va-Q-tec presents Thermal Coat for Air and Sea Freight

va-Q-tec, an expert in thermal energy efficiency and temperature-controlled supply chains, presents a new solution for the transport of temperature-sensitive goods in pharmaceutical air and sea freight. The so-called Thermal Coat, equipped with the innovative va-Q-gel technology, addresses challenges through its ability to directly and space-savingly envelop temperature-sensitive goods.

(Würzburg) The va-Q-gel consists of gelled phase change material (PCM), which is particularly leak-proof due to its properties. It can be individually pre-conditioned for the ranges of +2 °C to +8 °C or +15 °C to +25 °C and does not require any further external energy supply afterwards. With a qualified performance of up to 24 hours, the Thermal Coat surpasses conventional solutions. This improves autonomous performance as well as buffer times during transport, thereby enhancing the safety of the goods being transported.

The advanced technology is used, among other applications, in air and sea freight, particularly for the transport of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, generics, vaccines, and bio-pharma products.

In air freight applications, the va-Q-tec solution significantly improves the performance of conventional thermal covers, as the Thermal Coat provides a qualified buffer time of 7 hours for extreme outside temperatures and direct sunlight on the tarmac. Another advantage is the gelled form of the phase change material, which makes the use of liquid coolants obsolete. This makes it particularly lightweight and leak-proof.

Temperature Integrity of 24 Hours

Considering the application in temperature-controlled sea freight containers (reefers), the Thermal Coat offers a qualified temperature integrity of 24 hours, even in the event of a failure of the active cooling unit or lack of energy supply to the reefer, e.g., during loading or unloading of the cargo ship. This minimizes the risk of temperature deviations and thus the danger of damage to temperature-sensitive goods. In the event of a power failure, the solution increases the autonomous temperature integrity of sea freight containers by up to three times.

Thanks to its design, the Thermal Coat allows for up to 50% faster loading of pallets compared to similar solutions. Additionally, the product helps to efficiently utilize space in sea and air freight by saving 30% space per pallet. The reusable solution is flexibly adjustable in height. It offers enhanced stability through clipping technology, where the PCM is directly strapped around the goods. Currently, the Thermal Coat is available for +5 °C transports and +20 °C transports.

Product Portfolio Now Also for Sea Freight

“With the Thermal Coat, we are expanding our product portfolio for sea freight for the first time. Our partners receive a qualified solution that not only triples the time buffer during power outages in sea freight containers but also significantly increases product safety for long transport routes on the ship,” explains Fabian Eschenbach, Global Head of TempChain at va-Q-tec.

Photo: © va-Q-tec