Imperial Logistics group company Imperial Health Sciences has partnered with global ocean freight specialist Yusen Logistics to launch the pharmaceutical industry’s first dedicated, temperature controlled sea freight consolidation service to southern Africa. This weekly service kicked off in January with solutions for East and West Africa to follow later in 2014.
Imperial Health Sciences managing director Dr Iain Barton explains that this service will maximise the cost effectiveness of sea solutions versus airfreight for pharmaceutical customers, providing them with a transparent and comprehensive solution for the supply of replenishment stocks. “The innovative solution has been developed in response to demand from pharmaceutical customers for a robust, total supply chain service,” he adds. “With a door-to-door pallet rate structure for consignments which can range from a single pallet to a dedicated container, the new service maximises quality and minimises risk, with a complete audit trail for temperature control and security.”
Collections will be made throughout Europe by the Yusen Logistics’ network, and received into the company’s European pharmaceutical hub in Antwerp. “Weekly seafreight will depart from the Port of Antwerp direct to Cape Town, where the product will be precleared and offloaded into Imperial Health Sciences’ warehouse,” Barton outlines.
Onward transportation by fully temperature controlled vehicles will then take the pharmaceutical goods directly to the consignee, to the manufacturer’s warehouse or to Imperial’s pharmaceutical distribution facilities around South Africa.
“All in all this represents the pharmaceutical industry’s first comprehensive seafreight solution from Europe to southern Africa, offering quality and cost benefits for both large and small shipments,”Barton concludes.
Imperial Health Sciences is a leader in cold chain management for pharmaceutical supply chain services. From fully compliant, world class warehousing facilities, the company practices internationally benchmarked cold chain procedures and is raising the bar for cold chain practice across South Africa and for export into Africa.
Through its global network, Yusen Logistics provides air and ocean freight forwarding and contract logistics services that meet customers’ increasingly sophisticated logistical needs.
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