Medical Device Link.

CASE HISTORY

Two prefolded pads of Control Temp Packaging can be assembled within a shipping case to fully enclose a payload.

As head of global demand management and logistics for Talecris Biotherapeutics, Jim Bacon has always been fighting waste. When he took on the company’s cold-chain strategy about five years ago, he sought to ensure that none of the firm’s precious proteins would be wasted during transit. He also worked to eliminate packaging waste, in his own operations as well as along the supply chain.

Talecris uses human blood plasma to produce a variety of protein therapies for the treatment of rare diseases, including immune deficiencies, Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and hemophilia A. Most of these therapies are labeled for storage and handling at temperatures of 2°–8°C. However, “stability data allows them to be shipped between 2° and 25°C,” says Bacon.

Talecris has developed a universal all-season shipping unit in petite and small sizes using Control Temp Packaging from RNC Industries Inc. (Norcross, GA). These shippers are used for most of North America and each features the same number of gel packs and ice packs needed for their payload, regardless of the season, weather, or destination. (Talecris does use a separate shipper for Canada with slightly different configurations, says Bacon.) Medium and large boxes, as well as a pallet-sized container, are under development.

First-generation designs use an insulating material that RNC calls “Mylar-encapsulated mineral felt.” Joe Acker, sales manager for RNC, explains that the felt is made from seven naturally occurring earth rocks that are first pulverized into powder, molted into a liquid, and then spun into an industrial felt. The material is sent in flat pads to customers like Talecris along with unerected standard cardboard shipping boxes. Each pad is prefolded into three panels. “It is a bit easier for storage before use,” says Bacon.

RNC reports that recent tests of 1-in.-thick Control Temp Packaging materials doubled transit time from that of a 1-in.-thick polystyrene foam insulation. And, “2-in.-thick insulation has been able to maintain the 2°–25°C temperature range for three-plus days,” says Acker. “We have gone longer, too.”

Such capability may allow users to rely on fewer coolants and to extend shipping times to save costs. “For instance, traditional one-day shipments can be turned into two days or more, depending on the application, with only a switch from EPS to the same thickness of Control Temp Packaging,” Acker adds.

The return-to-earth-as-dirt material certainly got Bacon’s attention, who likes to call it “rock foam.” But RNC’s newest iteration is even easier on the environment. Control Temp Blue uses polylactic acid (PLA) plastic in place of the Mylar wrap. PLA is considered to be biodegradable when composted. “More companies are looking for environmentally friendly packaging alternatives,” says Acker.

For instance, “We drive to reduce waste,” explains Bacon. “But sometimes you design bulky packaging solutions that create waste. We have a responsibility as a company to the environment. It is important to develop solutions that do not contribute to the waste.” About a year and a half ago, RNC came to Talecris with its new biodegradable material. “RNC has allowed us to be the first company to introduce it,” says Bacon. “We have been using it since November.”

But cutting waste out of the chain doesn’t mean that Bacon is cutting corners. “Talecris has been collecting transit temperatures for the last 10 to 15 years. With that data, we have developed a temperature profile to test our shippers against in the lab environment,” says Bacon. “One solution for most of North America helps us take the guesswork out of when summer begins and ends.”

And Bacon says that the rock foam may also absorb shock. “It performs well during our vibration testing and drop testing,” he says.

Such work on Bacon’s end prepares Talecris for regulatory agency scrutiny. “The agency is taking a closer look at the supply chain,” he reports. Consequently, Bacon and the Talecris team have spent more time and effort developing shippers and processes and tests to protect products. “In the end, we have a responsibility for our products despite what happens in the cold chain. There is a finite supply of these proteins. Losing them because of poor handling is unacceptable.”