Logistics leader Agility brings global best practices of pharma transport from India to the rest of the world. Its Pharmaceuticals Competence Centre in Mumbai is an example of its commitment to the pharma industry in India and its phenomenal growth since its inception three years ago is a proof of pharma clients’ confidence in Agility’s service quality.
For a country that exports pharmaceutical products worth Rs 96,000 crore, there is a huge opportunity for third party logistics service providers who offer the best global standards of pharma transport from manufacturing centres to consuming markets around the world. From cold chain logistics for temperature controlled pharma products to fully integrated supply chain solutions offering end to end visibility to the shippers, third party logistics service providers are investing significantly to tap into this market. In fact India’s pharmaceutical exports have increased by 9.7 percent in 2015-16, while the country’s exports to the US grew to 33 percent. Pharma being a highly regulated export product, only the best with the most robust supply chain network following globally accepted good distribution practices stands out in the competition. It is this lucrative market that the global logistics leader Agility wants to service offering their best practices in storage and transportation of pharma products from India. Agility’s Life Science solution for the Indian market is one of in-depth understanding of the customer requirements as well as of local challenges combined with its willingness to invest in infrastructure. This has allowed the company to create a solution that answered the specific requirements of the pharmaceutical industry by providing a range of services. Three years ago Agility became the first company in India to set up a Pharmaceuticals Competence Centre (PCC) in Nhava Sheva, Mumbai to offer a wide range of logistics and warehousing services. Their solutions were tailor-made to manage pharmaceutical shippers’ temperature-sensitive pharma and life sciences products at competitive prices. From warehousing and distribution to sorting and kitting, the Agility Pharmaceuticals Competence Centre offers pharma manufacturers more value with Agility’s supply chain consolidation services. Agility offered a GDP-certified, FDA-approved, customs-bonded facility with 3,000 square feet of optimal storage capacity. End-to-end services from collection of temperature sensitive shipments in reefer vehicles to final delivery. Agility’s proposition to its clients was: “Your job is to save lives. Let Agility overcome your complex supply chain challenges.” The centre is supervised by a qualified pharmacist. For any global pharmaceutical company with a wide base of contract manufacturers (CMOs) in India there are multiple challenges sending its finished products from India to Europe under cold chain compliant conditions. One of the biggest problems was the lack of GDP compliant facilities and equipment. It is here that Agility’s Pharmaceuticals Competence Centre brings the right set of solutions. At the Pharmaceutical Competence Centre located near Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai, Agility manages and oversees customers’ supply of products from point-of-order to delivery. The shipments are collected and transported using LCL consolidated ocean freight service before they are de-consolidated in Europe for final distribution using a temperature-controlled trucking network. The fully GDP certified facility in India is also customs bonded in accordance with local tax legislation. Trained drivers and warehouse staff ensure reliable on-the-ground handling to maintain product integrity in terms of security, quality and temperature deviation. Agility’s tracking tool provides the customer with full supply chain visibility at stock keeping unit (SKU) level. The result is a cost-effective and compliant solution that ensures supply chain visibility and cold chain integrity for the customer. The 3000 sq ft facility can accommodate 150 EU pallets at any given point of time. Presently, Agility supports 15 of the leading pharma companies at the PCC. According to Rituparna Chaturvedi, head of Agility’s Life Sciences vertical, the company has intentions to extend the facility with more customers on board. The PCC handled 200+ Reefer Containers (40-foot) in 2015. “Last two years growth has been consistent, except first year when we launched this unique concept. In last two years we have grown almost 100 percent both in terms of volume and pharma customers added,” says Chaturvedi. He also informs that there a plan to develop the centre further to offer additional services. “We are looking forward to set up +2 to +8 Degree Celsius separate chamber inside the facility to support all chilled products requirement, but this temperature range is not very frequent in sea freight thus it will be need based.” Agility is committed to India’s pharmaceutical export logistics for long term. “Agility Life Sciences vertical is very much committed to providing value added quality solutions to pharma industry. Our service has been recognized by industry experts as being the most dependable and professional in the market. Pharma being highly regulated industry and sensitive to temperature our aim is to set-up more such facilities in the Indian pharmaceutical hubs and to keep on adding value in pharma supply chain both air/sea freight,” Chaturvedi explains.