Interesting startups are increasingly present in logistics and transport. Their speciality is innovative solutions for, e.g. storage, loading and unloading of goods. The founders of the SkyCell startup have set themselves the task of improving the transport of particularly sensitive products, which are biopharmaceuticals.
Specialists calculated that from more than 13 billion dollars spent on the transport of temperature-sensitive biopharmaceuticals (data from 2017) 40 percent has been wasted. It’s mainly vaccines. Biopharmaceuticals are extremely sensitive to changes in pH, temperature and environmental pollution. Even small fluctuations can change the composition of the protein, making it worthless, and sometimes even harmful.
The Swiss technology startup SkyCell was created specifically to find a way to transport such troublesome and demanding goods. And they carried out their plan successfully by creating refrigerated containers, thanks to which you can keep track of temperature deviations, even in the smallest range, from anywhere in the world.
In a growing number of countries, the rules used to transport medicines are very strict.
It happens that if it is to be consistently between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, and the recorder indicates 8.1 degrees Celsius, the container is sent back – explained in an interview with FreightWaves co-founder and CEO of SkyCell, Richard Ettl.
All SkyCell containers are equipped with IoT sensors that connect to the data cloud. The service allows you to remotely monitor and intervene on each container to ensure the same strict quality standards wherever the containers are. SkyCell containers can be tracked in every country, on every continent, and the software allows not only to monitor the temperature but also to indicate that the container is in the right condition.
The set of data generated as a result of container monitoring also allows you to perform analyzes as well as simulate container transport routes, eliminating those places where the risk of disruption of the supply chain is greatest.
Containers have received a special insulation layer (the solution has been patented), and sensors – in addition to geolocation and temperature measurement – can also measure humidity. The SkyCell cloud platform records documentation such as bills of lading and customs forms for each container in a book. This creates a readable and reliable (data cannot be deleted) image of the state of the container and the goods transported with it.
The next stage of the Swiss startup, based in Zug near Zurich, is cooperation with the American company DuPont Safety & Construction. Her new partner is incl. manufacturer of DuPont Tyvek thermal covers.
Tyvek Cargo Covers are covers designed for the hazards of cold chain cracking when perishable and temperature-sensitive products are most exposed to temperature fluctuations (used by pharmaceutical companies, distributors of perishable products, 3PL and airlines around the world) ). Their task is to provide protection against: temperature fluctuations by shielding products from solar radiation and extreme ambient temperatures – hot and cold; physical threat (including rain, snow and insects); harmful gases and vapors, damage caused by condensation and biological hazards (by allowing gases and vapours to pass through the covers, without compromising the ability of the shield to function as an effective barrier to physical hazards);
Tyvek Cargo Covers are used in the logistics of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, various perishable products, including fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers, dairy products. Easy-to-use lightweight covers can be installed or removed in just a minute.
SkyCell containers will be sold by DuPont together with Tyvek products. On the other hand, SkyCell will take advantage of DuPont’s considerable technical capabilities and will appear in the global sales network, especially in emerging markets and the Asia-Pacific region.
Thanks to the shared vision of making better use of data in the supply chain of sensitive pharmaceutical products, this partnership will help us play a role in ensuring that drugs, vaccines and other health treatments reach end patients in a safe, sustainable and timely manner, „says Richard Ettl, CEO of SkyCell.
The fruit of cooperation is to be an innovative solution in the field of temperature monitoring, shipment tracking, asset management and „intelligent” services based on data analysis.
Photo: SkyCells