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Profile Keeping freight fresh


Gist International won BIFA’s 2020 Cool & Special Cargoes Award, having developed an innovative, bespoke, passive temperature- controlled supply chain solution with sustainability in mind


BIFAlink COOL/SPECIAL CARGOES AWARD


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Gist International ships temperature-sensitive products around the world for its clients, including everyday short-life chilled products for Asia (such as dairy, prepared meals and produce), along with imports like prepared tropical fruit from South Africa into the UK. Gist general manager Danny Waite summed


up: “Temperature-controlled logistics is what we do. It is not just about temperature though; it is also about time.” When Gist won a contract with a leading


British retailer to process, add value and transport its chilled product via airfreight to a number of customers in the Asia-Pacific and MENA regions, work began in partnership with Polar Thermal to develop a packaging solution that would maintain a product temperature of no higher than 4°C for up to 60 hours. This far exceeds the normal journey time from


the UK to Hong Kong, building in considerable contingency against delays. It also opens up access to a wider range of more cost-effective, non-direct global freight routes.


New packaging The new packaging is made from Polar Thermal proprietary material with high-density, low-weight insulation and a supportive cardboard outer. Gel packs keep the product cool throughout its journey, said Martin Withers, business implementation manager. “The gel packs come to us unfrozen and we


freeze them down to -22°C,” he continued. “They hold a lot of energy, which is released very slowly as they thaw. After about 60 hours, they are still frozen, although their temperature might rise to about -4°C.” Numerous trials ensured that the packaging solution would satisfy Gist’s customer’s technical team and keep products below 4°C for the requisite length of time. Gist has continued to enhance the packaging


solution. For instance, a larger version enables optimal use of each pallet position on an aircraft


July 2021 Danny Waite, Gist International general manager Martin Withers, business implementation manager


to improve cost effectiveness, Withers said. “We are paying less for non-sellable freight,”


he explained. “We can also reduce the number of gel packs we use in the larger version, because the greater quantity of produce helps keep the temperature of the whole pallet down.” Waite added: “We have also developed a


‘onesie’ version for products such as apples that have to be inspected before export. This version slips over the top of the packed pallet, rather than having the product packed into it.”


Gist is working with Polar Thermal to reduce


costs further, possibly by replacing the cardboard outer structure with a tent pole design. It is also looking at a lighter version for shorter


supply chains. “The 60-hour solution was necessary because of unexpected supply chain delays, often while the product is on the aircraft, or when it is unloaded,” Withers said. “But for shorter flights, we do not have that challenge.” Both Withers and Waite stressed that the


partnership with Polar Thermal has been key to Gist’s success in developing the bespoke packaging. “We have got the product expertise and Polar has the solution expertise,” Waite said.


Wider benefits According to Withers, the environmental – and social – attributes of the packaging are significant. He explained: “It can be reused multiple times,


which makes it cost effective. Furthermore, as costs for shipping by air are on a per kilo basis, the packaging was designed to be as lightweight as possible to maximise value – and minimise the environmental impact. “Plus, at the end of its life it can be recycled,”


Gist’s new packaging is made from Polar Thermal proprietary material with high-density, low-weight insulation and a supportive cardboard outer


Withers said. “We collect the units that are no longer reusable and send these to Polar, who use the insulating material to make sleeping bags for the homeless.”


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