Integrated SOlution to enhance COLD chain and logistic tracking

Project Information

ISO-COLD

Grant agreement ID: 663704

DOI

10.3030/663704

Project closed

EC signature date 15 January 2015

Start date 1 February 2015

End date 31 July 2015

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ERPLAN SRL
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ISO-COLD (Integrated SOlution to enhance COLD chain and logistic tracking)

Reporting period: 2015-02-01 to 2015-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

During execution of phase I, ERPlan mainly focused its effort on three major activities, namely:
* Market survey and analysis
* Solution comparative analysis
* ERPlan capacity plan
These activities’ results led to a better understanding on actions to be taken to have a successful introduction of ERPlan solution in the European market and they represent a big step forward in definition of ERPlan strategy for the future years.
The initial step of the market analysis focused on primary and secondary research, based both on information collected in the past two years by ERPlan and on data found on public and private reports on market trend and figures. To bolster this analysis ERPlan performed a round of interviews based on direct contacts with representative of supply chain partners, ranging from pharmaceutical and food industry to transport and logistic partner (T&L) and to associations of such sectors. The main target for these interviews has been quality directors and logistic managers / directors.
The second activity of the feasibility study consisted in a product comparative analysis that aimed to unveil needs still unmatched by the solution and its repercussions on customers when implemented.
The result of this analysis helped ERPlan in defining its solution roadmap and the timing of the integration of new features requested by the market. Additionally this part of the study underlined the goodness of ERPlan approach and helped the company to understand how to protect and enhance its competitive advantage in time.
Finally, ERPlan performed a review of the internal needs to deploy its roadmap within the defined timeframe; these needs ranges from technical support to develop additional feature to be introduced in the overall solution to financial needs. As completion of this activity, ERPlan pointed out a diversified strategy to fulfil its needs.
This activity also drew attention to the importance of partnership that ERPlan is developing as a strategic factor to achieve the wished results and it pointed out the need to build a multi-channel commercial strategy to enter the European market.
Additionally the study allowed ERPlan to take contact with important players (both prospects and potential partners) that might be involved in future development of the project and helped the company to reach a larger recognition in the target market sectors.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ERPlan scope is to enter European market with a comprehensive solution to collect, consolidate and distribute logistic and temperature related information along the supply chain in order to provide food and pharma value chain with a strategic tool to monitor and validate cold chain excellence.
To achieve this result, ERPlan performed an extended feasibility study to define the current market prospective, define its solution pertinence and assess the company readiness to compete in this sector.
Here below it is possible to find a more detailed list of the performed tasks to fulfil these objectives:
* Market survey and analysis
- Primary and secondary research on multiple fonts
• Direct contacts with relevant stakeholders in food, pharma and transportation sectors
• Information collection from public and private sources (internet, associations’ reports, consultancy case studies, etc.)
- Information analysis to refine product and commercial strategy
* Solution comparative analysis
- Solution impact on target companies
- Competitors’ analysis
- Unmatched needs analysis
- Product roadmap evolution
• Features to be implemented in version 2
• Timing of the action
* ERPlan capacity plan
- Definition of effort
• Product evolution
• Commercial strategy implementation
• Revenue streams
- Definition of strategic partnerships
• Technical Partnerships scouting
• Commercial Partnership scouting
- Definition of internal effort needed to implement overall strategy

The main results of these activities might be summarized as follows:
* Market related results:
- Analysis confirmed target markets but market readiness has been re-defined for the three major market segments.
- Definition of a commercial strategy to penetrate international market
- Identification of commercial partner profile sought
* Product related results:
- Better understanding of international market needs and identification of unmet operative needs.
- Definition of a response to needs not identified at the moment of the application
- Re-definition of product roadmap and evaluation of the effort need to comply with it
* Financial Overview:
- Identification of financial sources
- Identification of potential revenue streams
- Definition of a financial strategy

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The main results of these activities might be summarized as follows:
* Market related results:
- Analysis confirmed target markets but market readiness has been re-defined for the three major market segments.
- Definition of a commercial strategy to penetrate international market
- Identification of commercial partner profile sought
* Product related results:
- Better understanding of international market needs and identification of unmet operative needs.
- Definition of a response to needs not identified at the moment of the application
- Re-definition of product roadmap and evaluation of the effort need to comply with it
* Financial Overview:
- Identification of financial sources
- Identification of potential revenue streams
- Definition of a financial strategy

The results of the action will help ERPlan in consolidating its competitive advantage and to enhance its solution with a direct benefit for the target industries in terms of cost reduction and product / process quality assesment.
If the overall ERPlan strategy will succeed and the proposed solution will became a reference for the target markets (i.e. Pharmaceutical and food products, clinical trial industry), the society will benefit in various ways, namely:
- Better product quality as result of enhancement of control on logistic operations and product conservation with a complete validation of temperature controlled supply chain
- Better visibility on product standard adequacy (i.e.: secure route validation for anti-counterfeiting, temperature validation Vs standards and good practise, etc.)
- Direct access to operative data for control bodies
- Improved communication between manufacturers and end customers (transparency)

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