‘Without data, resolving claims is an uphill battle’

In regions where ambient temperatures regularly spike to extreme highs, an unbroken cold chain is not a luxury. Zoe Zhang, Procurement Specialist at Holex China, explains how Tapp’s smart dataloggers safeguard flower quality. “Before, we could see that flowers were damaged. Now, we can also show where things went wrong.”

From the Netherlands to China and beyond
Holex is an international flower exporter that connects growers with wholesalers and florists around the world. After establishing a Shanghai import hub in 2018, the company launched its Chinese export branch in 2025. Operating out of a warehouse in Kunming, Holex China handles a diverse range of locally grown varieties: from roses and tulips to chrysanthemums, statice and Limonium.

“China grows virtually every flower variety imaginable,” says Zhang. “While exporting from China is a relatively young industry, international demand, especially across the Middle East, is growing rapidly.”

© Tapp

The race against temperature
Maintaining flower freshness requires a meticulous, round-the-clock operation. The flowers generally arrive at the Kunming facility between 5 p.m. to midnight. Following quality and quantity checks, they immediately enter the cold room to cool down to below 5°C. Packing begins at 8 a.m., after which the packed boxes return to cold storage overnight to cool down again before heading to the airport.

“Temperature management is vital,” says Zoe. “When the temperature rises above 10°C, flowers begin to respire more rapidly and produce heat themselves. This increases the risk of heat damage and loss of quality.”

That risk is particularly significant when flowers travel to warm destinations in the Middle East. Holex can closely manage conditions inside its own warehouse, but once a shipment leaves Kunming, it passes through airports, aircraft and handling facilities outside the team’s direct control.

Making data accessible across borders
To monitor transit conditions, Holex places a datalogger inside a designated box per shipment. However, local Chinese loggers previously created friction. “Our buyers in the Middle East struggled to download the required apps or access the data platforms,” Zoe explains. “The systems were simply too unstable for international trade.”

Tapp offered a more accessible alternative. The warehouse team can activate the label easily, while customers can access the temperature report with a smartphone without installing a separate app or using specialist equipment. “It is quite easy to use,” says Zoe. “When there is an issue with a shipment, customers want to know what happened. The logger gives us that information.”

The 45°C tarmac test
The value of that information became especially clear during a shipment from Kunming to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a stopover in Bangkok. Upon arrival, the client reported severely damaged, burned blooms.

“Without data, resolving claims is an uphill battle,” says Zoe. “Tapp’s logger revealed that during ground handling in Bangkok, temperatures inside the shipment spiked to an astonishing 45°C. The flowers were literally cooked on the tarmac. Having that proof allowed us to demonstrate we met every cold chain standard, giving our freight forwarder the exact evidence needed to successfully process the claim with the airline.”

Replacing assumptions with answers
The temperature history gives Holex greater clarity when investigating quality problems and discussing them with customers and logistics partners. Instead of relying on assumptions, the team can identify when conditions changed and use the data to support a claim when a shipment has been mishandled.

The reports are particularly valuable during the warmer months. “Customers may have little reason to inspect the temperature history when a winter shipment arrives in good condition. In summer, when the risk of heat exposure is much higher, the logger can provide important answers”, Zoe explains. “The data can also show when temperatures remained within range, helping the parties involved understand which parts of the cold chain performed as intended.”

Setting standards in floriculture
While temperature logging is standard in pharmaceuticals, its adoption in China’s flower export sector is still pioneering. By embedding Tapp dataloggers into its daily workflow, Holex China ensures complete transparency across the supply chain.

“It gives us total control,” Zoe concludes. “Our customers get the quality they expect, and when external logistics fail, we have the truth in hand. Tapp works perfectly for our business.”