Designed and built at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport by Tednologies, Inc. the TEDSBOX container's trademarked name stands for Tracking, Environmental, and Deviation System.

The developer, Don Harman, president and CEO of Tednologies, Inc. spent two years and $400,000 designing, and building the container that he hopes will save money by offering the cool/hot container that will cut down on spoilage while perishables are being shipped.

Harman's idea was to provide a better container for shipping foods, flowers, fish and pharmaceuticals. The company slogan covers its uses... “from boat to throat and from farm to fork.”

The new active Cool-Chain system box is the second of two prototypes that was tested on a July 2 Northern Air Cargo flight from Anchorage to Emmonak, located at the mouth of the Yukon River.

“We shipped perishables like eggs, yogurt and produce over to Emmonak, and on the return trip we brought back a load of king salmon shipped by KwikPak,” Harman added. The test shipment used dry ice for cooling and performed well, as expected according to previous tests, said Harman.

TEDSBOX, a 79-inch by 60.4-inch by 51.5-inch container, increases a shipper's capacity over other similar containers by 24 percent by weight, and 49 percent by volume despite the addition of six 24-volt batteries for cooling or heating. The empty box has a variable weight of 910 pounds to 1,470 pounds, depending on the number of batteries, and has a maximum net cargo weight of 2,590 pounds.

“Most airlines containers are a greenhouse that allows the product to heat up while sitting on the ramp at an airport,” said Harman. “This container offers complete cool and hot temperatures from 32-89 degrees Fahrenheit that can be controlled by a series of batteries that are contained in the base of the unit.”

While Harman is sketchy on the exact sale price of the container, he says that TEDSBOX can be leased, rented or purchased, and has developed a spreadsheet calculator that computes the cost savings for using the container by its savings in lack of spoilage to the contents.

“The final cost of the box will be variable based on its use either for trucking, or once it is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for use on aircraft,” Harman said. “So right now it's a little early to put a price tag on it.”

Harman, an experienced pallet and container builder who also has an Federal Aviation Administration certified repair station at Anchorage International Airport, said he has thought of everything that shippers need to maintain temperatures, security, and tracking of the container.

The insulated LD-3 (RKN- refrigerated container) was designed to be self-sufficient for five days, has completely automated temperature control system, is designed to handle easier by installing forklift slots on two sides, interfaces with standard pallet jacks, and can be secured using standard trucking and air cargo hardware.

“I designed this to be secure for pharmaceuticals, insulated for hot and cold applications. It can be tracked using Radio Frequency Identification technology. The inside has a lip at the door for spillage and rounded corners inside, with a gel coated interior for easy cleaning and sanitizing,” Harman said.

The container box can be plugged in using 110 or 220 volts AC, or set up with a DC charger if the batteries go beyond 110 hours of use allowing a carbon dioxide free energy source.

Harman said that he was encouraged by the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. to develop the container, which was partially financed from grants from different entities.

“We used a mix of financing, some from Harman's Repair Station, some from personal financing, and received $14,000 from grants,” Harmon said.

Grants from the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board helped with the development of the project.

One of the state's major shippers, Northern Air Cargo, is interested in using TEDSBOX, or at least learning more about it.

“I saw the box and it moves well,” said Dave Karp, president of Northern Air Cargo. “The ultimate question is the weight. Really, I am meeting with Don this afternoon to learn more about everything it will do.”

Harman expects to have the FAA approval sometime in early August, but in the meantime the box is available for shipments on trucks, or in the short term by using dry ice for cooling.