Older ULDs can pose performance risk, warns CSafe White Paper

Temperature-controlled container manufacturer and supplier CSafe Global has released a white paper highlighting the problems and risk associated with using poorly maintained container stock.
The paper, entitled “Maintenance of active ULDs and its positive impact on operational performance and longevity" is authored by Jonathan Neeld, CSafe director of certification & regulatory compliance.
Neeld discusses the problem of inconsistent performance of aging active containers and how important it is that units, old and new, provide comparable performance.
Some older active containers in the market place are not only badly maintained but, when tested, fail to meet their specified performance levels.
"Life science companies have indicated that they were experiencing over 30% difference in the performance and direct outcomes of some older units when compared to newer containers,” says Neeld.
“This difference in performance becomes problematic for the quality and validation departments who have to make difficult justification for the continued use of older containers, as the original qualification testing was performed on newer containers."
The white paper examines CSafe’s two-stage approach to monitoring and maintaining its container range in order to pre-empt any problems before they occur.
Said Neeld: “This interceptive maintenance process is carried out by factory-trained technicians at the company’s strategic global service centres and it ensures the maximum safety in use for CSafe ULD units, a vital consideration for health products and life-saving drugs.”
Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals Air Cargo Conference, December, 2015, Lancaster London Hotel, London, UK