Cooperation with French pharmaceutical specialist EUROTRANSPHARMA - Operating from June 2011 - nationwide collection and delivery
Weinheim, 10th May 2011 - trans-o-flex ThermoMed, the specialist for active temperature-controlled pharmaceutical transport, extends its international network to France. In so doing, a contract was concluded with the French pharmaceutical specialist EUROTRANSPHARMA SAS at the end of April. From 1st June 2011 clients of the pharmaceutical industry can have their medicinal products collected and delivered throughout France within the continuous temperature range of 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. "Since active temperature-controlled transport has been established as the standard transportation choice for temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products in Germany, the demand for international transport solutions for this class of goods has also risen due to the international interdependence of the industry" says Carsten Glos, managing director of trans-o-flex ThermoMed. The company has expanded its network over the past years by integrating Austria and the Benelux countries. "With EUROTRANSPHARMA we have found a partner who also specializes on transports for the health care industry and can therefore comply 100 per cent with our quality requirements."
EUROTRANSPHARMA is as ThermoMed certified according to ISO 9001 (quality management). France will be covered by a network consisting of three main sorting centres and eight regional distribution points. Furthermore, two new regional distribution points in the southwest (Bordeaux) and northwest (Loudeac) are planned to densify the network this year. The fleet of 345 transporters and commercial trucks will be controlled and monitored via satellite. At any time, clients will have access to online shipment tracking, which is based on the barcode scans of each individual shipment over the complete transportation process up to the delivery. Additionally, customers will be provided with the monitored temperature records of their shipments electronically. The normal transport time shall be 48 hours from the point of collection in Germany or Benelux until the delivery destination in France. Temperature-sensitive shipments from Austria will reach their French destinations within 72 hours. The transport times shall also apply for shipments originating in France.
Shipments transported with active temperature management, provided by trans-o-flex ThermoMed within the temperature ranges of 2-8 and 15-25 degrees Celsius, do not require special packaging for temperature-sensitive goods (as is needed with passive insulators). This reduces expenses in shipping caused through the retrieval of reusable containers or the disposal of non-reusable packaging. At the same time, the chargeable freight weight is noticeably reduced due to the absence of heavy thermo-packaging and cooling elements. Together, they generally account for a multiple of the actual product weight. For international traffic where longer transport times can be an issue, the removal of these restrictions when shipping with passive cooling is very important. When shipping with only passive cooling the transportation time window available is restricted due to the limited cooling effect of cold packs, often creating problems when transporting over the weekend or when the package cannot be delivered due to a wrong address. With active temperature management on the other hand, the goods are transhipped within temperature-controlled vehicles and warehouses from the point of collection throughout handling and until delivery. The cold-chain compliance is continuously monitored and completely documented. In the case of temperature deviations, emergency systems and processes are implemented in order to eliminate effects on product quality as much as possible.
About trans-o-flex ThermoMed:
trans-o-flex ThermoMed GmbH & Co. KG, headquarters Weinheim, is Germany's quality and market leader for the transport of temperature-sensitive shipments within the pharmaceutical industry between the temperature ranges of 2° - 8°C and 15° - 25°C. The companys door-to-door distribution network throughout Germany consists of 2 sorting centres and 38 depots. Considering the degree of specialisation, ThermoMed operates its own specialized vehicle fleet with more than 600 specially instructed personnel dedicated to handling pharmaceutical goods according to GDP standards while maintaining cold-chain compliance. As a member of the trans-o-flex logistics group, ThermoMed provides multinational pharmaceutical distribution in Europe with daily deliveries to 6 countries including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and France via the ThermoMed European Network. Further information: www.thermomed.eu.
About trans-o-flex Logistics Group:
The success of the Europe-wide operating trans-o-flex Logistic Group is based on three pillars: 1. trans-o-flex Schnell-Lieferdienst offers a full-coverage network for the efficient and safe transportation of parcels and pallets (combi-freight) all over Germany. This also includes numerous additional services, such as the transportation of hazardous goods without being limited to small quantities. At the same time trans-o-flex, in its capacity as shareholder and partner of the Eurodis network, provides full-coverage combi-freight services in 34 European countries. The company has developed a large number of tailor-made solutions for specific sectors, e.g. for the pharmaceutical and home entertainment / consumer goods industries. 2. With a special network for active temperature control in the temperature ranges of between 2 and 8 °C as well as 15 and 25 °C, trans-o-flex ThermoMed takes over the transportation of temperature-sensitive goods for the pharmaceutical industry in Germany, Austria and the Benelux countries. 3. Additional logistic services from storage and picking/packing to value-added services, such as the set-up service for sales displays or electrical appliances, up to customer-specific transport networks are developed and implemented under the umbrella of trans-o-flex Logistik Service. In 2010, annual sales of the Group, which has a workforce of approximately 1,600 employees, amounted to ca. ¤ 524 million. Since June 2008, trans-o-flex has been a 100-% subsidiary of Österreichische Post. For more information, go to www.trans-o-flex.com.
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