these retail stores using a large, private fleet of dry trucks.
A problem facing the retailer is that their perishable products have proven to be vulnerable in the face of high temperatures during transit. As a method of dealing with this, the retailer hired reefer services solely to transport its confectionery products. During spring and summer months, as well as year round in the warmer states, 10% of products are shipped using reefers.
The problem: Reefer trucking has proven to be costly, tedious to administer, and disruptive to the shipping process.
Proposal
The retailer approached IPC with the desire to eliminate reefer trucking entirely, while still solely using their fleet of dry trucks to transport retail and temperature-sensitive confectionery products together.
They also requested that the solution be low–cost, easy to manage, and environmentally friendly.
IPC Recommendation: Insulated Pallet Covers
IPC recommended its high–performance CooLiner Pallet Covers to protect against the inherent elevated temperatures and temperature spikes experienced during transport using dry containers.
IPC recommended its high–performance CooLiner Pallet Covers to protect against the inherent elevated temperatures and temperature spikes experienced during transport using dry containers.
CooLiner Insulated Pallet Covers, which use a proprietary combination of reflective insulating foils and thermoplastics, have been shown to produce extreme temperature differentials when placed over temperature-sensitive cargo. This film technology gives the thermal pallet covers unique performance capabilities that makes them appropriate for such applications
Testing
After preliminary data indicated positive results, IPC recommended that the retailer conducted an internal study using the Pallet Covers to protect its perishable products while shipping to warmer climates.
The retailer subsequently conducted a nationwide trial with several test shipments. Temperatures were measured with and without the insulated box liners to assess the effectiveness of the insulation.
Conclusion & Results
The retailer determined that the Insulated Pallet Covers provided a temperature differential of over 30°C between the van’s interior and inside the thermal covers. This resulted in protection that was more than adequate and ensured that confectionery goods would arrive in saleable condition.
By utilizing IPC’s pallet box covers, the retailer has now entirely eliminated use of reefer containers, resulting in:
- Large savings in shipping costs–no need to hire reefer trucks.
- Internal improvements in efficiency.