Three of UPS' freight forwarding operations located at Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport in Japan, and Incheon International Airport in South Korea, have received the prestigious IATA CEIV Pharma Certification1 for excellence in pharmaceutical air transportation and handling.
Together with its freight forwarding operations at Changi International Airport in Singapore that achieved certification in 20192, four of UPS' freight forwarding operations are now internationally recognised as able to handle and transport high-value pharmaceutical products safely, securely and efficiently. The certification also validates UPS Healthcare™ Cold Chain Freight service offering at the four locations as being aligned to global best practices.
A globally recognised standard in transporting pharmaceutical air cargo
Without adequate global standardisation across the entire air cargo supply chain, critical healthcare cargo such as vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals can be rendered compromised and potentially harmful to patients when subject to even the slightest temperature deviations.
The path towards obtaining certification saw UPS engage in rigorous preparations across multiple aspects of operations, including pharmaceutical product handling and transportation, staff competency, procedures, risk assessment and infrastructure.
"The latest IATA CEIV Pharma Certifications provides healthcare decision makers, and our pharmaceutical and life sciences customers, with confidence and peace of mind knowing that their products are handled in line with the highest levels of regulatory compliance. This also represents UPS' commitment to deepening its healthcare capabilities in Asia Pacific in line with global quality standards and compliance," said Wes Wheeler, President, UPS Healthcare.
Freight forwarding network and expertise underpinning healthcare cold chain logistics
Growth in cold chain logistics spending is expected to accelerate and reach US$21.3 billion by 20243 . The uptick in spending underscores increasing demand for specialised healthcare operations and research needs particularly in Asia, where well-established life sciences hubs continue to thrive in Singapore, Japan and South Korea.
"Through the strong capabilities of our freight forwarding network in Asia coupled with decades of specialised healthcare expertise, UPS is well-equipped to operate a continuous cold chain that is fundamental to protecting product integrity and quality of high-value temperature-sensitive biopharmaceuticals, such as vaccines and clinical trials," said Anita Li, Vice President, UPS Freight Forwarding, North and South Asia.
"UPS Freight Forwarding in Asia is proud to continue leading the way across our network with these certifications. Looking ahead, UPS will pursue certifications for freight forwarding operations located in Shanghai and Beijing in China, and Sydney in Australia," added Li.
UPS Healthcare continues to expand capabilities across Asia Pacific
UPS Healthcare recently introduced a comprehensive suite of cold chain technologies, best-in-class capabilities, and new and expanded global facilities to provide end-to-end temperature-controlled logistics. Last year, UPS increased cold chain good manufacturing practices (GMP) storage capacities – roughly 390,000 square feet of coolers – to support the specialised storage of biologics.
UPS Healthcare's recently launched Marken GMP depot facilities in Japan and South Korea, along with the ongoing expansion of an existing Sydney facility, serve to connect and support the Asia Pacific region with global markets for special storage, compliance and handling needs for pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices.
"Patient safety is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders. Our ability to move time-and-temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals relies on the robustness of our supply chain. As we continue to grow our service offering, we remain committed to enhancing quality excellence that patients around the world continue to depend on for the safe arrival of critical healthcare products," concluded Wheeler.
As of 2021, UPS delivered more than one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses globally with 99.9% on-time performance, and continues to deliver millions of doses throughout Asia.
1IATA CEIV Pharma Certification, International Air Transport Association
2UPS enhances Singapore healthcare supply chain capabilities
32020 Biopharma Cold Chain Sourcebook forecasts a $17.2-billion logistics market, Pharmaceutical Commerce
About UPS Healthcare
UPS Healthcare delivers unparalleled healthcare logistics expertise to its customers around the world. UPS Healthcare has 11+ million square feet of cGMP and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space globally. Its services include inventory management, cold chain packaging and shipping, storage and fulfilment of medical devices, and lab and clinical trial logistics. UPS Healthcare's global infrastructure, its UPS® Premier visibility service, its track and trace technology, and its global quality system are well-suited to meeting today's complex logistics demands for the pharmaceutical, medical device, and laboratory diagnostic industries.
