The presentation shows a lot of self-confidence: Swiss Airtainer intends to reinvent the pharma cold chain with its high-performance cool boxes. This is stated in a presentation by the Swiss company. The facts and data from the first 50 commercial shipments of high-value life science products, which were flown in the company’s RKN containers, prove that this claim is not without substance.

These shipments have demonstrated the stunning performance, temperature and energy reliability of the active temperature-controlled air cargo containers offered the market by newcomer Swiss Airtainer. The RKN transport boxes mark a significant achievement in the company’s mission to provide the pharmaceutical industry with sustainable and reliable cold chain logistics solutions, reads a release. It could also trigger new initiatives by its competitors to lift their own products to a new level.
Some similarities…
But how exactly do the newcomer’s transport boxes differ from those of the leading top dogs Envirotainer, C-Safe and DoKaSch? The question comes up, because the products of the three providers mentioned above also offer a high degree of reliability. They are the result of decades of market experience and constant customer feedback.
… many differences
What the quartet have in common is that they only lease their cool boxes without selling them. They therefore have complete control over the use of the items, from filling them at the customer’s premises to returning them to their service centers. However, this is where the similarities end, as a comparison of the products shows, based on data captured during a return flight from Frankfurt to Hong Kong. The differences measured in terms of empty weights, working hours and CO2 savings are significant. And in total also in the operational costs.
The empty weight RKN boxes operated by Envirotainer, C-Safe and DoKaSch only varies very little and is between 635 kg (Envirotainer) and 670 kg (DoKaSch). In comparison, however, the Swiss Airtainer is much lighter (390 kg). This also has an impact on CO2 emissions. In case of C-Safe, DoKaSch and Envirotainer, this amounted to between 7,200 and 7,400 kg on the Frankfurt-Hong Kong round trip. In contrast, 4,400 kg were measured for the Airtainer (rounded figures). This is a grave difference in terms of the emissions of ozone depleting substances (ODS).
Ahead of the pack
The Airtainer is also ahead in terms of working hours, as its use is not limited in time and the cooling process is permanently guaranteed. For the three competitors it is 100 hours in unison, which is a respectable time span and sufficient to ensure the quality and integrity of sensitive pharmaceutical or other temp critical products.
The key competitive factor is integrated solar panels which provide energy autonomy and minimize reliance on external power sources, hence the unlimited working hours. Taken together, these parameters result in considerable cost savings for RKN applications.

All operations are monitored by a control tower built into the container. It constantly monitors important parameters such as temperature, humidity and vibrations in real time. Automatic alerts and a proactive management system ensure compliance with strict pharmaceutical standards and reduce risks and costly disruptions.
Swiss WorldCargo is launching partner
“With this solution, shippers can access cutting-edge technology that reduces carbon footprint and costs while improving operational efficiency. Swiss Airtainer’s proven success positions the company to scale its operations and expand its impact, setting a new standard for sustainable and cost-effective logistics solutions,” states Eduard Seligman, Founder and CEO of Swiss Airtainer.
First user of the Airtainer is Swiss WorldCargo. The carrier stresses in a press release that the product has received the full certifications required, including the one from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which confirms its safety and reliability. Swiss Airtainer has also received strong support from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, further validating the company’s efforts to innovate and improve the air freight industry.