keynote feature


China, where international shipments are currently predominantly imports, the big challenge is often the final mile. “In the US and Europe you have national trucking companies but in China there is still a patchwork of small operators,” he pointed out. “Another challenge we see with some of the


emerging markets, and China in particular, is concern over security and counterfeit products.” There is another logistics challenge in some


developing countries, suggested Christopher Dehio, a senior manager within German carrier Lufthansa Cargo’s Competence Centre Temperature Control (CCTC) in charge of global business development and sales. This concerns the quality of packaging for pharmaceutical exports being shipped using passive (thermal packaging) temperature-controlled air cargo services. “Pharmaceutical manufacturers may give carriers their


products in fibreboard cartons to move from A to B within a particular temperature range but some of those companies do not always appear to fully understand the requirements of the international regulatory bodies. So we have to explain those details to them,” he said. Expanding on that point,


Dehio notes the importance of temperature control


Dehio said that in India, for example, it can be difficult to get temperature-controlled air cargo containers through to the


site of manufacture due to both Customs authority issues and operational challenges. “Sometimes, for example, it is not possible to back a large


truck with a rollerbed into the premises for loading. So the pharmaceutical manufacturer puts the products into cartons and loads those onto a truck which then drives for many hours through temperatures which could be 40°C to get to the airport. There, they are eventually packed into containers which are behind the Customs area,” he stated. “So there is a bit of a challenge there. We


have to work together not just with the pharmaceutical companies and the forwarders but also with the regulatory bodies and the Customs authorities in the countries concerned.” At UPS, Hook noted two other general trends


apparent in the global healthcare/pharmaceutical logistics business with major implications for logistics providers. These are an increasing focus by multinational manufacturers on security issues and a shift towards more temperature- sensitive and higher value products. To meet those and other pharmaceutical sector requirements, UPS earlier this year


1 AIR LOGISTICSCHINA 4


Kohr – setting up centres in Shanghai and Singapore


announced further “significant expansion” of its global healthcare distribution network with new facilities in Asia (Singapore), Europe, Canada and the US, boosting its worldwide total of healthcare-dedicated centres to 30. “We are seeing increased demand from healthcare


manufacturers wanting more agile supply chains. This clear industry trend is driving companies to look for more global solutions and deeper supply chain partnerships,” Hook claimed.


TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED OPTIONS Leading providers of active temperature-controlled air cargo containers – equipment using electrical and compressor technology to cool and heat – are set to step up the availability of their units to pharmaceutical shippers in China and the wider Asia Pacific region. One prominent example is US-based temperature-controlled


container manufacturer and lessor CSafe, whose AcuTemp RKN model is said to currently be the only active temperature- controlled container in the market approved by the US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). The company already has container leasing agreements with


several Asian airlines and is now moving into the Chinese market. “Our first units will be going in and out of China in April on a Chinese airline and another Asian carrier,” Brian Kohr, CSafe’s president, told Air Logistics China. More generally, continued Kohr, CSafe is “really


focused on Asia at this point”. Its plans, he said, include being “very close” to setting up container service centres in Shanghai and Singapore and looking at a similar development in India. “The number one requirement for


pharmaceutical shippers when it comes to temperature-controlled containers is performance but another important factor for them is availability of equipment in various locations,” explained Kohr. Other more general plans made by CSafe for this


year, he added, include the intended launch of a new active temperature-controlled air cargo container, the AX150L, targeted at the clinical trials market, and the doubling of its current fleet of AcuTemp RKN boxes to over 200. The Chinese market is also high on the agenda of


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