Consumables Shipping
If a box of consumables arrives late, frozen, or contaminated, an entire production run—or a patient result—can be lost. That’s why consumables deserve the same white-glove treatment Mercury already brings to finished medical devices and laboratory equipment.
Medical Device
Shipping Consumables for Medical-Device & Biopharma Companies
Why Consumables Need Their Own Logistics Plan
Single-use cartridges, reagent kits, 96- and 384-well assay plates, calibration standards, and other disposable components are the lifeblood of modern instruments. If a box of consumables arrives late, frozen, or contaminated, an entire production run—or a patient result—can be lost. That’s why consumables deserve the same white-glove treatment Mercury already brings to finished medical devices and laboratory equipment.
What Counts as a “Consumable”?
Multiplexed assay plates compatible with SBS footprints
Pre-filled reagent cassettes for point-of-care analyzers
Lateral-flow strips and microfluidic chips
Sterile tubing sets and single-use sensors for bioprocessing
Calibration and QC standards
These items are optimized for performance, not durability, so they demand tight environmental control from factory to bench.
Key Shipping Challenges
Temperature sensitivity – Many buffers, antibodies, and polymers degrade outside 2 – 8 °C or −20 °C windows.
Sterility & particulate control – Packaging must maintain ISO-class cleanliness and withstand dry-ice or gel-pack condensation.
Hazard-adjacent status – Alcohol-based washes, corrosives, or dry-ice (UN 1845) bring DOT, IATA, and UN regulations into play.
Shelf-life pressure – Consumables often have 6- to 12-month expiry dates; every day in transit matters.
Navigating the Regulatory Landscape
Domestic moves must satisfy DOT, OSHA, and EPA rules, while international shipments add IATA Dangerous Goods and UN Model Regulations. Consumables that interact with patients or diagnostics may also be treated as FDA-regulated “devices in kit form,” triggering additional customs scrutiny. Mercury’s compliance experts classify, permit, and document shipments correctly the first time so your product clears without delay.
Packaging & Monitoring Best Practices
Validated, leak-proof primary containers with absorbent wrap for liquids
Phase-change material or dry-ice configurations matched to the consumable’s thermal profile
Shock & tilt indicators to surface rough handling events
Real-time temperature and GPS devices for high-value or clinical-trial lots
Mercury’s Consumable-Shipping Solution
Your Need | Mercury Advantage |
|---|---|
Rapid resupply—even last-minute | Same-day courier, Next Flight Out, and express-carrier integrations |
Tight thermal control | Flexible cold-chain options from gel packs to active containers |
Global distribution at scale | Domestic & international air-freight, LTL/FTL, and white-glove services managed by a dedicated rep |
Inventory overflow or kitting | GMP-compliant warehousing with month-to-month terms |
End-to-end visibility | Online portal plus proactive exception resolution by real people |
