When you think of infrastructure, you probably think of roads and bridges. Maybe if you’re familiar with Harbor, you think of connectivity or even the supply chain. What might not be top of mind is the cold chain – a critical delivery and storage infrastructure for refrigerated goods and pharmaceuticals (including the Covid-19 vaccine). Cold storage and transportation are critical to human health, ensuring food, medications and vaccines are delivered safely. But there is a lot of room for improvement in the cold chain – our analysis over the last several years indicates that between 15-20% of global fresh food production is lost annually due to ineffective cold chain technologies and systems. Truly efficient cold chains require an integrated ecosystem of open data, data sharing and data management across a number of disparate systems.
We recently sat down with Manik Suri, CEO and founder of Therma, a company dedicated to energy efficient food refrigeration solutions, to discuss the future of cold storage, a smarter, more energy efficient cold chain and more.
DATA TRANSPARENCY AND THE COLD CHAIN ECOSYSTEM
The cold chain is part of a larger ecosystem of integrated partners. Before a product arrives at its destination, it may sit in warehouses, travel by truck, train and/or plane and is touched by a minimum of three vendors. This ecosystem requires open access and visibility to data across sectors. Traditionally, tracking products and monitoring information was done by hand using pen and paper. This era of Smart Systems requires an array of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and software that makes visualizing, comprehending and sharing data simple.
“In order to have traceability from production to consumption, the first thing you have to have is a common set of data, then you have to be able to share and view that data,” explains Manik. “I think there’s a lot of work that needs to be done at the building block level in order to enable really future forward data sharing and traceability.”
The first generation of IoT sensors used various wireless networks, but these communication protocols proved to be less reliable at pushing signals everywhere they needed to be. This meant that data collection solutions for refrigeration equipment were costly and cumbersome. Today, Therma works with enterprise customers to deploy IoT sensors that utilize long-range radio (LoRa) to report data, such as temperature, from inside the refrigerator wirelessly. Real-time data, in combination with historical data, is fed into machine learning algorithms that give recommendations to improve efficiency or surface problems. If customers can be alerted to temperature fluctuations or leaks early, they can act before a major spoilage event, resulting in cost savings and preventing food shortages.
THE BIO PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN
THE COLD STORAGE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY AND ITS SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
“Refrigeration and cooling are a huge growth sector because a huge portion of humanity doesn’t have that much cooling today,” says Manik. “Many of these pieces of equipment and assets are coming online and will continue coming online for the next several decades. There’s a huge amount of growth and a need for reducing waste and reducing spoilage, particularly at that last mile.”
According to Manik, there are about 1.5 billion fridges and freezers in the world, with 1.4 billion of those being residential. That number of refrigerators takes its toll on the environment. In fact, the food cold chain alone is responsible for 4 percent of global greenhouse emissions. Refrigerant leaks are a large climate problem as well. These cooling chemicals can cause 1,000 to 10,000 times more warming than carbon dioxide. Sensor data and the IoT can help prevent leaks through real-time data and early alerts. This data can also help optimize energy, turning refrigeration down dynamically. A few degrees multiplied by millions of units can make a big impact.
“There are a number of reasons why businesses today of every size are embracing sustainability and also adopting solutions that are both enhancing profitability and advancing sustainability,” says Manik. ”I think you see it because consumer preferences and consumer pressures are changing. People and pocketbooks now are speaking.”
There is a growing demand for carbon calculators that give companies the tools to measure and share the carbon footprint of their activities. This demand for measurable data, managed and remotely controlled assets, and accessible data will drive the next generation of intelligent refrigeration and a smarter, more efficient cold chain. ♦
Listen to our full conversation with Manik Suri below:
