A case for AI to improve cold chain efficiency 

Preserving the cold chain has always been a priority in the fresh produce industry, as it’s good for product quality and shelf-life, and it is good business. 

New artificial intelligence tools can make this process more efficient than ever, says Gary Fleming, CEO of Inteligistics, a supply chain technology company. 

After a grower harvests his or her crop, AI tracks the time it takes to get from the field truck to the facility to be cooled. It can determine when each load was harvested, thereby prioritizing which loads should cool first.  

“With our applications, we are able to use a dashboard that tracks in real-time which stage the field truck is at, and how long it has been there, from start, through each stage, and when it finally exits,” Fleming said. 

He said many companies rely on operator judgment in the cooling process. Intelligistics supplements that judgment with data that identifies pre-cooling temperatures, during cooling, and when it’s done being pre-cooled, at which point the system shuts down the cooling process. 

“This converts several variables into factual constants, ensuring that the product is cooled at the target temperature, rather than a best-guess,” Fleming said.  

Of course, an investment in AI technology must deliver a return. 

He said the investment varies widely, based on the software a company currently uses, but it also involves changing a company’s mindset from buying an AI tool to integrating AI into its operations. 

But the payoff can be massive, he said. 

The ways a company can save money include: 

• Monitor, identify, and/or estimate any anomalies that could impact the product, preventing loss of the product; 
• Automate the pre-cooling process, saving energy expenses; 
• Protect the quality of the product and maximize shelf-life, protecting the brand of the product to deliver consistently fresh product and receive more orders; 
• Identify health issues with cooling assets before they happen to prevent further degradation and costly repairs, as well as the inefficiencies caused by the issues; and 
• Increase the efficiencies of field, yard, and cooling operations, streamline loading and unloading processes, and get the product to customers consistently, quickly, and with maximum shelf-life. 

Fleming said such an AI investment can also improve a company’s food safety and compliance, as well. 

“AI scores shipment and quality risk before product leaves the facility — enabling proactive mitigation strategies including rerouting, prioritization, and inspection. It also strengthens claims management, reducing financial exposure across the supply chain,” he said.