Cold Cargo: Expertise and careful planning are required to keep things exactly cold enough.

• Position: TRANSPORTATION

Every day, thousands of items are shipped to and from Alaska, but some of them require a special kind of care. Temperature-controlled items, such as groceries, seafood, and pharmaceuticals, need to reach their destinations without being damaged, which not only requires specialized technology but also an expert understanding of how to best deliver "chill or frozen" cargo.

"Examples of chill freight are products such as dairy, eggs, meats, fruits, and vegetables, which often have a shorter shelf life, so it's critical the supply chain runs effectively to transport these products to market," explains Steve Hartmann, vice president of sales and marketing for Lynden Transport. "Frozen items are generally less time-sensitive and include things like ice cream, meats, pizzas, vegetables, and quick meal entrees--everything you'd find in the freezer section at the grocery store. "Seafood is very important to Alaska and can be moved as either chill or frozen depending on the destination, packaging, and service level required," he adds.

Getting Products Where They Need to Be

According to Larry Felix, vice president of sales at Carlile Transportation, when it comes to chill or frozen freight, far more of it enters the state than leaves it.

"Approximately 90 percent of our refrigerated services, which includes both freeze and chili, come northbound to Alaska's consumer market. Of 1,000 shipments in and out of the state, only 100 are headed south," he says.

"Our northbound shipments remain pretty consistent year-round, while there is a surge during tourist season, the state's population usually remains around 730,000 people who eat and drink the same amounts every month."

Major population centers such as Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, and communities in Southeast receive the bulk of the grocery items. Temperature-controlled freight moving out of Alaska largely comes from major seafood processing points like Dutch Harbor, Naknek, Kodiak, Cordova, Anchorage, Valdez, and points in Southeast.

"Most of the food moving into the state is moving for major grocery distribution centers from the Pacific Northwest," says Hartmann. "There are some nonfood items that move to Alaska; for example, every spring there are multiple loads of plants and flowers moving to the state that require protective temperature control."

Road, Water, and Air

Shippers have a number of options, including transporting goods by steamship, barge, road, or air. Time and cost are the most important factors, as is flexibility-having access to transportation assets as needed.

"We offer full load and LTL [less...