Talking Point: The role of air-freight

The air-freight carrier can play a key role in the shipment of pharmaceuticals, and must be viewed as part of a logistic-concept partnership.

Transportation is the weakest link in the supply chain of pharmaceutical and biotech products - without constant temperature control, the final quality of the medicine can be affected.

Statistics confirm that breakdowns in the cool chain and/or from poor handling are the most common cause of problems.

That is why the role of the air-freight carrier is a crucial one.

Being able to rely on your technology, such as state-of-the-art containers, and having well trained, reliable staff, are vital.

But the cool chain is not just about transportation, packaging, cooling procedures, handling processes, in addition to land and air freight services must all be considered.

Therefore a seamless co-ordination between all the parties involved is needed.

Synergistic partnerships are part of ‘best-practice’ for cool-chain management.

It is this concept behind the actual operations, combined with constant and accurate co-ordination and supervision, that makes shipment of temperature-sensitive products successful.

The cargo division of Swiss International Air Lines, Swiss WorldCargo, has invested in selecting the right partners worldwide, including ground handling agents, trucking companies and supplier of temperature-controlled containers.

For instance, Swiss °Celsius, the special product for temperature controlled shipments, is the result of an extensive research and work with key players from the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries as well as with the Swedish company Envirotainer, the leading manu-facturer of temperature-controlled containers known as ULDs.

Envirotainer represents an industry benchmark for cool-chain manag-ement solutions and services, which has been achieved by working closely with shippers, forwarders and carriers.

In short: an efficient temperature sensitive supply chain is the result of an efficient ‘unbroken temperature-circle’, in which the shipper and its requirements are always at the centre.

For some pharmaceutical and biotech products, temperature controlled containers are not necessarily the solution; some companies have their own packaging solutions such as thermo blankets, foam-filled boxes or polyurethane containers.

For such shipments, Swiss WorldCargo offers the special acceptance and handling processes of its product for express consignments, Swiss X-Presso, which seamlessly integrates with the customer’s cool chain.

Gerard Gobat is the product manager at Swiss °Celsius and Swiss X-Presso. Their website can be found at: www.swissworldcargo.com.