Episode Summary

In this episode of Measuring Up: Thinking Out Loud, host Bill White welcomes back cold chain logistics expert Jim Bacon, President and Founder of Stay Cool Logistics Consulting, to discuss how cloud-based environmental monitoring is changing the way regulated organizations approach validation, data integrity and long-term planning.

At the center of the conversation is testo Saveris 1 Cloud and its Version Freeze feature, which allows organizations to maintain a supported software version for three years. Jim explains how this added stability can help organizations plan validation activities more strategically, reduce the disruption associated with unplanned software changes, and bring greater predictability to budgeting and compliance efforts.

Bill and Jim also explore the growing acceptance of cloud-based monitoring in regulated environments. Jim discusses the importance of data integrity, redundancy and continuity, including Saveris 1 Cloud's ability to continue recording data during a cloud interruption and provide alerts when conditions require attention.

The conversation expands into the balance between compliance, validation and flexibility. Jim describes a “flexible discipline” approach in which organizations select solutions appropriate to their specific monitoring or cold chain needs while maintaining the planning, controls and risk-management practices necessary for a compliant and validated system.

Jim also introduces the Cold Chain Navigator, a platform designed to match healthcare organizations with qualified cold chain solution providers based on their specific requirements. He explains why technology alone cannot eliminate cold chain risk and emphasizes the continuing importance of training, compliance and the human element.

Ultimately, Jim sees Version Freeze as a way to give regulated organizations greater control over unexpected software changes while helping them balance planning, budgeting and compliance.

About the Guest

Jim Bacon is President and Founder of Stay Cool Logistics Consulting and a cold chain industry consultant with decades of experience across pharmaceutical manufacturing, logistics, supply chain and temperature-controlled distribution. He also serves as the North American representative for the Cold Chain Navigator initiative.

Episode Summary

The future of cold-chain monitoring isn't just knowing what happened. It's predicting what is likely to happen—and acting before it does.

In this episode of the Testo Information Network podcast, host Bill White speaks with Jonathan Friesen, a pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics consultant and former Swiss WorldCargo and IATA specialist. They explore the evolution of temperature monitoring from passive data loggers to real-time IoT systems, the lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccine distribution, global GDP requirements, and the growing role of AI in predicting and preventing cold-chain risks. The conversation also examines how temperature mapping, continuous monitoring and automated alerts can help pharmaceutical organizations protect product integrity from manufacturing through final delivery.

The conversation also compares air, road and sea transportation. Friesen notes that road transportation generally has fewer restrictions on monitoring technology, and many European trucking companies have already integrated IoT systems into trucks and containers to monitor internal temperatures.

Friesen identifies artificial intelligence as the next major development.

The industry is accumulating enormous amounts of temperature, humidity, location and other sensor data. Much of that information, he says, is essentially sitting on hard drives around the world. AI could transform that historical data into predictive analysis.

Instead of simply identifying that a temperature excursion occurred, AI could identify patterns, anticipate risks and help companies mitigate problems before they occur.

How to Connect with Testo Listeners can reach Testo via LinkedIn (Testo Global, Testo North America, Testo Pharma) or by emailing info@testo.com, where inquiries are immediately routed to the appropriate team.

Episode Summary

Bill White of the Testo Information Network interviews Colleen Lester, Director of Pharma Solution Sales for North America at Testo.

Background & Career Path

Colleen's path to sales leadership was unconventional — she holds an MFA in acting from the University of Florida and worked as a professional actor in New York before pivoting to sales out of necessity. She built her career from answering phones to inside and outside sales, moving through active packaging and temperature monitoring before joining Testo. She credits her non-technical background as an asset, allowing her to focus on customer relationships, listening, and problem-solving rather than technical expertise.

What Testo Customers Value

Colleen says customers value Testo's customer service and partnership approach above all else, equal to the accuracy of instruments and software quality. Earning trust, she explains, comes down to genuinely listening to customers, understanding what they need to accomplish, and then delivering on those promises.

A Standout Sales Story

She describes landing one of the largest projects in Testo's pharma division history, a customer who was not familiar with Testo who reached out to her through a UK referral. The tipping point, she says, was trust: when asked why they should choose Testo in the final round, Colleen told the customer plainly, "We mean what we say, and what we tell you we're going to do, we do".

Industry Shifts: Cloud & Outsourcing

Cloud data storage is becoming a pharmaceutical industry standard, a dramatic shift from 2017, when major companies resisted it in favor of on-premise control. Colleen also notes that large pharma companies are increasingly outsourcing procurement, on-site alarm management, and other functions to CROs and CDMOs, making sales relationships more complex and multi-stakeholder.

AI & Emerging Technology

AI is a major topic of interest, particularly predictive modeling, digital twins for cold chain route mapping, and the aggregation of data from multiple sources into a single view. Colleen underscores the fact that Testo's Saveris 1 platform does this well, offering a global dashboard where customers can monitor all locations and assets in real time, with full CFR-compliant audit trails.

Colleen is candid that while AI helps her team with competitive research and data gathering, it cannot replace the human connection central to Testo's sales approach.

How to Connect with Testo Listeners can reach Testo via LinkedIn (Testo Global, Testo North America, Testo Pharma) or by emailing info@testo.com, where inquiries are immediately routed to the appropriate salesperson.