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The?Cold?Chain?and?its?Logistics Authors:?Dr.?Jean-Paul?Rodriguez?and?Dr.?Theo?Notteboom 1.?Overview? While?Globalization?has?made?the?relative?distance?between?regions?of?the?world?much?smaller,?the?physical?separation?of?these?same?regions?is?still?a?very?important?reality.?The?greater?the?physical?separation,?the?more?likely?freight?can?be?damaged?in?one?of?the?complex?transport?operations?involved.?Some?goods?can?be?damaged?by?shocks?while?others?can?be?damaged?by?undue?temperature?variations.?For?a?range?of?goods?labeled?as?perishables,?particularly?food,?their?quality?degrades?with?time?since?they?maintain?chemical?reactions?which?rate?can?be?mostly?mitigated?with?lower?temperatures.?It?takes?time?and?coordination?to?efficiently?move?a?shipment?and?every?delay?can?have?negative?consequences,?notably?if?this?cargo?is?perishable.?To?ensure?that?cargo?does?not?become?damaged?or?compromised?throughout?this?process,?businesses?in?the?pharmaceutical,?medical?and?food?industries?are?increasingly?relying?on?the?cold?chain?technology.? The?cold?chain?refers?to?the?transportation?of?temperature?sensitive?products?along?a?supply?chain?through?thermal?and?refrigerated?packaging?methods?and?the?logistical?planning?to?protect?the?integrity?of?these?shipments.? Specialization?has?led?many?companies?to?not?only?rely?on?major?shipping?service?providers?such?as?the?United?Parcel?Service?(UPS)?and?FEDEX,?but?also?more?focused?industry?specialists?that?have?developed?a?niche?logistical?expertise?around?the?shipping?of?temperature?sensitive?products.?The?potential?to?understand?local?rules,?customs?and?environmental?conditions?as?well?as?an?estimation?of?the?length?and?time?of?a?distribution?route?make?them?an?important?factor?in?global?trade.?As?a?result,?the?logistics?industry?is?experiencing?a?growing?level?of?specialization?and?segmentation?of?cold?chain?shipping?in?several?potential?niche?markets?within?global?commodity?chains.?Whole?new?segments?of?the?distribution?industry?