DB Schenker’s expanded Indianapolis Logistics Hub caters to the health care, vaccine and pharmaceutical organizations that require end-to-end cold storage for critical products shipped between the US and Europe.
Operating with the motto of “always putting the patient first,” DB Schenker’s Indianapolis Logistics Hub handles pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices, vaccines, and nutrition. DB Schenker has two locations in the region, including a main Plainfield facility that’s 10 minutes away from the airport. That location encompasses 92,000 square feet of +15C to +25C temperature-controlled warehouse, including a 5,000-square-foot +2C to +8C cooler and a designated screening facility within the temperature-controlled warehouse.
DB Schenker’s other Indianapolis location is at the airport and includes 23,000 square feet of +15C to +25C temperature-controlled warehouse, plus a 5,000-square-foot +2C to +8C cooler. By building the additions in Indianapolis, DB Schenker can leverage a less-congested U.S. airport to fly direct to-and-from Luxembourg via its own-controlled flights.
With an eye on sustainability, the global logistics provider has also added state-of-the-art refrigerated trucks (“reefers”) for the transport of pharmaceutical, vaccine and health care products. The reefers are Equipped with electric standby capabilities, allowing the units to be plugged into the electrical network when possible, saving on emissions and reducing the carbon footprint.
Continual Expansion
Built in 2006, DB Schenker’s Indianapolis logistics hub has been modified over the years to accommodate customers’ needs. DB Schenker also has a major presence in Luxembourg, where it serves a wide variety of pharmaceutical customers with its end-to-end logistics and supply chain offerings.
The GDP-compliant facility moves freight within the temperature-controlled rooms before loading it onto the aircraft for shipping. Once onsite, the storage of the controlled products is in a mapped and validated facility in accordance with WHO guidelines, and value-added services can be performed right within the temperature-controlled environment.
For example, DB Schenker employees can replenish a shipment’s dry ice, apply thermal blankets to the cargo, apply ULD thermal covers on the shipments, load active containers or otherwise provide an additional layer of protection (i.e., temperature or GPS monitors).
Friday Flights
Recently, DB Schenker began operating “Friday Flights” that are fully temperature controlled at both the origin and destination, as well as during the flight. These flights feature industry leading, short tarmac times in both Indianapolis and Luxembourg.
By using a cargo airport hub, DB Schenker rarely has to wait to take off, land, or load/unload freight. This is a particularly important point in today’s capacity-constrained transportation environment, where having an own-controlled fleet can significantly speed up the safe transfer of goods between the US and Luxembourg.
“This flight is a 100% DB SCHENKERlife+ dedicated flight,” says Benjamin Zervas, DB Schenker’s Head of Airfreight Management Healthcare. “We control 100% of the capacity, including the handling.” Once DB Schenker receives a booking request from its customers, a GDP Certified temperature-controlled truck is booked to pick up the order at the life science customer’s location.
“The cargo is then brought back to our Indianapolis Healthcare Hub,” Zervas explains. This allows DB Schenker to ensure the integrity of the product, check for the correct temperature around the clock and store the product within the proper temperature zones. Upon receiving the booking from the carrier, DB Schenker processes the shipment, screens the shipment per TSA regulations, and then transfers it to multiple airports within the US via its temperature-controlled trucks. Shipments that are destined for Europe via the DB Schenker Life+ flight are transferred to the DB Schenker IND Airport facility and prepared for flight within the temperature-controlled facility.
All these moves are orchestrated in the name of delivering medications and other products to the patients that need them. “In my eyes,” says Zervas, “a successful shipment is when the patient receives his or her medicines or medical devices within the expected timeframe and temperature range, and without having to worry about product quality.”
Every Customer and Patient is Different
Across all its various departments and specialty areas, DB Schenker aims to be the supply chain partner of choice for a superior customer experience. Within the healthcare industry, the logistics provider understands that there is no “one size fits all” solution for all customers.
“Whether you’re shipping medical devices, pharmaceuticals, or biopharmaceuticals like vaccines, we know your customers and patients rely on uncompromised and on-time delivery,” says Lorant Kovacs, Head of Vertical Marketing Healthcare at DB Schenker. “You can count on us to deliver that for you, and more.”
With more than 76,000 team members around the globe, DB Schenker works relentlessly around the clock to ensure that precious and life-saving cargo gets to where it needs to be, securely and at the right temperature and on-time.
From biopharmaceuticals to medical devices, from PPE to blood plasma, DB SCHENKERlife+ delivers reliability for customers across the industry, including Biopharma, Pharmaceuticals, Animal Health, MedTech, and Consumer Health & Nutrition. “We can give our customers peace of mind,” says Kovacs, “knowing that we’ve been delivering reliable solutions for our global life science customers for decades.”
