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As a trusted global logistics provider, DB SCHENKER is committed to putting its customers first by providing excellent service and working hard to meet the needs of those customers. This commitment is evident across the organization, and it recently came to light in Toronto, Canada, where team members at its YYZ distribution hub became for good distribution practice (GDP).
Located at the Toronto Pearson Airport, YYZ is a state-of-the-art facility that covers an area of 100,000 square meters (just over one million square feet) and employs more than 500 associates. The center is equipped with the latest technology and is capable of handling a wide variety of cargo, including airfreight, ocean freight and ground transportation.
A key part of DB SCHENKER’s global network, the YYZ distribution hub is used to distribute goods to customers worldwide and also to import goods into Canada. According to Kyle Leeson, DB SCHENKER Canada’s director of airfreight operations, YYZ’s associates earned the GDP certification for airfreight shipments.
What are Good Distribution Practices?
A code of standards ensuring that the quality of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products is maintained throughout the distribution network, GDP encompasses a set of guidelines that outline the best practices for distributing goods. The guidelines cover inventory management, transportation and documentation. By engaging GDP-certified business partners, companies can improve their efficiency, reduce their costs and increase their customer satisfaction.
With its GDP-certified team members, DB SCHENKER plans to offer the added capabilities for its current pharmaceutical customers while also adding new clients that will benefit from working with a GDP-certified team.
“We regularly transport pharmaceuticals and medicine that may include products for ingestion or injection into the human body,” said Leeson. “Those are products that have to be sent through the GDP channel, which we’re now even more prepared to handle at YYZ.”
It’s All About Quality
At its core, GDP certification is all about quality. “When you’re transporting a shipment from point A to point B, there are obviously going to be some checks-and-balances in place,” said Leeson. “But as you move into GDP-type handling—say for the pharma industry—the chain of custody from the time the shipment is ready for pickup from the supplier all the way through to the door of the customer is heavily monitored.”
For example, the right records, logs and quality agreements (established between DB SCHENKER and its vendors) have to be put in place to ensure GDP compliance. If the logistics provider uses a specific carrier to transport goods from the supplier’s door to the air terminal, that relationship has to be captured in a detailed “quality” agreement. Also, certain requirements must be met, including regular maintenance checks and ensuring that equipment and maintenance logs are calibrated at specific, agreed-upon intervals (e.g., every 30 days or every three months).
“The whole chain of custody of the cargo from origin to delivery is heavily monitored and controlled through agreements, paperwork and other documentation,” Leeson explained.
Outside of its YYZ hub, DB SCHENKER also maintains its own global standard operating procedures for GDP. It starts by putting steps in place, checking off the boxes and always making sure the stated requirements are met. “There is also a heavy emphasis on ensuring that everything is documented, recorded and reviewed as the goods make their way from the supplier to the final destination,” Leeson added.
The Customer is the Real Winner
Often used to treat serious or life-threatening conditions, pharmaceuticals are expected to be both safe and effective. Through GDP compliance, companies and logistics providers like DB SCHENKER can ensure that these critical products aren’t damaged, contaminated or tampered with during the distribution process.
The benefits don’t end there. Pharmaceutical companies that are GDP compliant are also seen as more trustworthy and reliable through the eyes of healthcare providers, regulators and individual patients. This can give a pharmaceutical company a competitive advantage and may ultimately result in increased sales volumes and larger market share.
When logistics professionals are GDP-certified, it shows that they’re following the highest standards for the storage, transportation and handling of pharmaceutical products. “When pharma companies work with a vendor whose employees are GDP certified ,” Leeson said, “they can rest easy knowing that we’ve taken the necessary steps; that we have the necessary knowledge and tools; and that we’ll handle their shipments efficiently.”
