Coldcubed was a prominent participant at the recent two-day Packhouse Summit in Stellenbosch, an event that drew over 200 delegates from various service providers across the Cold Chain and Packhouse industry.

The Summit featured a rich agenda with speakers covering diverse and interesting topics, from the latest innovations in packhouse mobile racking and robotics to various high-tech automated packaging equipment currently available on the market.

Spotlight on Sustainability and Data Integration

We were honoured that our very own Coldcubed Director, Prof. Malcolm Dodd, was invited to open the Summit. His presentation focused on the critical role of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices in the cold chain, specifically addressing strategies to minimise carbon emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce packaging waste. Prof. Dodd underscored the indispensable value of temperature monitoring as a vital management tool within the entire cold chain.

The theme of technological advancement was further highlighted by Shaun Lamminga of FarmTrace, who emphasised the clear arrival and impact of AI and data integration in the industry. He noted the massive transformation currently underway, with sophisticated software packages now available to enhance and simplify cold chain management.

The Critical Role of Temperature Monitoring

Despite the significant focus on new automation and software, it was notable that less emphasis was placed on the fundamental importance of temperature monitoring – a vital management tool across all sectors of the cold chain.

This gap in focus was evident in the high level of interest shown by delegates who visited the Coldcubed exhibition stand to learn more about our real-time temperature monitoring systems and comprehensive Cold Chain Solutions. A key example was the engagement with James Cunningham of Barpro, who inquired specifically about using our dashboard and temperature sensor system to effectively monitor higher levels of racking within a packhouse environment.

Supporting Research and Collaboration

Our commitment to advancing cold chain knowledge was further solidified through an interaction with Professor Leila Goedhals-Gerber. Coincidentally, Professor Goedhals-Gerber has collaborated with Prof. Dodd on numerous research projects at Stellenbosch University. She approached us to explore a partnership, seeking to integrate our temperature sensor devices into her research programs. These devices will provide essential data to identify and map out breaks in the cold chain, contributing valuable insight into the effect of quality on the Export Supply Chain.

We extend our sincere thanks to every delegate who engaged with our team and visited the Coldcubed stand. While we cannot mention everyone individually, the level of interaction was outstanding.