DHL Global Forwarding, Deutsche Post DHL Group's air and ocean freight specialist, has expanded its Life Sciences & Healthcare (LSH) facility in Leipzig by approximately 2,500 square meters.

The center is very close to Leipzig Airport and houses state-of-the-art equipment for storing and handling temperature-controlled pharmaceutical and medical products, such as vaccinations.

After Frankfurt am Main, Leipzig is the second DHL Global Forwarding facility to be expanded in terms of capacity and equipment. DHL has successfully achieved IATA CEIV Pharma recertification for its GxP (good practice) facilities in Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Leipzig, making the company ideally prepared in Germany to meet the logistical requirements related to importing and exporting Covid-19 vaccinations.

"Since the start of the pandemic, we have observed a strong increase in demand for pharmaceutical products and goods. Given the good news regarding the development of Covid-19 vaccinations, this demand is likely to increase even further in the coming months," says Tobias Schmidt, CEO DHL Global Forwarding in Germany.

"That is why we prepared for this scenario early on and put everything in place to be able to respond effectively and efficiently. Of course, we also benefit from the fact that DHL Global Forwarding Germany is already very experienced in handling and transporting temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipments. We have a tight, state-of-the-art network that meets all the strict regulatory requirements in place."

The previous transhipment and warehouse space of approximately 2,200 square meters in Leipzig were more than doubled when the expansion was completed in the last quarter of 2020. The second warehouse covers more than 2,500 square meters and is divided into two temperature zones. In the larger zone comprising approximately 1,700 square meters, the temperature can be regulated between 15 and 25°C. The smaller zone of around 850 square meters can be cooled down to 2-8°C.

This allows pharmaceutical products to be stored at an appropriately cool temperature, to ensure their integrity. Dry ice handling for passively cooled transport containers and handling of actively cooled transport containers are also part of the standard repertoire.

The immediate proximity to Leipzig Airport ensures fast import and export times. Of course, the facility also operates under the highest safety and security standards, with systems in place to immediately report temperature deviations and fire risks, as well as break-ins. 

"The current COVID-19 health emergency serves as a reminder to all of us how essential it is to have high-quality standards in place for the transportation and storage of drugs and pharmaceutical products. Our customers' product safety is our top priority, which is why we at DHL attach great importance to continuously improving our service quality. Our IATA CEIV Pharma recertification shows that our efforts are bearing fruit and we are a reliable partner for the shipment of structurally complex and temperature-sensitive drugs," adds Schmidt.