The new DoKaSch Temperature Solutions depot near Dubai-World Central Airport marks an essential step in the company’s strategic expansion. Selected for its location, the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a hub for leading carriers Emirates and Etihad, along with its status as an important cargo centre, supports the company’s growth and secures container availability for global connectivity.
“This development is significant for our operations in pharmaceutical logistics, meeting the rising demand for temperature-controlled solutions in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia,” Andreas Seitz, Managing Director of DoKaSch Temperature Solutions, said.
“The strategic importance of UAE airports, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as key cargo hubs, combined with their strategic proximity to India — a vital market for pharmaceutical manufacturing that demands stringent temperature controls — shows the depot’s capacity to ensure container availability for UAE´s major airlines and its role as a gateway to the Indian market.
“Our Opticooler units, renowned for their reliability in maintaining precise temperatures, are ideally equipped to satisfy the exacting demands of these markets.”
Market developments
DoKaSch’s investment strategy in specific regions is primarily driven by the critical importance of the cargo’s origin, as the cool chain for pharmaceuticals begins at the production sites.
Recognising this, the company targets markets known for their pharmaceutical export and production capabilities, strategically positioning operations and directing investments to these origin points to support global export requirements.
This dual approach allows the company to address the specific needs for handling valuable, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, ensuring solutions align with the sector’s growing demand and the necessity for stringent temperature control in transportation.
“Our expansion into China and South Korea represents a strategic effort to engage with the growing pharmaceutical markets in Asia, supported by the hiring of dedicated regional business development managers,” Seitz explained.
“These areas are witnessing rapid growth in healthcare and biotechnology sectors, necessitating advanced temperature-controlled logistics solutions.
“By establishing a stronger presence in these markets, we aim to provide localised, efficient, and regulatory-compliant services, by enhancing our connectivity and response times. This expansion is also a step towards supporting the global distribution of pharmaceuticals from these key manufacturing hubs.”
READ: Delta Cargo approves DoKaSch Opticooler RKN for temperature control
Certified solution
The earlier approval of DoKaSch’s five-pallet RAP-Opticooler by various airlines, including Air Canada, American Airlines and Delta, set the stage for the recent certifications of the one-pallet RKN-Opticooler, highlighting the growing global demand for the company’s product.
This demand leads airlines to integrate their containers, benefitting from the industry’s need for temperature-sensitive solutions. These certifications enable airlines to access new business opportunities, and allow expansion into global networks, offering more choices to forwarders, presenting a mutual advantage while responding to market needs.
“The Opticooler active containers set themselves apart from other temperature-controlled solutions by overcoming the challenges of limited runtime, complex conditioning procedures for cool packs, and the need for multiple and costly risk assessments that are typically associated with passive and advanced passive systems,” Seitz highlighted.
“Our active containers are user-friendly, highly reliable, and effective in all climate conditions, ensuring consistent temperature stability for sensitive pharmaceuticals. They require only occasional access to mains power to maintain an unlimited runtime under almost any conditions.
“The Opticooler´s design significantly optimises space usage on aircraft, an essential aspect in the context of expensive air cargo spaces. Specifically, the RAP Opticooler can utilise up to 25 percent less space than passive alternatives.
“This efficiency, along with its reliability and ability to perform under extreme weather conditions, makes it an optimal choice for transporting temperature-sensitive products, offering a reliable cold chain solution even in the absence of specialised cooling infrastructure.”
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Advancing forward
Digitalisation and technological innovation are significantly advancing the pharma sector within the airfreight industry.
DoKaSch Temperature Solutions is currently working with partners to integrate real-time online tracking for shipments.
This effort is aimed at offering clients visibility and control, emphasising a commitment to transparency, efficiency, and regulatory compliance in the pharmaceutical airfreight sector.
“As we look towards 2024, DoKaSch Temperature Solutions is with an optimistic perspective, seeing more opportunities than challenges in the air pharma sector,” Seitz stated.
“The global trend of increased demand for high-end pharmaceuticals remains a strong driver for our industry. This demand is driven by an ageing population worldwide that needs more medical therapies and the nature of new pharmaceutical developments, including biosimilars, which are predominantly temperature sensitive.
“Key factors such as the rising affordability of healthcare, the growing need for medical treatments, and temperature sensitivity of new medications indicate the potential.
“While challenges such as adapting to evolving regulations and fostering continuous innovation are present, we are focused on the opportunities to drive our growth and make a meaningful impact on global healthcare practices.”
