When you consider the distances that products travel, it comes as no surprise that they can experience extreme temperature fluctuations on the way to their final destination. While some products can take the heat, others can endure damage from such exposure — sometimes visible, sometimes not.

Considering the costs connected to product loss and replacement, more manufacturers of temperature-sensitive products are investing in temperature-controlled packaging (also known as cold-chain packaging). Temperature-controlled packaging is engineered in such a way that temperatures within the packaging remain consistent throughout the supply chain and the impact of heat transfer is minimized.

When making an investment in temperature-controlled packaging solutions — a market expected to reach a global value of $20.1 billion by 2027 — a critical element to seeing  optimal ROI is choosing the right design. To help guide you down the right path, we’ll showcase some examples of how we’ve configured cooling solutions into custom cases.

Let’s Start with the Pharmaceutical Industry

When pharmaceuticals end up in the hands of physicians and patients, manufacturers need to be sure that their products are both safe and effective. Seeing as how even a slight change in temperature can render vaccines, for instance, useless, the need for temperature-controlled shipping has earned a strong foothold in the pharma market.

The ability of a pharmaceutical shipping case to maintain stable temperatures begins with the structure of the case. A double-wall structure, for instance, provides greater defense against temperature fluctuations than a single-wall structure. A gasketed lid, meanwhile, offers an enhanced seal that keeps air out and better protects products.

The question then becomes one of what specific temperature controls you can layer into this custom case design. Well-conditioned gel packs, as one example, can be inserted into case walls so cases – and the products they store – can better withstand extreme temperature fluctuations over the duration of their shipment time.

How About the Food and Beverage Industry?

Perishable foods and beverages are no strangers to the impact of extreme temperatures, with heat causing items to spoil. At best, the quality of the item is reduced. At worst, contamination rises to a point where illness spreads. Temperature-controlled packaging can help prevent these issues and preserve the reputation of companies in the process.

Going back to a case design, a soft-sided case built with durable materials like ballistic nylon helps food and beverage packaging effectively withstand temperature fluctuations. Sewing a firm polyethylene foam into the lining of the waterproof nylon further helps trap the cold air inside the case to preserve temperatures in-transit.

This is once again a scenario where gel packs inserted into the case walls can be useful. Because gels are flexible, these packs can be contoured to a variety of shapes, which lends itself well to the construction of custom cases.

Seeing the Commonalities Between Industry Examples

Temperature-controlled packaging is critical to many industries, with pharmaceutical and food/beverage industries taking up two of those top spots on any list. While the final case solutions may look quite different between the two industries, there is a shared need to identify durable case designs, materials and integrated temperature controls to achieve the ideal result.

As a provider of temperature-controlled packaging solutions, Cases By Source works with you to design, engineer and manufacture solutions that maintain the temperatures you need. We pair these technical requirements with branding capabilities to deliver a complete solution that best represents your brand.

Ready to talk to us about your packaging needs? Request a consultation.