QuickSTAT, a subsidiary of Kuehne+Nagel, has opened a new control tower and conditioning facility in Singapore. The investment is part of Kuehne+Nagel and QuickSTAT’s pharma and healthcare strategy to further expand their logistics capabilities to serve customers across Asia Pacific. As a leading biomedical science hub in the heart of Asia and its proximity to the rest of the region, Singapore is a strategic location for the new QuickSTAT facility.

QuickSTAT is an expert in managing global clinical trial logistics for all phases of the product lifecycle from research and drug development through to commercialisation. The company specialises in time and temperature shipping of clinical research samples, biologics, investigational drugs, clinical trial supplies and vaccines in order to help bring new drugs and medical protocols to market safely and quickly.

The new conditioning facility located at Kuehne+Nagel’s regional centre of excellence - the Singapore Logistics Hub - caters to a full suite of healthcare logistics services for all stages of the pharmaceutical product lifecycle. It provides superior management of cell and gene therapies, where QuickSTAT’s specialists will ensure proper handling, packaging and storage of the time-and-temperature sensitive products. Additionally, the facility includes a controlled-ambient warehouse and in-transit storage for vaccines, investigational drugs, patient clinical specimens and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).

Jack Liu, Senior Vice President, Air Logistics of Kuehne+Nagel Asia Pacific said: “Kuehne+Nagel is delighted to partner with QuickSTAT to provide seamless end-to-end solutions, adding value to our pharma and healthcare customers in Asia Pacific. With the ISO-certified and GxP compliant facility that upholds the best practices for storage, conditioning, transportation, routings and logistics – I am confident that we will consistently deliver product integrity and patient safety.”

“We are committed to providing innovative and customised logistics as well as transportation solutions to meet the ever-challenging demands of the pharma, biotech and life science industry, in all regions of the world. By continuing to expand our global footprint to locations of strategic importance, we are able to provide local and global support for Kuehne+Nagel and QuickSTAT customers,” said Cyril Leger, Executive Vice President of QuickSTAT.

Through its global expertise in the pharmaceutical and health care industry and its own office structure in Bolivia, Kuehne+Nagel successfully delivered three batches of vaccines against Covid-19, totaling 640,000 doses, from Moscow to La Paz and Cochabamba.

To meet customer demand, transport safely and support the need for vaccine conditioning at extremely low temperatures of -20 degrees, Kuehne+Nagel went further by quickly developing the appropriate structure to meet these important requirements and carry out shipments with agility and excellence. In addition to now being ready for future demands originating in Russia.

The challenge of the operation was not limited to the care required in the origin of the cargo, but also in its arrival in Bolivia. Due to the limited structure of the airports to condition refrigerated cargo, our local team acted to unload the vaccines in La Paz and Cochabamba quickly, proceeding with the transport of the products to the final customer and benefiting citizens and the local community in the fight against Covid-19.

“We are glad to have successfully achieved a new shipment of vaccines in the fight against Covid-19. At Kuehne+Nagel we are dedicated to putting our expertise into practice in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, contributing to our customers and making their products reach the entire region”, said Ingo Goldhammer, President of Kuehne+Nagel in Central and South America.

Kuehne+Nagel has successfully delivered its first 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading biopharmaceutical company in China (Nasdaq: SVA) to Bangkok, Thailand.

The shipment is part of a global agreement between the two companies. The 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Bangkok by air transport from Beijing in special active cooling containers. The team adhered to the strict temperature requirement of +2 to +8°C, ensuring the integrity of the product.

“We are proud to be part of Thailand’s fight against the pandemic by delivering vaccines to the citizens timely and in compliance with the required temperature control. In line with the Thai government’s vaccination strategy, we are ready to support the private sector with the import of the vaccines,” says Sataporn Tanachaisak, National Air Logistics Manager, Kuehne+Nagel Thailand.

Kuehne+Nagel’s global KN PharmaChain network covers almost 250 GxP-certified operations having more than 3,500 GxP trained staff members dedicated to the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. In Asia Pacific alone, more than 44 GxP stations are well-established.

About Kuehne+Nagel

With 72,500 employees at 1,400 locations in over 100 countries, the Kuehne+Nagel Group is one of the world's leading logistics companies. Its strong market position lies in sea logistics, air logistics, road logistics and contract logistics, with a clear focus on integrated logistics solutions.

Kuehne+Nagel has delivered a first batch of CoronaVac vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading biopharmaceutical company in China (Nasdaq: SVA). Kuehne+Nagel therefore is the first logistics company to deliver the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine to Ukraine. The shipment is part of a global agreement between the two companies.

The first 215,000 doses of CoronaVac were delivered at the end of March 2021. The cargo was transported by air from Beijing in special active cooling containers. At all stages of transport, product integrity at the required temperature of +2 to +8°C was maintained. At the end of February, Kuehne+Nagel successfully helped Sinovac fulfill its first Covid-19 vaccine shipment to the Dominican Republic.

“Kuehne Nagel has actively expanded its GxP-certified pharma network over the past few years. We are ready to support the global fight against the pandemic by delivering medicines and vaccines as soon as possible and in compliance with the required temperature regime,” says Andrii Savka, National Air Logistics Manager, Kuehne+Nagel Ukraine.

According to the office of the President of Ukraine and the Ministry of Health, the overall contract with Sinovac Biotech encompasses 1.9 million doses of vaccine. Thus, this first delivery of CoronaVac to Ukraine just marks the start of large-scale work to overcome the pandemic in the country.

"Estamos orgullosos de aportar nuestra experiencia en la logística de productos farmacéuticos y bienes sanitarios en la importación de vacunas y también de jeringas, que son insumos esenciales para el cumplimiento de los planes de vacunación", dijo Ingo Goldhammer, Presidente de Kuehne+Nagel en Sur y Centro América. Para él, esta operación, que pretende proteger y salvar vidas, refleja el compromiso de Kuehne+Nagel de entregar progreso a la sociedad.

Para garantizar el éxito de la operación, Kuehne+Nagel contó con equipos especializados y certificados en los lugares de origen y destino, que pusieron todo su esfuerzo para cumplir los requisitos con un alto nivel de excelencia y agilidad, respetando los procedimientos y las normas de calidad exigidas por la industria farmacéutica y de productos sanitarios.

Kuehne+Nagel successfully helped Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading biopharmaceutical company in China (Nasdaq: SVA) fulfill its first Covid-19 vaccine shipment from Beijing, China to the Dominican Republic.

Sinovac is one of the global players in Covid-19 vaccine research and development. To date, the vaccine has been approved for emergency use or conditional marketing authorisation in more than 20 countries, including China, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and Chile.

The pilot shipment containing 768,000 vials of Covid-19 vaccine was stored in active temperature-controlled containers and arrived safely in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, on February 23, benefitting its citizens just before its Independence Day. The shipment was closely monitored and compliant with the most stringent standards to guarantee product integrity.

Helen Yang, General Manager of Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited said: “The Dominican Republic is 14,000 kilometers away from our factory in Beijing. During the ongoing pandemic, there are very few carriers connecting to this remote destination. However, Kuehne+Nagel responded to us with a feasible solution in just a short span of twelve hours. Even during the Chinese New Year holidays, the Kuehne+Nagel team was diligently preparing this shipment. We look forward to a collaborative partnership with Kuehne+Nagel.”

Siewloong Wong, President of Kuehne+Nagel Asia Pacific said: “We couldn’t be prouder to having started shipments of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine. At Kuehne+Nagel, we leverage our global pharma & healthcare network and expertise to bring the Sinovac vaccine to the market. We truly appreciate the trust that Sinovac has bestowed upon us.”

Prior to this shipment, Kuehne+Nagel successfully fulfilled multiple crucial assignments for Sinovac, including an air charter from Beijing to Turkey for a door-to-door delivery of nearly a quarter-million flu vaccines. Kuehne+Nagel also helped with the shipment of Hepatitis A vaccine to Guatemala in South America as well as making nucleic acid detection kits available to people in Indonesia.

With offices all over the world, 240 GxP-certified operations and more than 3,000 dedicated pharma & healthcare specialists, Kuehne+Nagel has the capacity, the ability and the responsibility to play a vital role in the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.

Kuehne+Nagel announces a strategic partnership with Jointown, China’s largest non-state-owned pharmaceutical distribution company, to accelerate its footprint in pharma and healthcare logistics in China.

As one of the leading logistics providers in the world, Kuehne+Nagel has been especially focused on developing pharma & healthcare expertise for the past decade. The partnership with Jointown now affords access to their fully GxP-compliant, in-country storage and distribution network, enabling Kuehne+Nagel to comply with the highly-regulated Chinese pharma & healthcare sector.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Jointown. Our cooperation perfectly meets the demands of our global clientele by enabling seamless supply chain coverage connecting China. This will enable us to accelerate our growth in the pharma and healthcare sector in China,” says Siewloong Wong, President of Kuehne+Nagel Asia Pacific.

Zhang Qingsong, General Manager of the logistics business unit of Jointown Pharmaceutical Group, adds: “Partnering with Kuehne+Nagel will provide Jointown’s customers access to the international market through their global GxP certified air, sea and overseas contract logistics operations. We will now be able to expand our business in overseas markets at a much faster pace and benefit from the partnership in a sustainable way.”

With Covid-19 vaccines becoming widely approved for use in more countries, Jointown and Kuehne+Nagel will collaborate to manage vaccine distribution in a safe and timely manner, leveraging their respective strengths in vaccine storage and distribution both in China and other parts of the world.

Gianfranco Sgro, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, responsible for Contract Logistics, says: “Pharma & Healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in Contract Logistics. Kuehne+Nagel and Jointown share a common vision of service excellence for patients and customers in China and abroad”.

The partnership with Jointown comes shortly after Kuehne+Nagel announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the Chinese company Apex International Corporation, one of Asia’s leading freight forwarders.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and Kuehne+Nagel, a world-leading logistics company, today announced that they have agreed an international supply chain arrangement to provide distribution and storage of the Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna. This announcement follows the granting of conditional marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna.

Kuehne+Nagel will support the worldwide distribution of vaccine doses from Moderna’s international supply chain, based in Europe. This includes distribution to markets in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and parts of the Americas.

“We are proud to be partnering with Kuehne+Nagel from Europe to support the distribution of vaccines to global citizens. Following the recent approvals, this is another step closer to resolving the pandemic and an exciting time for both our companies and everyone involved,” says Dan Staner, Vice President Head of EMEA region, Moderna Inc.

The arrangement includes distribution and warehousing of the vaccine from Kuehne+Nagel’s pharma hub in Europe. Kuehne+Nagel will use its network of more than 230 operations worldwide to distribute the vaccine via road and air. In Europe alone, the company operates its own fleet of over 200 dedicated pharmaceutical transport vehicles. At all stages of transport and storage, product integrity at the required temperature of -20°C will be maintained.

Robert Coyle, Senior Vice President, Pharma & Healthcare, Kuehne + Nagel Management AG, comments: “With today’s announcement, we take on the responsibility to distribute Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna around the world. We have invested in our pharma & healthcare network and our global team of experts for decades – we are ready now, for when it matters the most.”

Kuehne+Nagel’s clinical trial logistics subsidiary, QuickSTAT, has been an integral part of Moderna's vaccine supply chain as well, having supported Phase II and Phase III clinical trial supply logistics in the U.S.

Kuehne+Nagel has also signed partnerships with authorities in several countries for local storage and last-mile distribution, such in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Kuehne+Nagel Dubai and International Humanitarian City (IHC) sign a five year contract to run and manage IHC’s semi-automated kitting center based on a competitive process. Kuehne+Nagel has been a member of IHC since 2008. Its strategic position in the region and close proximity to Jebel Ali Port and Al Maktoum Airport allows the response to any emergency requirement to be fast and efficient. 

Securing innovative logistic infrastructure, facilities and services required to enable its members to achieve their objectives across the globe, this semi-automated kitting center has been set up at the beginning of July for humanitarian organization members of IHC to assemble their emergency and relief kits to be delivered in need to the countries around the world. Kuehne+Nagel has been running this kitting center to serve all the members of IHC for their kitting activities. Some of the supply kits such as Covid-19, malaria, school and recreation have been prepared and planned for upcoming months. Kuehne+Nagel’s capacity and capabilities have a critical role to serves all members of IHC for their rapid emergency response for humanitarian needs.

“Kuehne+Nagel has been servicing emergency and relief organizations for over thirty years. Having been selected as the exclusive provider of the semi-automated kitting center at IHC, once again demonstrates the trust and our strong long-term partnership. We are proud to be able to support all members within IHC to provide time-critical services in response to global humanitarian crisis,” says Roger Vogler, National Cluster Manager, Kuehne+Nagel United Arab Emirates and Oman.

“We recognize the professionalism and experience of Kuehne+Nagel through this contract which represent a vote of confidence to one company which is into the logistics business from many years, including the humanitarian logistics. This partnership will enable a more cost effective and faster operations. By providing this semi-automated kitting center for assembling medical, hygiene and aid kits the humanitarian community comes a step closer in achieving maximum efficiency and preparedness to respond to global humanitarian emergencies.” said Giuseppe Saba, CEO, International Humanitarian City. 

The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia has contracted Kuehne+Nagel for the logistics of Covid-19 vaccines. In coordination with the ministry in recent weeks, the logistics provider developed a comprehensive solution for storage and distribution throughout Germany’s most populous state. This solution is now ready for use.

The vaccine doses will be delivered to the state's central distribution centre operated by Kuehne+Nagel, stored in temperature pods, repackaged in smaller quantities and distributed daily in a quality-assured manner to 53 vaccination centres and other healthcare facilities throughout North Rhine-Westphalia.

Karl-Josef Laumann, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, says: "Vaccinating millions of people in a state as extensive as North Rhine-Westphalia is a historic task on an unprecedented scale. I am very pleased that the state has been able to secure such an experienced and competent partner for the central storage and distribution of the vaccines.ˮ

Over the past months, Kuehne+Nagel has developed a comprehensive solution for the global distribution and storage of Covid-19 vaccines. The basis for this is Kuehne+Nagel's proven, cross-transportation pharma & healthcare network with over 230 certified locations worldwide in air, sea and road logistics as well as contract logistics.

Dr. Detlef Trefzger, CEO, Kuehne + Nagel International AG, says: “Kuehne+Nagel has been preparing vaccine logistics solutions intensively for months. We made sure that the vaccine raw materials and auxiliary equipment such as syringes were in the right place; now we ensure that the Covid-19 vaccine is safely distributed from the factory to the end consumer, as in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. We are ready to support other states and countries in their Covid-19 response as well.”

• Complete Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) approved 100,000 sq. ft. facility committed to servicing leading global manufacturer West Pharmaceuticals
• Kuehne+Nagel boasts a comprehensive network for pharma and medtech distribution with ten locations all over Ireland

Kuehne+Nagel Ireland has signed a multi-year contract with West Pharmaceuticals, a leading global manufacturer in the design and production of technologically advanced systems for the world’s top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Furthermore, Kuehne+Nagel has invested in a custom-built facility dedicated to the management of West Pharmaceutical’s contract logistics and road logistics services. The bespoke warehouse boasts racking for 30,000 pallets and has a full temperature controlled system to accommodate the unique requirements pertaining to West Pharmaceutical’s complex operation.

“When engaging with customers, we have a collaborative method, working in partnership to derive bespoke solutions that will work for our customer’s needs”, says Pamela Quinn, Managing Director at Kuehne+Nagel Ireland. “The set-up of complex supply chain solutions for a large company like West Pharmaceuticals can often take a long time. From the very beginning of our relationship with West Pharmaceuticals, we were committed to investing the time to understand their full logistical requirements. Our strength lies in our ability to offer innovative solutions to customers on a wide range of logistical services.”

Ireland is one of the largest exporters of pharmaceutical products globally and the commitment from Kuehne+Nagel stretches further than the dedicated West Pharmaceuticals facility, with a further nine locations in Ireland also devoted to the pharmaceutical and medtech industries.

Michael Moes, Vice President Global Supply Management of West Pharmaceuticals says that the customer-focussed approach of Kuehne+ Nagel was an appealing strategy that offered many benefits. “West and Kuehne+Nagel have embarked on a critical and global partnership for both contract logistics and overland transportation. We’ve specifically engaged with Kuehne+Nagel Ireland’s leadership team and benefitted from their expertise and personalised customer-focussed approach, while at the same time leveraging the breadth and depth of the global Kuehne+Nagel team – it’s a winning approach. Particularly, we worked closely with the Kuehne+Nagel Ireland team on the strategy to secure land, build and manage a dedicated warehouse, allowing our West Pharmaceuticals operations in Dublin to focus and deliver on its core technical and manufacturing competency” confirms Mr. Moes.

With the opening of airside pharma & healthcare hubs in Brussels, Belgium, and Johannesburg, South Africa, Kuehne+Nagel adds two strategic elements to its global GxP-certified network of temperature-controlled facilities for the distribution of vaccines and other pharma & healthcare products.

As many of the temperature-sensitive products have very low to no stability outside of their stated temperature ranges, direct tarmac access at Kuehne+Nagel airside facilities even further minimises the risk of temperature excursions and ensures product integrity during the logistics journey. The new premises have dedicated areas for all ranges of temperature-sensitive products: <-20°C, +2° to +8°C and +15° to +25°C. In addition, these facilities have the ability to change or add dry ice as required for deep frozen shipment where temperatures need to be maintained below -60°C.

In Brussels, the new Air Logistics hub is located in the center of Brucargo at the confinements of Brussels airport, the first airport in the world with an IATA CEIV pharma certification. The new Kuehne+Nagel facility consists of 15,546 sqm of warehousing space and is fully connected to the recently extended Geel Contract Logistics pharma warehousing facility, as well as the pan-European KN PharmaChain Road Logistics Network managed from Luxembourg.

In Johannesburg, the expanded KN PharmaChain airside facility at the international airport answers all temperature-sensitive cargo handling, consolidation and storage requirements and offers a number of value-added logistics services before distribution in South Africa or into Africa. Additionally, the new facility provides a unique temperature-controlled plane side solution through the use of state-of-the-art KN PharmaChain cool dollies. Built to accommodate both lower deck and main deck pallet sizes, the cool dollies protect the integrity of the cargo from the aircraft directly into the airside facility’s GxP coolers.

Yngve Ruud, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+Nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, comments: “Today, new pharma & healthcare products tend to be more valuable, more temperature-sensitive and have additional requirements for storage and transportation conditions. Such capabilities and facilities are not easily available globally. The new hubs in Brussels and Johannesburg will ensure that our pharma & healthcare customers can fully rely on Kuehne+Nagel to handle the specific challenges of integrity as well as provide end-to-end visibility and regulatory compliance along the logistics journey of their sensitive products. So, they can focus on the health and well-being of their patients; because this is what matters the most.”

Kuehne+Nagel’s quality-driven approach continues to set the industry benchmark for pharma and healthcare logistics. The company currently has over 230 GxP-certified operations worldwide – included in the pharma & healthcare network are additional hubs offering solutions for temperature-controlled needs; they are located in the US, the UK, Denmark, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy, France, Singapore, India, Panama, the UAE and Australia.

Learn more about our services at → knpharmachain.com

Kuehne + Nagel and IATA announce first-in-the- industry IATA CEIV re-certification of the entire KN HealthChain GxP Compliant Air Logistics network, currently including 94 locations and covering all continents.

Development of IATA CEIV Pharma is a response to the demands of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies and sets the standard for pharmaceutical shipments via airfreight. In 2017, Kuehne + Nagel was the first to achieve IATA CEIV Pharma certification for its entire KN HealthChain Air network.

A thorough review conducted by IATA CEIV Pharma auditors has proved once again that corporately developed quality standards, operational processes and training programs fully comply with IATA requirements, thus confirming the highest quality, safety of the award-winning KN HealthChain product. A unique web-based risk assessment tool is used to complete a risk assessment at a lane level, which allows for agile and reliable risk mitigation.

Transparency and control of documentation are achieved via a validated document management system (DMS) that manages all standard operating procedures (SOPs) and working instructions. During the transportation process, KN HealthChain customers can additionally benefit from real-time monitoring and visibility through the use of active transmitting sensors and proactive intervention via the dedicated 24/7/365 HyperCareTeam. At each stage of the shipment, Kuehne + Nagel’s highly trained experts ensure quality, end-to-end visibility and regulatory compliance.

Reinier Danckaarts, Global Head of Air Logistics Product Development, comments: “We are proud to be the one and only logistics service provider that has received CEIV Pharma re-certification for the entire healthcare network. Achieving this milestone proves the highest standards we have set with our KN HealthChain service offering, which translates into superior quality and compliance of our customers’ pharmaceuticals and medical equipment shipments. Together with IATA and our supply chain partners, we will keep driving this standard to ensure service excellence and first-in-class performance of our transportation service.”