14 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com Fresh To Market Cold Chain Logistics To Lock in Freshness Leading Provider of Cold Chain Solutions Innovation meets reliability – our advanced fleet offerings redefine refrigerated logistics, giving your shipments expanded global reach with greater longevity and freshness. Visit www.seacubecontainers.com to learn more. seacubecontainers.com High five: Carrier says innovators and adopters will drive cold chain growth TEMPERATURE- TEMPERATURE- CONTROLLED CONTROLLED LOGISTICS '26 LOGISTICS '26 (HEADWINDS – continued on page 17) By Andrew Meadows, AJOT The American Journal of Transportation was recently able to ask Willy Yeo, Carrier Transicold’s General Man- ager, Reefers, five ques- tions about the state of the worldwide cold chain. Yeo also leads the development of Car- rier Transicold’s prod- uct strategy. With nine years at Carrier, and now based in Singapore, he is part of the senior team that oversees the development of connected cold chain solutions. Prior to Carrier, he held senior marketing and commercial roles across Asia Pacific and EMEA. AJOT: Have advancements in cold chain technology moved management from reactive to predictive? YEO: Yes, but the shift is still unfolding across the indus- try. For decades, the cold chain operated on a simple premise: set the temperature, load the cargo and inspect on arrival. Problems were often only iden- tified after the fact. Between loading and discharge, operators had limited visibility into what was actually happening inside the container. What has changed is the depth and immediacy of avail- able data, along with the intel- ligence applied to it. Connected refrigeration systems...now gen- erate continuous performance data throughout a voyage. (Car- rier’s) Lynx Fleet combines IoT, advanced analytics and machine learning to help connect the cold chain, automate key processes and deliver real-time visibility throughout a cargo’s journey. The result is improved cargo protection, more efficient maintenance planning, enhanced equipment availability and a documented performance his- tory that supports customer con- fidence. Shippers increasingly expect visibility into conditions throughout a shipment, not just at delivery. (Carrier’s solutions have) active controlled atmo- sphere (CA) technology rein- force this shift, enabling oxygen (OL) and carbon dioxide (COL) levels to be continuously mon- itored, recorded and accessed remotely through Lynx Fleet, helping provide end-to-end vis- ibility for sensitive perishables from origin to destination. While the shift toward pro- active, data-driven reefer man- agement is well underway, the transition remains uneven. Older equipment, connectivity gaps and varying levels of fleet investment mean reactive prac- tices persist, particularly at sea, where ocean transit has histori- cally been the most challenging segment to monitor due to lim- ited network coverage and reli- ance on manual reefer checks. AJOT: Is innovation in cold chain technology opening up new opportunities in maritime trans- port, particularly in life sciences? YEO: The opportunity is both real and substantial. By one measure, the pharmaceuti- cal cold chain logistics market is projected to reach $9.6 billion by 2035, with more than 85% of biologics requiring cold storage at precisely con- trolled temperatures. As the industry evolves, ocean transport is gaining recognition as a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to air transport for pharmaceu- tical shipments, particularly for non-time-sen- sitive cargo. However, this transition places significant demands on refrigeration tech- nology. The margin for error in life sciences is far narrower than OL reefers on a container vessel Willy Yeo, Carrier Transicold’s GM in food logistics. A temperature deviation that may be tolerable in a perishable food shipment can compromise the efficacy of a high-value biologic, rendering it unusable and creating finan- cial and regulatory risk. Meeting these demands requires refrigeration systems engineered for precision and endurance. (Now) every data point is captured, recorded and made accessible remotely, estab- lishing the verifiable chain-of- custody documentation that life sciences stakeholders require. (Carrier’s) tools help ensure refrigeration performance remains within specification throughout transit, significantly reducing the risk of temperature excursions.
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