Brussels Airport hosting Pharma Air Shippers Forum at Air Cargo India 2018
July 24, 2017: Brussels Airport will host the Pharma Air Shippers Forum at Air Cargo India 2018, for a second time. The 7th edition of Air Cargo India, the international biennial air cargo exhibition and networking conference, organised by The STAT Trade Times, the flagship publication from the global multimodal transport media specialist the STAT Media Group, will take place from 20 to 22 February 2018, at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai.
Steven Polmans, Head of Cargo for Brussels Airport Company, said that his airport is pleased to be hosting Pharma Air Shippers Forum for a second time during Air Cargo India (ACI) in February next year in Mumbai.
“The knowledge gathered, the contacts made and the information exchanged during previous events has helped us and many of our stakeholders or participants at the event to improve their knowledge and increase their service levels when it comes to the transportation of pharmaceuticals and cool chain products,” Polmans said.
Pharma Air Shippers Forum is an integral part of the ACI. The objective of the forum is to bring together the pharmaceutical exporters and offer them a platform to discuss and analyse various segments of the air logistics industry thereby addressing key areas of challenges and opportunities in the pharma export and supply chain.
The forum has been gathering a lot of attention among India’s pharma export community and over the last few years it has attracted interest from logistics and supply chain managers of India’s leading pharma manufacturing companies. So much so, in February this year, Brussels Airport supported a separate one-day Pharma Logistics Summit, organised by Indian Transport and Logistics News (ITLN), another publication from the STAT Media Group. The forum has provided a perfect platform to share knowledge and global best practices in pharma transport and cool chain logistics which is mandated by global regulatory bodies.
India is the third largest pharmaceuticals market in the world in terms of value and eleventh largest in terms of volume. It has established itself as a global manufacturing and research hub. A large raw material base and the availability of a skilled workforce give the industry a definite competitive advantage. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 percent to touch $55 billion by 2020, from $20 billion in 2015.
“Both Belgium and India have important pharmaceutical businesses, so bringing people on both sides closer to each other and learn from each other is crucial in further developing and improving our cool chain offering,” added Polmans.
Besides hosting the Pharma Air Shippers Forum, ACI 2018 will also see the united strength of Pharma.Aero on display at the three day exhibition. Pharma.Aero, a unique initiative championed by Brussels Airport, brings together key stakeholders of the logistics value chain in pharma transport like airports, airlines, shippers, freight forwarders, ground handlers and other logistics and technology service providers.
“Pharma.Aero is proud to be hosting a pavilion at the Air Cargo India expo where all of its members will be clustered together. The Pharma.Aero pavilion booth is a proof of the extensive collaboration and partnership between CEIV pharma certified airport communities and life sciences manufacturers,” said Nathan De Valck, chairman of Pharma.Aero and Cargo & Product development Manager for Brussels Airport Company.
Pharma.Aero is a unique concept in the air cargo industry which will help us in building global end-to-end pharma lanes and improving the reliability and efficiency when handling pharmaceutical shipments.
ACI, the only and the most popular global trade show and conference for the air cargo industry in India, has already attracted huge participation for its next edition. The event is planned with the theme of ‘Indian Air Cargo: A revolution enhancing global trade’. Pharma certainly is an important export commodity contributing to India’s global trade and its volume is certainly increasing for the air mode of transport.
Attendance at Pharma Air Shippers Forum is free, but there are limited seats. The forum will take place on 20 February 2018. To reserve your place or to find more details about the forum or Air Cargo India 2018, please visit http://www.stattimes.com/aci2018/
