Stakeholders across the perishables supply chain should adopt a digital approach to risk management as this will reduce waste and create value by extending shelf life. This is according to Eric Mauroux, member of the Board of the Cool Chain Association (CCA) and the founder and CEO of FreshBi zDev.The industry has been slow to adopt new technologies, and a lack of standardised reporting across the supply chain means that the value proposition in perishables logistics can vary enormously across trade lanes.Speaking at a recent conference, Mauroux said by sharing data and adopting common key performance indicators (KPIs), stakeholders from across the cool chain would be able to better understand which temperature excursions needed action and to plan for smarter logistics solutions, which would reduce waste.“The cost of claim is not the only criterion to evaluate the cost of inefficiencies,” said Mauroux. “Value destruction related to reduced shelf life and waste should also be included when assessing the total logistical cost of a shipment. “Having a digital approach to risk, which considers the total cost, is an opportunity to better understand the inefficiencies of the supply chain so that we can develop new solutions and build realistic business cases to invest in smarter logistics for the fresh produce trade.”The CCA has established a risk management committee to assist, analyse, study and manage critical points along the cool chain.
