“Pharmaceutical temperature-controlled logistics is quite a complex and demanding task in the transport and logistics sector. There is no room for inaccuracy with the high-value and sensitive goods to be transported. Especially in the global air cargo sector with many different players and environments in the supply chains, maintaining accurate temperatures and cold chains is a major challenge..”-Andreas Seitz, Managing Director, DoKaSch Temperature Solutions 

What are your best-known solutions/products/services?

Pharmaceutical temperature-controlled logistics is quite a complex and demanding task in the transport and logistics sector. There is no room for inaccuracy with the high-value and sensitive goods to be transported. Especially in the global air cargo sector with many different players and environments in the supply chains, maintaining accurate temperatures and cold chains is a major challenge.

DoKaSch Temperature Solutions solves these problems with its extreme reliable, temperature-controlled packaging solutions “Opticooler”. Electrically powered and fully air conditioned, the active containers can cool as well as heat without using dry ice or other coolants.

Since the Opticooler only requires a power socket to be charged, it can be used almost unlimited. Huge batteries allow a continuous and autonomously operation of the container when grid power is not available, e.g. during ground or air movements.  They keep the desired temperature level, e.g. between 2° and 8° Celsius at any given time. In turn, changing climatic conditions during a transport can be accommodated easily, so they ensure with extremely high reliability that throughout all climate zones the cargo stays safe and undamaged. Furthermore, they can easily be used as temporary storage facilities when the necessary cool infrastructure is lacking. This makes them the ideal solution for the safe transport of highly sensitive and valuable pharmaceutical products which need to be always protected from temperature deviations.

Which industry sectors are your customers in, and which ones are growing fastest?

Dokasch Temperature Solutions offers the highest reliable packaging solutions in the air freight sector, primarily for the global pharmaceutical industry. This industry depends on its live saving medicines and active ingredients being transported at precise temperatures in order to remain undamaged and keep full efficacy for the patients.

The temperature-controlled transport of pharmaceuticals including vaccines is subject to strict QM-regulations (GDP/GMP). DoKaSch’s Opticooler fulfills these requirements proven by a comprehensive test- and real shipments documentation (OQ/PQ), Many well-known pharmaceutical companies have been relying on the Opticooler for years to deliver their vital medicines safely, reliably, and undamaged to patients around the world.

The Opticoolers are also used for the high-tech industry, where very temperature sensitive  and valuable goods are transported by air freight, such as space satellite components.

What are your most recent product innovations?

As of right now, we are focusing on our proven active temperature-controlled Opticooler containers. Nevertheless, we are of course constantly testing and improving our product during regular maintenance processes, so that the Opticooler is constantly evolving. However, battery-powered active containers are currently the most modern and efficient solutions on the market, which is why our main focus and expertise lies in this sector.

In addition, we are currently working on a tracking solution for real-time visibility of the containers.

What are the major trends and developments affecting your category and your customers, and how are you responding?

We can currently identify three major trends in pharmaceutical logistics. Firstly, global prosperity is growing and with it the demand for more and also more expensive therapies against diabetes, cancer, etc. Since there is often just one manufacturing site for a specific – and often temperature sensitive – pharmaceutical, the need for reliable transport and packaging solutions to distribute them all over the world is growing accordingly.

Globalization in its entire has also fully reached the producing pharmaceutical industry, and factories also for high-end medicines and API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) were established in other parts of the world like India and Korea. The pharmaceutical logistics challenges have developed accordingly. However, pharmaceutical logistics always focuses on safety throughout the entire supply chain.

Another trend is the composition of the medicines themselves. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the growing business areas of the pharmaceutical industry. Most of these pharmaceuticals are temperature-sensitive and must therefore be stored and transported constantly at a certain temperature to maintain their effect. Usually this is a temperature range between two and eight degrees where the DoKaSch-Opticooler is designed precisely for these ranges and is therefore ideal for transporting these sensitive goods.

What’s your strategy for succeeding in the current climate?

The Covid-19 pandemic was strongly affecting the global supply chains. In the ocean freight sector, for example, ports were closed, which in turn led to supply shortages and rising container prices. The air freight sector also faced and still faces the challenge of a severe lack of capacities due to the heavily suspended intercontinental passenger business and the resulting lack of lower-deck cargo capacity.

To meet demand better and more flexibly, DoKaSch is expanding its global presence and will soon open several depots for its Opticoolers at key export locations for vaccines and pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, the company is continuously expanding its network through agreements with major airlines.

Due to the better, global availability of the Opticooler, DoKaSch cannot only react faster to requests, but also avoid empty container positioning flights. This not only has a positive impact on customers’ costs, but also saves CO₂ emissions.

Flexibility and short time reaction are also key in uncertain times, and we place great emphasis on this in our team and our processes.

Can you tell us about any of recent customer contracts and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?

The pandemic has clearly shown the importance and the value of air cargo for the supply with lifesaving medicines. A highly capable and reliable cool chain service is therefore crucial for, pharma producers.

Tweet

DoKaSch Temperature Solutions supports its customers with reliable temperature-controlled packing solutions and its expertise in the cold chain area. This enables them to provide the best possible service for temperature-sensitive goods.

Thus, DoKaSch has increased its container stock to guarantee a high availability of the containers and also to be able to serve ad hoc charters. This was a particular advantage during the peak phase of the pandemic and still is.

What’s the latest news from your company?

DoKaSch Temperature Solutions is expanding its global presence. Most recently DoKaSch has opened a new service station in India at the GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo terminal. With the new location in India, DoKaSch strengthens its network in the region and globally. Furthermore, DoKasch is about to open several depots for its Opticoolers at key export locations for vaccines and pharmaceutical products, mainly in Asia.

Furthermore, the temperature-controlled packaging provider in promising talks with several major carriers in order to expands its global network.