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Tracking and Tracing Pharmaceutical Products: How Your Shipping Pallet Can Help
Tracking and tracing pharmaceutical products is more than just an exercise in inventory management. It is a life-saving practice that is mandated by law. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local health authorities tracked a multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis back to a compounding center in Massachusetts. The compounding center was illegally…
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Increase Food Supply Chain Transparency with Track and Trace Technology
No food supply chain will ever be perfect. There’s always a chance that a load of contaminated food products will make its way through to the consumer. However, having a traceable supply chain makes it much easier to find contaminated products and dispose of them properly. Food supply chain transparency is also crucial in order…
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How to Lower Total Supply Chain Management Cost
People are often delighted to see a favorite childhood treat on the shelf of their local grocery store—and shocked at how expensive it is now. While factors like inflation, taxes, and regulations play a role in the prices of everyday food and consumer items, they are not the only forces at work. It takes a…
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Traceability in the Food Supply Chain: Why Tracking Food Is Important and How to Do It
According to a May 1, 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. is failing to contain foodborne pathogens. While incidences of infection for Salmonella typhimurium declined, infection rates for other salmonella serotypes, as well as Listeria and Shigella, remained unchanged in 2019. The number of reported foodborne illnesses caused by all…
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Reducing Cold Chain Shipping Loss in Pharmaceuticals
Temperature excursion, or the deviation from safe handling and transport practices, is a major concern for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Understanding the most common reasons for temperature excursion arms supply chain managers with the knowledge needed to implement processes and tools that limit the risk of improper handling and prevent cold chain shipping losses in pharmaceuticals. Factors…
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Putting Foreign Material Control Procedures into Place at a Food Manufacturing Facility
Consumers of foods like canned tuna, processed chicken, and pitted olives are generally aware of the possibility that a bone or piece of pit may make it through processing. Warnings about this possibility are generally included on product packaging as well. However, the same isn’t true with regard to foreign object contamination. No one expects…
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Pallet Exchange Program Vs. Pallet Rental Program: What’s the Difference?
ARTICLE UPDATED NOVEMBER 30, 2023 Managing a pallet fleet can pose significant logistical challenges for supply chain and facility managers. In addition to the need for adequate storage space for empty pallets, they must grapple with issues related to pallet cleaning, repairs, and retrieval. These tasks consume both time and financial resources that could otherwise…
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Static Load Vs. Dynamic Load: Demystifying Pallet Load Ratings
ARTICLE UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 Static Load vs. Dynamic Load: Demystifying Pallet Load Ratings Understanding the distinction between a dynamic load and a static load within a warehouse is essential for ensuring the safety of employees and products. Simply put, a static load refers to stationary loads, while dynamic loads involve movement. Specifically, within…
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Sustainable Freight Transportation Can Reduce Emissions
According to the World Bank, the number of people living in extreme poverty—less than $1 per day—went from 1.9 billion in 1990 to around $700 million in 2015. This drop has largely been possible due to the globalization of trade and manufacturing. It is a stunning accomplishment that deserves far more attention. It has not,…
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The 3 Best Supply Chain Optimization Tools
Investing in supply chain optimization tools such as automated storage and retrieval systems and palletizers is a major step for most organizations. These tools can increase efficiency, reduce human error, and ease the burden on employees of handling products and pallets. Yet, despite their benefits, they can be challenging to implement and to keep running…
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Why Black Plastic Pallets Are a Green Logistics Choice
UPDATED June 19, 2023 Color matters quite a bit for recycling plastic. The reason is that when different colors are recycled together, the result is either unreliable coloration—with the tint or hue being off—or an unattractive shade of brown, gray, or black. For this reason, the color black in HDPE plastic can be an indicator…
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Pallet Level Tagging: Using RFID to Track Pallet Loads
Pallet-level tagging via radio-frequency identification (RFID) sparks a tug-of-war within the supply chain. While retailers and distributors see it as a game-changer for visibility and efficiency, manufacturers remain apprehensive. However, market research from IDTechEx, a leader in the field for nearly two decades, suggests a bright future for RFID despite current challenges. Their report, “RFID…