Week of December 7th, 2020
Linking technology news with Dangerous Goods compliance
As supply chain challenges continue to mount, companies are looking to technology solutions to help them navigate these uncertain times – whether it’s responding to rapid e-commerce growth or preparing to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine around the world.
To help companies keep a pulse on technology trends impacting business and the movement of dangerous goods throughout the supply chain, Labelmaster has launched “Supply Chain Moves,” a bi-weekly report linking the latest technology news to dangerous goods compliance.
Let’s examine the recent supply chain technology and industry news.
TECHNOLOGY
- Closing Remarks: Supply Chain Takes Center Stage in 2020: The global pandemic is pushing the world’s supply chains to their limits. Here’s how supply chain technology is helping them fix the problem and plan for the future.
- How Supply Chain Software Can Benefit Your Business: In today’s fast-paced, global marketplace, supply chain software can help improve your company’s efficiency and productivity.
- The Role of Telematics Solutions in Global Supply Chain Management: As the complexity of processes in the logistics industry reaches new heights, more advanced solutions are needed. Telematics solutions can help provide answers for the industry’s growing demands.
- The Evolution of Warehouse Logistics: Many businesses are looking to reduce their overhead expenses while improving order accuracy and expediting the delivery timeline. While these goals may seem antithetical to one another, technology may be the solution.
- 2021: How AI Will Equip Manufacturers for the Future: What is the future of manufacturing? Here are four predictions and how manufacturers can embrace technology to ensure success.
- Technology’s Role in Delivering a Vaccine Across the Globe: Distributing a COVID-19 vaccine might be the most significant logistics challenge the world has ever seen, so it’s important to consider the role technology could play in making it a success.
3PL TECH
- Improving 3PL Management: Digital Transformation: The future of the third-party transportation management market is now centered on creating digital experiences, workflow automation, and optimizing customer and carrier focused service performance.
- Technologies can Simplify Warehouse Management System: Technology plays a crucial role in shaping a business and managing a warehouse. Let’s see which technologies can be adapted to contain a warehouse.
- 5 More 2021 Trends in the Supply Chain to Start Thinking About Now: Success in 2021 means tracking supply chain trends and then finding the advanced solutions that mirror those trends. Here are five trends to start thinking about now.
Technology & Dangerous Goods Compliance
There has been much anticipation over the promise of a COVID-19 vaccine. While there’s no clear timeline for when one will be available, there has already been much discussion around the potential logistic challenges of distributing a vaccine around the world.
Bringg CEO Guy Bloch notes in a recent SupplyChainBrain article, “Orchestrating a global distribution of one of the most in-demand items in history is not a feat that can be accomplished manually. It will require the support of technology in order to pull off seamlessly…Apart from the extensiveness and global reach that the vaccine distribution will need to have, it will also require substantial amounts of planning, sensitivity, visibility and efficiency.”
There are elements at play in distributing a vaccine, such as keeping it stored at the correct temperature, improving delivery speed, provide real-time visibility and much more. The logistics challenges are made even more difficult when you add in the hazmat shipping requirements.
In a recent blog post, Labelmaster Senior Manager Jay Johnson notes that unlike COVID-19 test samples from patients, vaccines are not classified as dangerous goods. However, shipping vaccines will likely require some DG labeling, documentation and training.
Dry ice (which will be used to keep the vaccine cold) is a fully regulated Class 9 hazmat (UN 1845) when shipped by air, and certain vaccines may actually need to be shipped with cryogenic liquid nitrogen, which is a Class 2 non-flammable gas (UN 1977). It’s also important to note that every unit containing dry ice and/or vaccine will have a lithium battery-powered datalogger in it, for either temperature control, theft or anti-terrorism. So additional shipping requirements may be needed.
Safely transporting hundreds of millions of vaccine doses will be a massive and phenomenally complex cold chain logistics challenge. And the global logistics industry has been taking steps to distribute the vaccine quickly and safely once it’s ready.
To learn more about dangerous goods software or how to establish a safer, more compliant supply chain, visit https://www.labelmaster.com.
Have questions about dangerous goods transport? Call the Labelmaster Regulatory Hotline at 1.800.621.5808.
As the industry’s most robust, flexible, and advanced hazmat shipping software, Labelmaster’s DGIS can actually help your operation make more money. DGIS validates shipments and prepares DG declarations so quickly, you can handle more shipments every hour. And more shipments mean more revenue.
Try your own numbers in our calculator to see the added revenue DGIS can generate for you.
