Cross-pharmaceutical industry collaboration platform Pharma.Aero has further expanded its global network of life science and medtech stakeholders by adding HAZGO, Topa Thermal, SmartCAE, Nippon Express and Air Cargo Logistics as associate partners.
Frank Van Gelder, secretary general of Pharma.Aero, observed of the group’s partners: “All of them are concentrating on specific and specialised services to the life science logistics industry.
“With our Pharma.Aero focus on sustainability and innovation, and a special interest in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP), we see an immense opportunity to further stimulate collaboration between the different stakeholders and the life science industry by creating more projects and providing important insights to increase knowledge.”
HAZGO offers healthcare logistics solutions and services for handling sensitive medical products. It forms part of the Brussels Airport pharma community.
Tom Heymans, its managing director, remarked: “Staying ahead of the curve is essential for any business. The collaborative model of Pharma.Aero allows us to bounce off today’s innovative ideas and tomorrow’s tailor-made solutions for life sciences logistics with key players in the field.”
Topa Thermal is a supplier of temperature-controlled packaging and technical services for many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical, biotech and third-party logistics companies.
Maarten Kleverlaan, its technical solutions manager, is an admirer of the Pharma.Aero community. “Through this new collaboration,” he said, “our packaging specialists and engineers at our independent test facility, Topa Institute, look forward to working together, understanding how we can help with the issues and challenges faced.”
Hein Stevens, chief executive of Topa Thermal, added: “As a result of the important association of Pharma.Aero companies and organisations, we can achieve real innovation, understanding and solving the real customer need, creating a more sustainable and resilient supply chain and ensuring reliable, global access to healthcare products.”
SmartCAE is active in the field of digitised cold chain systems. With customers in more than 20 countries, its technology helps reduce temperature excursions for shippers.
Stefan Braun, managing director and founder of SmartCAE, said that joining Pharma.Aero will enable it to help the partners in the community “to make cold chain globally more efficient so that patients receive temperature-sensitive products in the right conditions”.
“Pharma.Aero is a perfect platform to share knowledge with different stakeholders and make us as an industry more efficient and sustainable,” he added.
Nippon Express is a large, Japan-based logistics company. Michael Kamm, managing director of Nippon Express Belgium, enthused: “As a top 5 global logistics provider, we are proud to join Pharma.Aero. Not only to learn from the unique collaboration Pharma.aero is, but also to see if we can contribute to the life science industry as a member.”
Cargo GSSA Air Logistics Group has a wide-ranging network of 88 offices in 48 countries. Stephen Dawkins, its chief executive, explained: “We are focused on investing in a dedicated team of pharma champions headed by Francesco Di Martino, and this platform will allow us to collaborate with stakeholders from across the pharma supply chain to share ideas and find solutions to ensure the highest quality of service is provided to our airline and forwarding partners.
“Our mission to achieve the highest standards of quality and service in the cool chain by air sector very much complements the work of Pharma.Aero’s global community as it strives to raise standards and address the challenges across the pharma transportation industry,” he concluded.
