Tips for Managing Temperature-Sensitive Goods During Shipping

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Temperature-Sensitive Goods|Tips for Managing Temperature-Sensitive Goods During ShippingEven large, insulated trucks are susceptible to temperature change and weather conditions that can impact the freight inside. Without additional temperature controls within the truck, products can spoil or be damaged by temperature variations.

Even if the temperature is fine at the loading and unloading point, a lot can happen in between. Depending on the route the truck travels, you may see significant variations in outside temperatures. Trips through desert climates can cause temperatures to rise quickly and items to thaw. Mountainous regions, or shipping during the winter, can cause items to freeze.

Overcoming Temperature Variations in Shipping

Shippers typically overcome temperature issues by using reefer trucks that have built-in technology to maintain specific temperature ranges within the truck. Refrigerated LTL trucks often include real-time monitoring and tracking, so operators can monitor internal temperatures and make adjustments if the temperature rises or lowers beyond acceptable measures.

However, many shippers want an independent assessment of temperatures beyond relying on the driver’s word that the temperature stayed within acceptable ranges. Shippers overcome this by attaching a temperature indicator to the freight so that they can be alerted to exposure to unacceptable temperature conditions at any time during transit.

These inexpensive monitors can be attached to freight or inside packing to indicate whether any temperature variation was brief, moderate, or prolonged.

Managing Containers

Making sure you have the right type of container for your goods will make a significant difference.

  • Wood is used most commonly for freight that is not impacted by force, such as poultry, seafood, and other meats. Wooden boxes can accommodate dry ice while allowing pressure to escape the packaging. Dry ice can rupture if pressure is not released.
  • Plastic boxes are good at eliminating moisture from penetrating the container and are stackable. Plastic works well for produce.
  • Cardboard can be used in some circumstances. More affordable and easy to stack, items needing temperature control are often sealed or wrapped and refrigerant gel packs are used to maintain temps. For this, many merchants often seek the help of international freight forwarders. It fastens up the process making it easier for you to settle for a reliable deal. If you wish to seek more details about it, feel free to click here and know about it all.
  • Styrofoam boxes act as an insulator to help maintain temperatures as well.

Using the Right Insulation

Inside your container, it’s also important to use the right kind of insulation to keep your temperatures at the right level. If you’re not using Styrofoam or a container that comes with a built-in liner, you will typically want to find a thermal liner, filler, or pad to put inside the container.

Once you have insulation in place, you may also need to add additional filler, such as bubble wrap or packing peanuts to prevent movement and keep your shipment secure while in transit to reduce potential damage.

Protect From Freeze Services

Some temperature-controlled shipments need additional protection to avoid freezing. Commodities, including chemicals, paint, glue, wine and alcohol, liquids, and some perishable foods need to be transported above freezing temperatures.

Most LTL carriers offer Protect from Freeze services, which include sheltering or segregating freight from outside temperatures and employing heated trailers or shelters to keep cargo from freezing.

Other products need to be kept frozen, within tight tolerances. Managing what logistics companies call the “cold chain” can be just as challenging as keeping items from freezing.

Loading and Unloading

Another area shippers run into trouble with maintaining temperatures is during the loading and unloading of goods. For example, temperatures might have been maintained during transit, but the long wait at the freight dock with the doors open can quickly compromise temperatures during unloading.

Drivers should keep trucks parked and the door closed until the loading dock is open and freight can be unpacked immediately. The same goes for loading. While stored in refrigerated containers in the warehouse, if items are sitting in the sun on the loading dock or in an open truck for too long, temps can rise quickly.

This is another reason many shippers have started using their temperature indicators. The built-in systems in the truck would show everything was fine during the transportation phase, but nobody is monitoring the temperatures specifically during the loading and unloading process.

Importance of Monitoring Temperatures

Besides wanting to protect the integrity of your goods and make sure they do not spoil during transit, maintaining temperatures may be important for regulatory compliance and to avoid recalls.

Essentia Health is the subject of a class-action suit after 50,000 patients received vaccinations that may have lost effectiveness due to improper storage temperatures. Having proof of temperature control throughout the entire shipping and storage process from start to finish could be vital information in case of legal action.

Common Courier Mistakes to Avoid

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Courier Mistakes|Common Courier Mistakes to AvoidWhether you have set up a business that exists entirely online or you are moving into the position of having your products shipped out, there are some common mistakes that are always going to be worth avoiding. In this blog post, we are going to be looking at a few of these in closer detail to help you avoid repeating them yourself.

Not Training Your Drivers Properly

Driver training should be treated as a priority as these are the people who are actually going to be getting your packages from A to B and interacting directly with your customers as well. In terms of safety, a fleet defensive driving course is certainly a great starting point. You should also train in areas such as the proper practices for the loading and unloading of a vehicle, as well as how to manage a route in real-time. Don’t forget about the customer service element of the job as well. People are going to remember how they are greeted by their delivery driver when it comes to thinking about whether or not they will order from you again.

Using Poor-Quality Packaging

Packaging may not be a detail that you have thought about too closely, but it is certainly one that is worth bearing closely in mind. Instead of just choosing the first box you see that seems a roughly appropriate size, instead you should test is properly to see how well is does in transit. You should also ask questions of how easily it fits together and if it is going to fit through a mail slot or not. You should also consider the padding in the package that helps to ensure the item does not become damaged along the way. Of course, if your product is easily breakable, this is bound to be even more important.

Not Focusing on Attention to Detail

When you are shipping out packages, it may seem like there are a million and one different details that you have to pay attention to. If you do not juggle them all effectively, this is where problems can start to arise. You have the weight, size, package type, and all the associated costs to factor into it. Also, ensuring that you take a correct address from a customer is important, and you should also think about the distances that will be covered.

Not Estimating the Delivery Time Correctly

While next-day delivery services have revolutionised the industry in a big way, many people are simply happy knowing that their package is going to arrive with a clearly established timeframe. Therefore, you should do everything that you can to ensure an accurate estimate of when that important package is going to drop through the mailbox. Think about the different speeds of delivery service that you are going to offer and how easily and realistically that you are going to be able to achieve all of them.

Avoiding these common courier mistakes can seriously help you achieve successful deliveries.

Improving Productivity in the IT Department

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Productivity in the IT Department|Improving Productivity in the IT DepartmentThese days, the IT department is often one of, if not the, most important parts of your business because it is a technology that keeps everything up and running effectively. So, it stands to reason that, if you can increase the efficiency of the IT department, you can improve productivity across your business as a whole.

Okay, but how exactly do you do that? Here are a few ideas:

Improve the infrastructure

Whether using faster processing products like this MicroATX motherboard or updating to the latest server technology, anything that you can do to improve your existing IT infrastructure will help your employees to carry out various processes more quickly, thus improving productivity. Investing in the best technology is rarely a waste of money because its return on investment, when productivity is taken into account, is almost always going to be pretty high.

Embrace automation

These days, a lot of business processes can be automated completely, from factory assembly lines to customer service responses. By taking advantage of automated apps and software, you can save time and money, and redeploy your IT staff to more important tasks that really di need an experienced human brain.

Cover the basics

Your IT team can hardly be as productive as they should be if they are forever dealing with viruses that have been downloaded by office staff or issues caused by hackers, so be sure that you implement a good level of cybersecurity measures, including software and staff training, so your IT team doesn’t need to waste their time firefighting when they could be innovating.

Set goals

It might not be high-tech, but there is no denying that setting goals in the IT department is a great way to improve productivity. When employees have a goal to shoot for and a clear path of how they are going to get there, they are more likely to do so quickly and efficiently than they would if they were just floating through life without much direction from management at all.

However, many managers all but ignore the IT department because they don’t understand the complexities of technology, so they think the IT team will just automatically know what to do. This is a bad approach and collaborating with them to make mutually beneficial, achievable goals is by far the best way to go.

Increase free time

This might not seem like a good way to improve productivity in the IT department, but it really is. You see, when IT professionals are given free time, their brains still work even as their body relaxes, and they are more likely to come up with novel solutions to all of the problems you may be experiencing.

If you’ve been neglecting your IT department, it’s time to change that because when your IT is running right, and your IT professionals are on fire, the rest of your business will naturally be more productive, creative and successful. It really is as simple as that, ns as you can see, improving productivity in the IT department is pretty simple!

How Revolutionary Changes are Occurring in Automation Technology

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article | How Revolutionary Changes are Occurring in Automation TechnologyThe demand for efficiency and precision control of operations of automated machines and workflow is on a steady rise. This reflects that many businesses are consistently on the watch out for items that constantly and reliably meet the needs and desires of the company. For this reason, manufacturers play a significant role in fulfilling needs by investing greatly in manufacturing and development processes in the sectors of control and automation technology.

By specializing in manufacturing and developing a wide variety of highly efficient controls integration, organizations lead in displaying changes. There are better ways to acquire data, conduct measurements, test, and adopt core-changing technologies for companies. Here are some of the ways firms are working on the automation of various processes:

Making automation technology a priority

In today’s business world, to sustain and achieve targets to grow your business needs efficiency in your daily operations. It is crucial to have ever-increasing task control and automation systems as well. For this reason, every business owner should invest in finding and establishing integration control systems, products, and solutions with sophisticated functions. The solutions provide you with perfectionism and stability in the development of every step and process. The applications are vital in manufacturing/ production, packaging, dispensing, and testing and inspection.

Offers support with common PC setups

One of the main developments in integrated solutions is integrating controlling devices in charge of the network with the most common operating systems, such as Windows. This has facilitated the popularization of technology: it attracts the attention of professionals at the entry levels and industries globally.

Customized user application

The control integration systems allow the user to dictate the functions in a special and customized way. The technology enables support with several common programming languages. The integration gives the companies the ability to dictate particular functions in production that suit the preferences and needs.

Technology suitable for customizable technology

As an outcome of an increase in the production scale, most industrial processes can adopt varying advancements in technology. Lately, technological advancements have made automation affordable, making businesses and individuals automate the functions on a cheap budget. Large-scale integrated control systems have been significantly adapted to transform and maximize efficiency while reducing the dangers of inefficient processes.

What role do integrated control systems play in promoting safety?

In the current competitive world, manufacturing remains the main way to increase the productivity and profitability of a company. In an attempt to boost efficiency in operations, organizations are applying integrated systems as a technique to achieve excellence in business operations. Over the past few years, technology has facilitated implementing a safety plan that is dependable to protect employees from all types of workplace dangers.

Implementation of control integration limits the responsibility of human workers in the process of production. The majority of industries are adopting automation technology hence running most of the tasks through machines and systems that are automated. The systems operate for days without requiring human intervention. Modern technology is greatly enhancing industrial safety standards.

Smart Uses For Technology That Can Save Your Business Time

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Business Technology|Smart Uses For Technology That Can Save Your Business TimeTechnology is a massive advantage for any business. It can help you to improve processes, cut down on inefficiencies and identify areas for improvement. However, there are so many types of technology available that it can be daunting to know where to start. The important thing is to understand what’s out there. You could do this by keeping up with the latest technology news and find innovative ways to apply new tech. It can also help to consult with other business leaders to learn from their successes with tech.

Use Marketing Tools

Marketing technology can help streamline your marketing strategy. You should do some research into the tools available and find one that allows you to set up your marketing strategy in a way that lets it run efficiently and proactively. There is a lot of work that goes into marketing, and it’s essential to get it right to give your business the highest chance of success. It could help to get in touch with a marketing agency who will be able to advise you on the best tools and strategies to be noticed.

Stay Ahead Of Industry Developments

Being in the know about technological advances is the best way to ensure you find the right tech at the right time. You can do this by subscribing to different industry news resources. The sooner you implement new technologies, the sooner you will see results. Ensure that the technology you are considering is reliable before you start using it.

Give Employees Remote Working Options

Remote and flexible working are excellent ways to improve employee satisfaction at work. You can use technology to allow your staff to work remotely. This gives them a better work/life balance and will enable you to hire the best people for roles in your company, regardless of where they are located.

You could use video conferencing software, cloud storage and instant messaging platforms to keep your employees connected and productive.

Manage Pensions Efficiently

Offering a pension is essential for your employees’ job satisfaction. It is vital to ensure that you manage your employee pensions effectively and allow staff to see how their pension is stored and what they can expect to receive from it.

Pension administration software is crucial to help you manage company pensions and can be beneficial to both employee and employer. It is a good idea to do some research into the types of pension software available. In the digital age, this sort of technology has never been important to the industry. Do some window shopping and look into pension administration software like this to get an idea of what you should be looking for.

Go Paperless

Cutting down on the amount of paper you use can save you time and money – as well as doing your part for the environment. Consider the different uses you have for paper currently, and see if you can easily replace them with digital alternatives. For instance, filling out lengthy paperwork in a warehouse can slow things down, whereas filling the information out online can mean that you can pre-populate common answers and save time on filing and copying.

Automate Processes

Review your processes to see if there are any that you could do with automation. For instance, sending out chaser emails or copies of invoices can take up a lot of valuable time, and having these tasks automated can free up staff time for more high-value work.

You should ensure that you use a professional IT company to set up automation unless you have experience doing so. This can help ensure that there are no issues or bugs that can cost your business money.

Host Regular Team Meetings

You can use video conferencing platforms to host team meetings across multiple locations. This can help foster good relationships between employees, keep everyone in the loop about business developments and give them the chance to innovate and collaborate. It may help to try out a few different platforms to find the one that suits you and your team best.

Keep Your Data Secure

Storing data and documentation online can be a great way to improve your efficiency and save time, but it is crucial to ensure that you do so safely. The cost of a cybersecurity breach can be high both in terms of money and reputation.
It can help to ensure that your staff understand the ways to be safe while working online. You could consider sending staff members on a course about online safety. Changing passwords frequently is another excellent way to keep your data secure.

Conclusion

Technology is a crucial tool for any business in 2021. It would help if you were proactive in finding tech that works for your business model and practices. It may help to discuss potential changes with your employees to make the best decisions. You could also take on board any suggestions employees may have on which technologies to make use of.