Samar Nath, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Global Forwarding, India share insights about DHL Thermonet, a new temperature controlled air freight product tailored to the life sciences and healthcare sector
In the past few years, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has continued to be one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world with an expected CAGR of 14 per cent1 and anticipated to reach a turnover of Rs 2.91 trillion ($47.06 billion) by 2018. Presently, valued at Rs 1.6 trillion ($ 25.87 billion)2, it is also expected to grow in the local market with aggressive rural penetration by pharma manufacturers, increased government spending on health and growing awareness among people.
The drug manufacturing industry, one of the top contributors to the country’s exports, is a focus area for the government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign. Taking in view the governments ‘Pharma Vision 2020’, it is expected to reduce the approval time for new facilities so as to boost further investments.
In recent years, temperature controlled products for the pharma industry have gained significantly in importance. The driving force has been the biotechnology products, which generally must be kept within a strict temperature range during transportation. Transporting and warehousing temperature controlled shipments securely and safely requires a unique combination of skills and expertise.
DHL Thermonet, a new temperature controlled air freight product tailored to the life sciences and healthcare sector is an addition to DHL’s network of life sciences and healthcare facilities. This global service offers customers a transparent and a regulatory compliant platform, enabling DHL to manage their temperature sensitive shipments of pharma products and medical devices. It does so by bringing together several technical and product offerings from the Group, including the exclusive IT platform, LifeTrack and the DHL SmartSensor, the temperature monitoring technology developed by DHL Solutions & Innovation.
Samar Nath, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Global Forwarding, India said, “You need a partner who can bring together dedicated infrastructure, global standard operating procedures designed around your specific needs, trained staff who work to identical protocols, and leading edge monitoring, tracking and reporting technology.”
DHL Thermonet provides seamless temperature visibility along the supply chain, 24/7 proactive monitoring and intervention based on pre-determined touch points and DHL’s RFID SmartSensor technology, that is GDP certified. Temperature data and logistics events can be accessed via the proprietary LifeTrack IT platform that also houses all product-specific SOPs, facilitating early intervention and simplifying document control.
Additionally, DHL’s Free Trade Zone (FTZ) facilities offer one stop solution for all logistics and inventory management needs. They also include dedicated temperature controlled facilities for life sciences and healthcare products with temperature and humidity-controlled storage chambers which are GDP compliant. DHL’s FTZ facilities thus provide end to end cold chain management under a controlled environment and speedy clearances from Drug Controller office, including customs on site.
Being the first global logistics company in the country to have two advantageously located sites within FTZ areas — at Panvel, Mumbai which handles 55 per cent and Sriperumbudur, Chennai handles 25 per cent of India’s container inbound and outbound traffic, DHL Global Forwarding has the first mover advantage of being able to offer a number of benefits to customers.
“With cost-effective skilled labour, transportation facilities, integrated warehouse management and sophisticated equipment, we are well positioned to capitalise on the rapidly growing domestic market,” said Amit Dawar, Director – Value Added Services, DHL Global Forwarding India.
DHL’s investment in the Free Trade Zone aims at simplifying trade and encourages foreign trade and warehousing activities in India, thereby creating more employment and providing a platform for overseas entities to transact from and into India.
DHL’s Temperature Management Solutions are customised to protect the integrity of life sciences and healthcare products during global transportation.
References:
1. www.ibef.org
2. Care Ratings