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Testing blood donor tube samples requires a quick and accurate evaluation before they can be cleared for addition to inventory at a blood center. Over 70% of the U.S. blood supply relies on Creative Testing Solutions (CTS) for testing blood donor samples. CTS is the largest non-profit blood donor testing laboratory organization in the United States and operates eight high-volume testing facilities nationwide. CTS sets the standard for laboratory testing and leads efforts in innovation and continuous improvement. Everything is evaluated to deliver the most efficient and streamlined solution, from testing to packaging to logistics.
Blood testing organizations turn around millions of donor tube samples annually, and in the case of CTS, over 22 million samples a year – resulting in the need for robust packaging. It also requires pack-outs that can maintain the temperature of the samples when exposed to different ambient temperatures and logistical modes of transfer. Standardizing packaging and how the tubes are packed regarding the number of cooling agents (gel packs or ice) is a dynamic challenge that demands validation of pack-outs for exposure to temperature variances and physical impact. This gets rather complex when packaging and shipping costs are included in this continuous improvement directive.
Receiving shipments containing blood donor tubes for testing services daily from over 90 different donor centers and returning them for reuse– can add up to a significant amount of shipping each year. It quickly became apparent that a lighter, more durable, compact shipping solution that could maintain more blood donor tubes per container was necessary to reduce shipping costs and streamline daily operations. CTS approached MaxQ to provide a solution to meet their functional requirements.
MaxQ collaborated to develop, test and implement a more compact solution. MaxQ’s Design and Validation team developed an operation-specific solution 40% smaller and 30% lighter than their previous shipping containers. The new MaxPlus Donor Tube Shippers (DT13V72) can hold up to 128 additional blood donor tube samples. Since these containers maintain blood samples shipped nationwide, the testing also included specific testing protocols that the shippers needed to meet. For design qualification – MaxQ’s thermal engineers tested the new donor tube shipper pack-outs to CTS’s particular summer and winter ambient profiles to ensure thermal performance at 2-25°C for up to 72 hours.
The MaxPlus Donor Tube Shipper enabled cost and time savings with the smaller, lighter design and the ability to hold more donor tubes per container than their previous solution. After a trial period and internal validation testing, CTS deployed over 2,400 MaxPlus Donor Tube Shippers into its operations, delivering on its promise of innovation and continuous improvement.
Large enterprise operations such as CTS demand operation-specific packaging to meet their operational needs. Starting with an off-the-shelf Styrofoam or Polyurethane foam solution often results in bigger/bulkier shipper systems, cumbersome pack-outs, inadequate product protection with a high risk of temperature excursion, and increased total costs. Purpose-built for life science biologics, all of MaxQ’s Thermal Controlled Packaging Solutions are operations- and product-specific and come standard with a detailed design-qualification report, simplified pack-out instructions, ergonomic handling features, detailed implementation plan, and organization-wide training support. The smaller and lighter MaxPlus Donor Tube Shippers deliver process efficiency gains, peace of mind, and significant shipping cost savings to CTS and its customers.
With over 90 donor centers packing and shipping specimen tubes daily to CTS, it was essential to communicate the pack-out instructions to all users. MaxQ collaborated with CTS to develop and place easy-to-follow packing instructions directly on the shipper. The teams worked together to produce a quick training video showing the staff how to pack and assemble the new MaxQ container for shipping correctly.
“When we design and qualify a custom solution, our customers can expect the same level of support with the option to add additional testing services to meet their quality and regulatory needs.”
Arif Rahman, MaxQ’s Chief Technology Officer.
One of the CTS’s main concerns was the durability of the shipping container since their previous solution was often damaged due to the significant amount of shipping. MaxQ conducted ISTA 3A standards-based drop testing on the shipping containers throughout the design process to ensure the shipper’s durability under various shipping environments. However, eventually, wear and tear through shipping is inevitable – to help with this, MaxQ provides the option to easily reskin the shippers when shipping damages start to show without having to buy a whole new system.
Another main challenge that CTS faced before switching to MaxQ was the difficulty of purchasing additional components, such as replacement gel packs, tube racks, and absorbent pads when needed from multiple vendors. MaxQ excels in kitting all necessary components for a cold chain shipping system making it easy on its customers. Having one vendor who could provide all parts for the shipping systems was extremely important; with 2400 boxes in the field, handled by multiple individuals – items often need to be replaced sooner than the box itself.
“CTS appreciates the partnership with MaxQ on creating our new shippers. From initial box design through thermal validations, and final distribution, the team at MaxQ was attentive to our needs as well as the needs of our customers.”
Creative Testing Solutions
MaxQ is the largest provider of blood-specific shipper and cooler systems to support the transfusion blood supply chain. Trusted by over 1,100 healthcare institutions and every major blood establishment in the US, our MaxPlus blood coolers and shippers help safely transport over 20,000 units of blood daily with near-zero losses. Our team of blood packaging experts takes a scientific approach to every system we develop – from our off-the-shelf solutions to customer-specific designs for particular products or operational needs. MaxPlus Thermal Packaging Systems are purpose-built for blood and blood products based on detailed customer requirements and industry compliance standards (FDA, AABB, UN3373). We have extensive experience designing, qualifying, and validating thermal packaging solutions for the entire life-science industry – dedicated to helping hospitals, blood centers, specialty pharmacies, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies protect the efficacy of their products.
Efficient Solutions, Exceptional Results.
