Discussing Cold chain Solutions in Zambia with Fraser Marketing.

Let’s start by posing this question — what is the importance of cold chain logistics within the FMCG Industry?- If we look at the fact that producers produce enough food to feed 10 billion people, but there are still about 1 billion people living in poverty, we will discover that ultimately the problem isn’t in food production, but in food distribution and that’s where the waste happens. In the last few years, cold chain management (CCM) in Zambia and around Africa has gained growing interest among practitioners and businesses. As Musanga logistics we see this as an opportunity to expand our capacity and meet this new demand so we can help ensure the uninterrupted chain that maintains the quality of the product from production to consumption. Cold chain involves the transportation of temperature sensitive products along a supply chain through thermal and refrigerated packaging methods. At the moment there are not many business models for this type of supply chain to cover the specific requirements of the cold chain catering to the needs of temperature-sensitive or perishable goods.

Fraser marketing a company in Zambia that deals with the distribution of food stuffs and and female care products to large supermarkets recently started exploring the cold chain supply side of distribution. Started by founder Doug Fraser in a garage at his home in longacres, Fraser marketing has existed just over two years. Mr Fraser who is hands on over the operations of his company, has dedicated his time into growing it.

Doug Fraser founder and CEO of Fraser Marketing

Fraser marketing recently introduced yeast to their range of products and such a product requires specific temp when being distributed. Currently they receive volumes that range between 3 to 8 tonnes at a time and as soon as the product gets to Lusaka from Zimbabwe it has to be distributed. According to them, they believe that the value in a cold chain is about extending the shelf life of a product and maintaining the quality, so that essentially they have happy customers getting a product at the quality it was intended.

Even though they are still on the initial tryout stage of yeast they have discovered that having a well functioning cold chain is critical to preserving the quality of their product. Their aim is to get the product from point A to B as quickly as possible but even with their own vehicles for local deliveries these volumes are quite huge and they still have to use other transporters for outside deliveries. In order to ensure that the yeast travels and arrives at the right temperature they have temperature tracking device inserted in the truck with temperatures ranging between 4 and 7 degrees.

Moving goods from one point to another Sounds easy enough, but we all know that managing supply chain and logistics can get complicated. There’s warehousing, transportation, and distribution to consider. Outsourcing a third-party logistics provider to take care of these logistics issues allows companies to focus on business, therefore, choosing a partner is a serious decision. There seems to be a lot of options out there, but Faser marketing isn’t just throwing darts at the wall, they have decided that in a logistics partner its all about professionalism and a partner that can offer them the right service. Every business wants a logistics partner they can rely on to deliver their goods on time and in good condition — and one that can uphold the standards of their company. It is also important and helpful that their logistics partners understand their business and together they can work within the confines of that relationship.Only having used Musanga twice Fraser marketing has been impressed by the quality of the vehicles. In Mr Frasers own words “ So far Musanga has delivered accordingly, the truck that came was clean and the driver and his assistant understood what we required in terms of the temperature and the speed. Our sales manager was also able to track the consignment till the end”.

In today's highly competitive marketplace, its imperative for businesses to innovate new ways to streamline their supply chain and optimize productivity. without a doubt technology has indeed simplified cold chain logistics. Today’s technology offers a variety of tools to not only keep products at the right temperature, but to better monitor the load — from temperature sensors and GPS tracking to self- reporting alerts for computers and mobile devices. For an industry that’s constantly improving the question soon becomes: “ whats next? How can we improve refrigeration technology for this changing industry?”