Cold chain: The three levels of cold Good reasons for cold chain tracking with Uhlmann A cold chain is defined as “… the continuous system of refrige- ration from manufacture through packaging to transport.” It is the system that ensures our salad leaves are fresh and crunchy when they reach our kitchen table. If the chain is broken, the goods can spoil and have to be thrown away. In the case of food products, this normally leads only to inconvenience. When it comes to medicines, however, too much disruption to the cold chain can have fatal consequences, and in some cases entire batches have to be destroyed; it can cause supply bottlenecks and, consequently, a shortage of supply for patients. This makes it all the more important that the prescribed temperature ranges are strictly maintained and that any interruptions required for processing remain within the specified range of tolerance. A cold chain splits into three levels – the colder, the more complex the requirements: • Refrigerated chain with temperatures of between 2 and 8 °C (fridge cold) e.g. for flu vaccines and insulin • Frozen chain operating at -20 °C, e.g. for chicken pox vaccine • Ultra-low or deep-freeze cold chain operated at -70 °C e.g. for Ebola and COVID-19 vaccines Whether tracking medicines and medical devices in general or cold chain tracking, the ultimate aim is to provide extensive counterfeit protection, product safety and process reliability. The objective of Track & Trace by Uhlmann is to make the route there as easy and secure as possible. This is achieved with an end-to-end solution comprising machines, components, soft - ware, advice and services. For cold chain tracking within the packaging process and surrounding fields, Uhlmann offers two options: • Time tracking The tracking focuses solely on the time the temperature- sensitive products spend outside the cold chain. • Cold chain tracking This tracking provides precise records of the tem pe rature at any given time. This guarantees that the prescribed and defined temperature ranges are maintained at all times. This uses, for example, RFID temperature loggers, which are read out at relevant stations in the process. If you‘d like to find out more, do not hesitate to e-mail Georg Schick at: schick.g@uhlmann.de closeup03 I 2021 close-up online Publisher: Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG Editor: Marion Neubrand Phone: +49 7392 702-8648 neubrand.m@uhlmann.de Concept and realization: Volker Laucher Grafik Design, Stuttgart, Germany Text: Marisa Arzt, Stuttgart, Germany Translation: STAR Deutschland GmbH, Sindelfingen, Germany Photos: Jo Panuwat D/stock.adobe.com (p. 1); Marcin/stock.adobe.com (p. 2); Ernst Fesseler, Bad Waldsee (p. 4); Joe McUbed/stock.adobe.com (p. 6); insta_photos/stock.adobe.com (intro picture) Copyright © 2021 Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG, all rights reserved EXEMPLARY inline serialization and aggregation COMPLETE Track & Trace service by Uhlmann CLOSE BY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Your contact person around the globe 06I 06