Blood sample shipment within Controlled Room Temperature (CRT)
Background
One of the largest pathology laboratories in South Africa worked with multiple global medical centres to study blood and tissue specimens, leading to vital diagnoses for disease prevention. They needed to ship 1 kilogram of blood from Cape Town to Brussels under Controlled Room temperature (CRT) conditions between +15˚C to +25˚C.
Challenge
The key to successful research was ensuring all products arrive at the right time in the right condition in order to drive accurate test results and product efficacy. However, there were significant challenges that needed to be addressed to maintain the Life Sciences supply chain:
- Offering proper temperature-controlled packaging offering the right temperature control, size, insulation, and validation time to make certain no temperature excursions occur throughout the transportation process.
- Arranging the fastest & safest flight routes to meet the client’s shipping requirements.
- Preparing all paperwork accurately. We were required to process all documents such as customs clearance, import / export permits, product verification reports, etc. No room for error could be afforded as a Customs Authority detention or temporary seizure could cause delays.
- Ensuring the blood sample was maintained at the optimal temperature from origin to destination.
- Communicating constantly with multiple stakeholders such as the client, airlines, local distributers, cargo terminals and custom brokers, to follow all procedures as stated in the Customs Authority and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) regulations.
Solution
Royale’s dedicated Life Sciences Team devised a tailormade temperature-controlled solution, guaranteeing the blood sample to be delivered in a safe & efficient manner:
- Ensured the product was kept within the required temperature range throughout the journey.
- Arranged the flight schedule with qualified airlines for routing from Cape Town to Dubai and Dubai onwards to Brussels. After approximately 18 hours the shipment arrived at Brussels Airport (BRU) and was immediately sent to the laboratory after clearance. Our client was delighted as they received the blood sample 12 hours ahead of the scheduled time, whereby Royale achieved a reduction in the agreed lead time to less than 36 hours.
- Worked closely with multiple parties to fulfil the Customs Authority and GDP requirements.
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