Health and pharmaceuticals offering seen as on the growth path
In one of its biggest infrastructure boosts in the country in recent times, DHL Supply Chain is launching four storage facilities around Australia.
The facilities are healthcare-grade, aimed atstoring and managing inventory of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, vaccines, animal health, diagnostics, and consumer health products, to support increasing demand for these products.
“The additional capacity will also enable DHL to efficiently manage the storage and distribution of any upcoming Covid-19 vaccines,” DHL says.
The new facilities have a combined floor space of approximately 64,000 square metres across the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth metropolitan areas.
This investment includes more than 9,000 sq m of DHL’s cold-chain operations for products to be stored in 2-8 degrees Celsius. DHL also has proprietary packaging solutions designed for pharmaceutical products.
“The life sciences and healthcare industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries, and DHL is the only 3PL in Australia to provide solutions that meet current global regulations,” DHL Supply Chain Australia and New Zealand CEO Saul Resnick says.
“We have seen growing interest for our industry-leading cold storage facilities which in turn, drives better outcomes for the storage and distribution of healthcare products.
“Increasingly, we have also seen a growing appetite for local distribution centres to be an ongoing part of global supply chains.”
Read about the Sydney DHL Express service centre opened a month ago, here
DHL Supply Chain will also invest in a new transport management system and national control tower, “to support more efficient consignment planning and offer customers greater visibility of their deliveries”.
“This builds on its existing industry-leading transport solutions, which will soon allow DHL to offer dual-temperature controlled vehicles for delivery of customers’ products in all major capital cities.
“This solution enhances the existing products which DHL has in place today and will reduce packaging and provide sustainable solutions benefiting the environment.”
DHL highlights clinical trials as a significant service it manages, “particularly in the current climate”.
“The success of clinical trials depends on effective temperature-controlled, accuracy, and end- to-end solutions that ensure cell-based pharmaceuticals are not compromised,” Resnick says.
“For years, we have managed the safe and efficient delivery of millions of vaccines, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other healthcare products for our customers to ensure all Australians have access to the treatments they need,” Resnick says.
The facilities will be powered by a combined 2,700kW of solar power, including the company’s 1,700kW urban solar plant powering its facility in New South Wales’ Horsley Park – “the first of its kind in Australia”.
Further plans are underway to introduce a cold chain automation picking and packing solution, also a “first”.