Industry Insights and the Role of Expert Supply Chain Management: Key Takeaways from IPPE 2025

The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) continues to be a critical event for professionals in the poultry, meat, and animal food industries. As the world’s largest annual showcase of technology, equipment, and services in these sectors, IPPE 2025 did not disappoint. With over 80 hours of educational programming and key discussions on sustainability, biosecurity, and industry advancements, the event set the stage for continuous growth within the animal health industry.

For commercial breeders, IPPE presents an opportunity to discuss present challenges and potential solutions to increase livestock health and operational success. Educational sessions highlighted critical themes, including biosecurity in feeding operations, sustainable transportation, automation for efficiency, and adaptable strategies to meet evolving industry challenges – all reinforcing the need for a resilient and compliant supply chain. To navigate supply chain challenges in the livestock sector, breeders can turn to industry-leading providers offering integrated solutions tailored to their evolving needs. Cryoport Systems delivers comprehensive supply chain management solutions through our connected platform of services that extends support across the entire animal health supply chain.

Biosecurity: Mitigating Risk for Animal Health Management

One of the most pressing concerns expressed at this year’s expo was biosecurity in the feed industry, particularly regarding African swine fever (ASF). Experts like Dr. Jordan Gebhart from Kansas State University emphasized the role of feed mills in disease preparedness and how ASF could spread through certain feed ingredients.¹ The risk of contamination at various feed stages underscores the importance of strict biosecurity protocols for animal health professionals. A streamlined process reduces the risk of contamination while ensuring traceability for continuous compliance.

Establishing biosecurity processes is a top priority within the animal health supply chain as contamination of materials isn’t limited to feed management. Leading supply chain providers actively implement traceability solutions to track equipment and procedures, ensuring process control and maintaining environmental conditions for the commodity. These practices allow supply chain professionals to trace products throughout the entire supply chain while accessing real-time metrics for product condition insights. Monitoring conditions gives breeders essential data to ensure a commodity’s integrity throughout any stage and phase of the supply chain, offering peace of mind in the maintained conditions of commodities even when their products aren’t in their direct care.

Process control enables traceability, but without rigorous cleaning protocols, supply chain security remains at risk. Many providers rely on reusable shipping systems for transporting materials like gametes or advanced therapeutics. However, not all clean their systems after each shipment, creating a contamination risk. Residual foreign materials from previous shipments can compromise high-value commodities, jeopardizing stability before the shipment even leaves the facility. Advanced cleaning methodology is needed to secure the integrity of the systems before control practices can secure traceability across the entire journey. Veri-Clean^®, for example, is a proprietary process that ensures Cryoport Systems’ shipping systems and stainless-steel accessories are sterilized to a 99.9999% reduction in external contaminants. This process virtually eliminates cross-contact of all material types so no bacterial traces of prior shipments remain. Veri-Clean^® sets the industry standard for contaminate-free transport by verifying each reusable system before use. While not all providers possess rigorous cleaning methods, Veri-Clean^® implements biosecurity protocols from the very start of the supply chain. The level of rigorous cleaning standards minimizes contamination risk for sustained transport journeys, ensuring compliance and consistency and helping to preserve material vitality.

Industry Collaboration for the Betterment of Sustainable Practices

The Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit at IPPE 2025 brought industry leaders together to discuss the ongoing journey toward sustainability. Representatives from major food and protein suppliers stressed the importance of reducing carbon emissions, improving feed production footprints, and enhancing collaboration between producers and suppliers.² Every link in the supply chain influences the next, making industry collaboration essential for progress.

For animal breeders, partnerships rooted in a shared commitment to sustainability are essential for driving renewability and overcoming supply chain challenges. Cryoport Systems supports these efforts by providing reliable, sustainable supply chain solutions for the animal health industry. With guidance from regulatory bodies and industry leaders, we help advance renewable shipping systems and environmentally responsible practices. The European Commission, for example, recognizes shipments that meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements with their CE (Conformité Européenne) mark.³ Each system within the Cryoport Express® line carries the CE mark, reflecting our commitment to building sustainable supply chains. Through continuous innovation in reusable shipping systems and industry-leading quality processes, Cryoport Systems actively advances sustainability in the temperature-controlled supply chain.

Supply chain providers with strong renewability efforts help the animal health industry address sustainability challenges. This includes optimizing reusable shipping systems to align with an organization’s green initiatives, significantly reducing waste across the supply chain. Animal health breeders benefit from reliable, efficient systems that safeguard their commodities while driving innovation without compromising sustainability. By integrating protection and innovation, partnering organizations enhance operational efficiencies and advance best practices for the wellbeing of the animals at the core of their work.

Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Supply Chain Efficiency

Advancements in automation and AI were major topics at IPPE 2025, with discussions highlighting their role in improving operational efficiency and food safety. Conversations ranged from the use of AI in advanced foreign material detection to continuous data tracking for trend analysis.⁴ Researchers and industry experts will continue to focus on automation potential and AI applications to enhance supply chain efficiency.

Smart automation practices throughout the supply chain help establish efficiency, especially logistics platforms that leverage data monitoring. These condition monitoring systems can track the near real-time metrics of a shipment’s internal temperature, external temperature, orientation/tilt, location, and other data relevant to ensuring product integrity. This information is then shared with a logistics management platform, allowing clients and providers to manage shipments and receive live updates on commodity conditions. Cryoport Systems’ Cryoportal^® logistics management system integrates seamlessly with our Smarkpak II^® condition monitoring system, providing continuous condition tracking across all our shipping systems. When commodity data is delivered in near real-time, risk mitigation becomes actionable. The ability to access near real-time metrics within a reliable, integrated platform enables our teams to work with couriers to intervene on behalf of a shipment the moment any risk arises. This proactive mitigation safeguards supply chains and helps animal breeders protect irreplaceable materials from unforeseen transit disruptions.

Data tracking in near real-time offers even more value beyond immediate monitoring. The insights gathered from each shipment journey help optimize future transports. By leveraging data-driven analytics, Cryoport Systems can make informed decisions when planning the most efficient and secure transport routes. Our extensive historical metrics database built over two decades includes data from nearly one million shipments. We use this wealth of information to pinpoint potential pain points and reduce risks by selecting the most reliable. This enables us to proactively identify the safest routes and minimize risks before shipments leave the facility. By combining smart tracking technology with automated practices, we enhance safety throughout the entire supply chain, ensuring breeders benefit from more precise and secure operations.

Adaptable Practices to Mitigate Tomorrow’s Challenges Today

Supply chain adaptability was a recurring theme at IPPE 2025, as companies look for ways to remain agile in response to changing consumer demands and regulatory landscapes. Leveraging adaptable practices throughout the supply chain allows operations to successfully scale despite a changing industry landscape.

Adaptable supply chain management solutions are essential for maintaining consistency in the handling of sensitive materials, especially as industry needs evolve. As the landscape of animal health operations continues to change, it’s crucial to stay aligned with both technical advancements and regulatory requirements. Different stages of animal health operations are subject to distinct compliance standards, which require a proactive approach. By staying informed about industry trends and innovations, Cryoport Systems’ Consulting Services team provides valuable insights to help animal breeders navigate these evolving challenges. With a focus on temperature-sensitive supply chain management, secure vaccine transport, and regulatory compliance, Cryoport Systems helps organizations address complex supply chain requirements with a strategic, informed approach.

Enabling the Future of Animal Health

IPPE 2025 reinforced the importance of collaboration, innovation, and supply chain resilience in the animal health industry. As companies navigate biosecurity risks, sustainability goals, technological advancements, and adaptable practices, the role of expert supply chain providers becomes increasingly vital. Cryoport Systems offers a platform of solutions to help organizations adapt to these challenges while maintaining the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. By integrating cutting-edge supply chain management capabilities with deep industry expertise, Cryoport Systems establishes sustainable practices that support biosecurity and drive technological innovation in the ever-evolving animal health environment. Whether it’s enhancing biosecurity in feed transportation, reducing the environmental footprint of supply chains, or assisting the safe transport of advanced therapeutics, our supply chain solutions Enable the Outcome™ for our clients on a global scale.

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