UPS announced that three of its freight forwarding operations located at Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport in Japan, and Incheon International Airport in South Korea, have received the IATA CEIV Pharma Certification for excellence in pharmaceutical air transportation and handling.
This comes as its freight forwarding operations at Changi International Airport in Singapore also achieved a similar certification in 2019.
UPS said four of its freight forwarding operations are now internationally recognized as able to handle and transport high-value pharmaceutical products safely, securely, and efficiently.
Increased demand for cold chain logistics
UPS noted that without adequate global standardization 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 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 the Asia Pacific in line with global quality standards and compliance," said Wes Wheeler, president, UPS Healthcare.
Meanwhile, UPS also noted the growth in cold chain logistics spending which it expects to accelerate and reach US$21.3 billion by 2024.
The logistics company also noted the uptick in spending which it says underscores increasing demand for specialized 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 specialized 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."
As of 2021, UPS said it 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.
