New Phononic–Peltier Partnership Targets Safer, Smarter Cold Chain for Medicines

The collaboration seeks to reduce drug waste, prevent errors, and support more reliable delivery of life-saving therapies to patients worldwide.

Phononic, a company that specializes cooling technology, including for the pharma sector, has reached a cold chain licensing agreement with Peltier Technology, Inc.1

The company’s branded Active Cooling Solutions (ACS) platform is utilized throughout the cold chain, including in fulfillment centers to last-mile delivery. It also features a combination of merchandising refrigerators and freezers, portable totes, integrated docking stations and IoT connectivity, last-mile, and shipping and logistics design concepts.

Meanwhile, Peltier has a plethora of experience in cold chain as it pertains to healthcare, refrigeration, logistics (including third-party), and beyond.

The growing challenges of cold chain management

Peltier offers refrigeration and internet of things (IoT) software solutions designed to close critical gaps in the cold chain, where up to 20% of food and medicines—and as much as 50% of vaccines—are lost each year despite massive global investment. The company’s refrigeration systems integrate into operations that require strict temperature control, including the powering of multi-temperature automated warehouses.

Patient safety and medication adherence have a been a few of the most vital concerns among pharma sector stakeholders—with a rise in medication errors, counterfeit medicines, and supply chain mismanagement, this field has seen an increase demand for transparency, security, engagement, and digitization.2

Smart packaging and IoT integration in pharma supply chains

Integration of IoT devices such as RFID tags, NFC, QR codes, and temperature sensors in medical packaging have grown in popularity emerged as way to successfully track pharma products in the supply chain, while boosting security, and enhancing management.2 This has been demonstrated via several examples:

  1. Merck has been utilizing temperature sensors for packaging of its biologics products to ensure smooth cold chain management.
  2. Roche started using RFID tags to boost product traceability throughout the supply chain.

Blockchain and IoT: Real-time tracking and enhanced security

The junction of blockchain and IoT technologies in pharmaceutical supply chains offers several additional advantages. For instance, IoT-enabled sensors can provide real-time monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity during storage and transport, allowing for sensitive drugs to keep their efficacy and safety throughout the entire supply chain.

Automated alerts created by these devices can immediately notify stakeholders of any divergences, allowing for rapid intervention and lowering the risk of compromised products reaching patients.

Transforming pharma supply chains through technology

The integration of these technologies is transforming how pharmaceutical companies interact with customers and manage products across the supply chain. As adoption continues to grow, their application in pharmaceutical packaging will address current challenges while advancing the industry toward more efficient, patient-focused care.

“Peltier is excited to license and commercialize Phononic’s next generation of solid- state cooling technology,” commented Hanson Li, Peltier’s founder and CEO. “I’m excited to combine Peltier’s focus on solving temperature challenges with Phononic’s disruptive cooling platform. With an established ACS platform, supply chain, and customers, Peltier will continue to deliver timely solutions for our customers’ cooling challenges.”

Tony Atti, co-founder and CEO of Phononic, highlighted the strategic value of the collaboration with Peltier, emphasizing how it supports both cold chain innovation and future datacenter advancements.

“We’re excited to partner with Hanson and his team at Peltier,” he said. “We developed the ACS platform as a solution to the needs of e-commerce, cold chain, retail/grocery and consumer demand for innovating cooling. Licensing provides us the flexibility to leverage Peltier’s cold chain focus to support the market while we enable the future of AI through our datacenter platform.”

References

1. Phononic Announces Exclusive Cold Chain Licensing Agreement with Peltier, Inc. GlobeNewswire. September 10, 2025. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.globenewswire.com/de/news-release/2025/09/10/3147637/0/en/Phononic-Announces-Exclusive-Cold-Chain-Licensing-Agreement-with-Peltier-Inc.html?utm_partner=symbaloonlpage%2F6%2F

2. Gandhi P. Smart Packaging in Pharma: Driving Adherence and Safety Through Digital Innovation. Pharmaceutical Commerce. July 24, 2025. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/smart-packaging-pharma-driving-adherence-safety-digital-innovation