“Per square mile, we export more pharmaceuticals than any place in the world. As such, temperature control and shipment integrity aren’t nice-to-haves for us: they’re mission critical.”
- Sascha Herzig, President of E.T.H. Cargo
As an international logistics solutions provider headquartered in Puerto Rico, E.T.H. Cargo Services operates at the center of one of the most critical pharmaceutical export hubs in the world. Despite its small geographic footprint, Puerto Rico exports more pharmaceuticals per square mile than anywhere else globally, which makes precision, reliability, and trust non-negotiable. Since 2001, E.T.H. Cargo has been offering a wide range of transport and warehousing solutions. “Per square mile, we export more pharmaceuticals than any place in the world,” says Sascha Herzig, President of E.T.H. Cargo. “As such, temperature control and shipment integrity aren’t nice-to-haves for us: they’re mission critical.”
“When I started using Tive Solo 5G trackers, I could actually see a whole map and pinpoint locations. That level of detail is incredibly powerful.”
Before adopting Tive, E.T.H. Cargo relied on disposable GPS trackers that provided limited insight and created logistical headaches. “Reverse logistics is difficult,” Herzig explains. “I needed a single-use solution, and the only option I knew of at the time was expensive and limited.” Finding Tive changed all that. With precise location data, live alerts, and a global map view, E.T.H. Cargo gained instant visibility into every shipment. Says Herzig. “I was suddenly aware of everything that was going on: this shipment is in Atlanta, this one’s in Newark, this one’s in London.” Beyond visibility, Tive delivered measurable operational improvements to E.T.H. Cargo. “The product was better than what we had used previously: the battery lasted longer, it had more exact location pinging, and we had no issues with the trackers shutting down mid-trip,” Herzig adds. “There was a nice cost savings involved, as well.”
“The goal is to prevent issues from getting worse, or to avoid a crisis completely. Having Tive is a huge benefit for me and my team. Before the customer even knows what’s happening, we can intervene to minimize damage, or prevent it altogether.”
Temperature excursions are the biggest risk for pharma shipments and also wind up being among the most expensive, not to mention potentially hazardous to consumers. The weather in Puerto Rico is warm year-round, and shipping internationally can introduce freezing risks in colder climates. “In the past, shipments have sat on a tarmac for four, five, six hours,” Herzig recalls. “We wouldn’t find out until the next morning, and by then it was too late.” Since they started using the Solo 5G, E.T.H. Cargo is able to detect and respond to excursions in real time—even if a problem happens overnight.
One of the most powerful advantages E.T.H. Cargo gains from using Tive is the ability to instantly prove shipment integrity. In one case involving a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, a shipment exceeded its validated five-day transit window, triggering customer concern that the product had been compromised. “They immediately said, ‘This product is damaged,’” Herzig explains. “But I showed them the Tive tracker pinging in real time at minus 19.67°C, which was still within acceptable range. That helped prove that the products hadn’t been damaged, despite the delay.”
That real-time proof avoided a costly investigation, not to mention prevented unnecessary product loss. “The customer was ecstatic,” says Herzig. “Because I could instantly show them that the product was still good.”
“When I started using Tive Solo 5G trackers, I could actually see a whole map and pinpoint locations. That level of detail is incredibly powerful.”
E.T.H. Cargo has also been able to use Tive shipment data to resolve disputes with ground handlers and other partners by providing indisputable facts. In one incident, multiple trackers revealed a cooling failure—despite claims that the equipment was functioning properly. “All five trackers in the shipment were pinging the same out-of-range temperature data,” Herzig recalls. “This partner said it was impossible, and that my trackers were wrong. But when the consignee downloaded their data and it matched mine, it was two against one.”
“Without Tive, I wouldn’t have had a way to prove what really happened.”
After six months of using Tive, E.T.H. Cargo added Tive’s 24/7 live monitoring service—and it quickly became indispensable. “Issues crop up overnight, and we don’t find out until the next morning,” Herzig says. “The Tive monitoring team uses escalation contacts for airlines, ground handlers, and truckers, and they take action on our behalf to save shipments.”
The result? Peace of mind and quicker intervention. “Once you have live monitoring, you can’t go back,” Herzig says. “It’s truly life changing. It’s like having an iPhone, and being forced to go back to using an ancient Nokia.” Today, E.T.H. Cargo uses Tive on 100% of its 200+ pharmaceutical shipments per year, and offers real-time tracking as a value-added service that differentiates the company in a competitive market.
