It is safe to say that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives. For what seemed forever, the whole world was under lockdown. There was no way that this wouldn’t impact shipping and logistics companies alongside everything else. Cold chain logistics have been severely impacted, because of the delays and port congestions. But the economy is slowly but surely recovering. In the year 2021, we saw improvements on many levels. This is because businesses and companies are trying to adapt to the new circumstances. And they are succeeding at it. This article is an overview of cold chain logistics in 2021.
Cold chain logistics in 2021 – what has happened?
The global pandemic has changed the way that cold chain services and food industry shippers operate. They changed the way they connect to last-mile transportation providers. Many shippers and third-party logistics have made new strategic partnerships to overcome the challenges. Why is that so?
- Same day delivery expectations have been more hectic than ever, and they were further made worse by the lock-down.
- These alliances were also made to withstand Amazon’s market dominance, known as the “Amazon effect”.
There were many opportunities for companies to enlarge their pallet of supply chain services. And they took these opportunities by creating deals with local fleets.
What is the situation like on the front lines?
Even with the situation getting better, thanks to rapid vaccine distribution from clinical trial logistics, there still are challenges for cold chain logistics in 2021. The demand for goods remains high, especially in big cities. The customers reinvented the ways of doing business, and so did the logistics companies.
Cold chain logistics in 2021 – distributing products to catering facilities
Because of measures established to prevent the spread of the virus, restaurants couldn’t do business anymore the way they did before. Everybody was stuck at home, but they still wanted to enjoy food from their favorite restaurants. This is where the situation had to change. Home delivery became the only way that restaurants can do business. And they had to use this opportunity. Cold chain logistics and cargo transportation KSA experienced a lot of pressure because of this. Countries that loosened up the measures gave these services providers a break, but the situation is not like that everywhere.
Grocery store clerks turned out to be key to the food logistics supply chain
During the pandemic, a lot of people were buying everyday essential items in bulk. This put a lot of pressure and heightened demand on grocery stores and distributors alike. To adapt to this, stores had to force employees to speed up the delivery and pick orders. The shortage of workers also created a problem. Delivery drivers with knowledge to maintain temperature for refrigerated goods were more needed than ever. This added more strain on the already outnumbered staff that had to keep the shelves stocked at all times.
Cold chain logistics in 2021 – conclusion
The pandemic made people change a lot of things, and cold chain logistics in 2021 also had to adapt. The people and businesses who failed to do so face the consequences. But even with the restrictions slowly getting lifted, customers’ heightened demand isn’t shrinking back to pre-pandemic levels. How will the logistics companies overcome that?
