By nature, pharma products are, to a large degree, goods which require air transportation – simply because of their lifespan and the urgency to reach the patients. As a terminal operator, PACTL has invested heavily in this area, opening a state-of-the-art cool centre in 2016, which is considered as one of the leading facilities globally.
However, the evolution hasn’t been limited to infrastructure alone. Improvements in data management, information flow and transparency have also been essential to effectively organise the supply chain, ensuring the quality of transported goods, and complying with regulatory requirements.
“Over my career in airfreight, the complexity of the supply chain has increased constantly,” Carsten Hernig, Deputy General Manager VP Sales & Marketing and Production, highlighted.
“The nature of goods has developed along with advanced cooling technologies. More and more pharmaceutical products could be transported with the evolution of the cool chain.
“This has led – along with patent expiries – to a shifting of production into other markets. The so-called generic market had been born and required highly sophisticated transportation over long distances.”
The logistics industry has responded by increasingly specialising in the pharmaceutical sector, with the development of key account managers, specialised trade fairs, and advanced cooling containers.
“I think – as an industry – we can be proud of having established a robust system that saves countless lives every day,” he continued.
Temperature-sensitive cargo
The volumes of generic drugs have grown significantly and even though much smaller in volume, there has been an increase in transportation of highly sensitive top-class medical products, which could simply not be transported at all some years back.
“In my belief, cool chain transportation is always a critical sector,” Hernig stated.
“Ultimately, you have someone’s life in your hands, and that responsibility should never be forgotten – if you’re not in this business to commit to saving lives and delivering the highest quality service, then it’s better to choose another field.”
PACTL has already invested in a CEIV-certified, state-of-the-art cool centre at its current Terminal 1. At the hub, the operators are committed to establishing top-tier cold chain infrastructure for air cargo, adhering to the highest international standards.
“PACTL’s cold chain cargo is meticulously handled within a temperature-controlled environment, ensuring product integrity throughout the transportation process. Additionally, transit between ramp and cargo station, as well as between cargo stations, is carefully managed in temperature-controlled refrigerated containers to maintain optimal conditions,” he continued.
“Within our cool centre, we have implemented a comprehensive monitoring system to track the temperature of each temperature-controlled area allowing us to maintain the required levels and guarantee compliance with stringent temperature requirements.
“Moving forward, we are upgrading the cool facilities in PACTL West soon in order to construct an even better facility than the one in T1. Along with this infrastructure development, we are enhancing our documentation processes by introducing Easy Cargo 2.0, which will speed up operations and reduce administrative efforts.”
