Cold Chain Efficiency Sprint
Sprint · Hosted by Atlas Logistics. A reefer unit spends a fourteen-drop grocery run recovering from door openings that were on the plan all along.
About this open call
What this event is about
Diesel goes into holding half-empty reefer trailers at setpoint, and pallets are still refused on temperature at the receiving bay. This is two weeks of work on the unit's duty cycle and on what the driver is told at each stop.
What we are looking for
Teams with telemetry or control work on temperature-controlled transport who can produce a tested duty-cycle change in two weeks.
Problem statements
The unit does not know the door is opening
A trailer loses air at every drop and the unit answers by running harder afterwards. Nothing in the cycle anticipates a stop that has been on the day's plan since the night before.
Half a trailer, full setpoint
Air volume falls as pallets come off, and the unit holds the same setpoint to the last drop. Fuel is spent cooling space with nothing in it.
Refusals at the bay
A pallet is refused on a reading taken at the receiving bay, and the driver had no way of knowing which pallet was at risk before it came off. Every refusal is a return leg and a credit note.
Evaluation criteria
100% weighted total
Timeline
- Jul 6, 2026
Brief published
The brief went out with two weeks of logger traces from four reefer trailers.
- Jul 27, 2026
Entries open
Entries are read as they arrive, and the cold-chain team answers questions on the traces.
- Oct 23, 2026
Shortlist
Two or three teams run their change against a full month of held-back traces.
- Nov 10, 2026
Pilot decision
One team takes the pilot on a live reefer group, with access to the trailers.
Sponsors & partners
Atlas Logistics
Host
ETH Zürich
Technical partner
FAQs
What are we working from?
Two weeks of logger traces from four trailers — setpoint, return air, door events and fuel burn — with the drop sequences that produced them. A full month goes to the shortlist.
Can the change involve hardware?
Only if it fits an existing unit and a fitter can install it in a normal service slot. Anything needing a new trailer specification is out of scope.
Do we need to be cold-chain specialists?
No, but you should have read a temperature trace before. Teams who have only worked on ambient freight tend to miss what one door opening does to the rest of the day.
Take part
Submit your entry before the deadline. Every entry is scored against the criteria above.