keynote feature
Swedish air cargo container manufacturer/lessor Envirotainer, whose two newest active temperature-controlled models are the RKN e1 (able to accommodate one Euro or US pallet) and the RAP e2 (five Euro or four US pallets) – the first commercial pharmaceutical shipment using the latter took place earlier this year, involving a movement by Air France Cargo-KLM Cargo between Amsterdam and New York. Niklas Lönnkvist, Envirotainer’s sales director, said the
company is currently looking to add a location in China to an Asia Pacific network of stations which already include coverage of New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Japan. “We have identified Shanghai and its catchment area as the
primary location for pharmaceutical manufacturing in China as well as for distribution of imports so that is the centre we are targeting. Unfortunately, the negotiations with airports and Customs are taking a bit longer than anticipated but we hope to be on line during 2011,” he stated. One other potentially significant development for
Envirotainer in terms of its presence in the Chinese pharmaceutical market is the recent news that the company can now apply to the US FAA for airworthiness certification of its RAP e2 and RKN e1 containers. Once secured, explained Lönnkvist, that certification will allow Envirotainer containers to be flown on US carriers, including those serving China.
OPTICOOLER Other developments in the global active temperature-controlled air cargo container market include reportedly growing pharmaceutical industry interest in the ‘opticooler’, a model jointly developed by German carrier Lufthansa Cargo and German temperature-controlled container products designer, manufacturer and maintenance organisation DoKaSch. Unveiled in mid-2010, the opticooler, which is said to offer
very tight temperature control, has since been undergoing assessment by pharmaceutical companies. Lufthansa Cargo’s Christopher Dehio expanded: “We are being asked a lot of questions about the opticooler which I see as being very positive. When a new piece of equipment is offered to pharmaceutical companies they have to go through lengthy validation procedures. One of the first companies has just gone through that process and included the opticooler in its programme and we expect others to follow shortly.” Klaus Borowski, sales and marketing director at DoKaSch,
added that, besides the opticooler, the ‘unicooler’ model was also available. This uses both dry ice and an integrated heating system specifically designed to “take into account most of the requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. Different countries have specific requirements when it comes to the shipment of pharmaceuticals and the DoKaSch products are designed to meet all of them.” Both models are available as RKN or RAP units, he added.
COOLPORT@CHANGI A series of developments over the last six months have helped reinforce Singapore’s leading position as an Asia Pacific region logistics hub for the global pharmaceutical
16 AIR LOGISTICSCHINA
and general healthcare industry. Longer term, though, many
observers also expect to see a location in China, either in the south of the country or Shanghai, emerge as a major hub for international pharmaceutical product flows in the north Asia region. The continuing rise of
Singapore as a regional pharmaceutical/healthcare sector hub was confirmed late last year when local airport service provider SATS officially opened a new 8,000m2
on-airport handling
centre for perishables, Coolport@Changi. SATS explained that with
Borowski explains: “different countries have specific requirements when it comes to the shipment of pharmaceuticals”
multi-tiered temperature zones ranging from -28°C to +19°C, the new facility is designed to handle a wide range of fresh produce, but added: “More importantly, its secure cool chain logistics process enables Coolport to handle pharmaceutical and biomedical products which require more stringent temperature controls.” Expanding on that point, SATS claimed that with a dedicated
system in place for the handling of urgent medical cargo, Coolport will enable Singapore to become “a lead market for perishable supply chains in the biomedical sector”. Another significant addition to Singapore’s pharmaceutical
sector presence late last year saw US-based global biopharmaceutical services provider PAREXEL International Corporation open a new clinical logistics services facility there. That new facility, explained PAREXEL, will handle the
distribution of investigational medicinal products and non- investigational medicinal products, as well as ancillary supplies needed for clinical trials. “The depot in Singapore, which is a leading logistics hub for the Asia Pacific region, with best-in- class transportation performance and favourable import/export regulations, will help us to more easily service countries throughout Asia for our clients,” it added.
SINGAPORE ATTRACTION Major international logistics service providers active in the pharmaceutical/healthcare sector are also continuing to strengthen their presence in Singapore. Earlier this year, for example, UPS announced that one of four new facilities being added to its global healthcare distribution network is located there (the others being in the Netherlands, the US and Canada). UPS said the new Singapore healthcare
Envirotainer’s opticooler product in use with Lufthansa Cargo
operation comprises a 43,000 ft2 regional distribution facility to serve the increasing number of healthcare companies locating manufacturing operations in Asia. “It will serve as an import/export facility and is strategically located to access air and road networks. Capabilities will include cold chain capacity for products requiring
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