Refrigerated container logistics for North and Latin American perishable shippers to be explored at TOC Americas 2012

London, 06.09.2012 ¨C Cool Logistics Resources and TOC Events Worldwide have announced that they are working together to stage the new TOC Cold Chain forum during the 12^th TOC Container Supply Chain Americas conference and exhibition, taking place 4-6 December in Panama.

Held over one-and-a-half days, TOC Cold Chain will explore the state of refrigerated logistics, shipping and cold chain infrastructure to support the growing movement of chilled and frozen goods to, from and within the Americas. Key discussion topics include the outlook for perishable exports and imports on North-South and East-West trades, the impact of rising demand from Asia and other emerging markets, plus the current volatility in world container shipping and what this means for perishable shippers in North and Latin America.

The agenda will also cover development and operation of cold chain infrastructure for handling and storing refrigerated cargoes at ports and inland, new approaches in perishable logistics management and technology and best practice for safeguarding cargo quality and safety from ¡®farm to fork¡¯.

The new event has already attracted the official support of renowned supply chain research body Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute and trade association Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), plus speakers from major food companies, perishable logistics, transport and cold chain infrastructure providers including Dole Fresh Fruit International, Kraft Foods, DAMCO Latin America, APM Terminals Moin and the Galores Group.

Key speakers from the fresh produce sector include post-harvest physiology expert Dr. Eduardo Kerbel, Director of Packaging & Technical Services at Dole Fresh Fruit International, and Manuel Madrid, Managing Director of fresh produce consultancy Fresh Profits. Both will share practical experience and advice on reducing costs and losses through the post-harvest packaging, container transport and storage chain.

¡°Cool Logistics and TOC Events share a common vision of providing a complete platform for their respective supply chain communities, bringing together cargo owners, 3PLs, carriers, ports, inland logistics and other key freight supply chain stakeholders to discuss current challenges and foster new business solutions. Containerised trade in fresh and frozen goods makes a vital economic contribution both to North and Latin America and we look forward to delivering new cold chain content as a valuable addition to TOC Americas this year,¡± said the companies.

TOC Events Worldwide organises the TOC Container Supply Chain conference and exhibition portfolio of four annual events in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Middle East. Cool Logistics Resources organises the Cool Logistics^TM conferences for users and suppliers of perishable logistics and transport, with an annual global conference in Europe and a second in Africa.