Inside India’s pharma logistics: Building resilient, compliant, and connected cold chains

India’s pharmaceutical industry is scaling new heights as the country strengthens its role as the “pharmacy of the world.” With generics, vaccines, biologics, and personalised medicines driving exports, the spotlight is firmly on logistics. Efficient, multimodal, and GDP-compliant supply chains have become non-negotiable, especially for air cargo, which carries a significant share of high-value and temperature-sensitive shipments. Two global logistics leaders, DHL Supply Chain India and Kuehne+Nagel India share how they are shaping the pharma cold chain for the next phase of growth.

Building multimodal resilience
Designing supply chains for pharma in India means carefully blending air, ocean, road, and rail. Vikas Anand, Managing Director of DHL Supply Chain India, explains: “We start by analysing the exact requirements of each pharmaceutical product, whether it’s temperature sensitivity, urgent timelines, or strict regulatory needs, and then design the most efficient multimodal solution around them.” For DHL, this often translates into connecting inland manufacturing hubs to airports and seaports through dedicated road networks supported by route optimisation and real-time tracking tools.

Yuvraj Sharma, Head of Sales & Marketing, Kuehne+Nagel India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, notes that India’s infrastructure push is expanding options. “We build lane-specific plans that balance speed, cost, and temperature needs, then select the right mix of transport modes. India’s Dedicated Freight Corridors and pharma-specific rail services such as the Hyderabad–Delhi ‘Pharma Express’ allow us to integrate modes into a single door-to-door solution,” he says.

Yet, challenges persist. India’s vast geography means first- and last-mile delivery often passes through regions with limited cold chain infrastructure. While metro airports like Mumbai and Hyderabad have world-class pharma corridors, smaller airports and rural hubs struggle with inadequate storage, inconsistent handling standards, and power reliability issues. These gaps can increase the risk of temperature excursions and drive up costs when companies are forced to rely on air over other modes. Fragmentation across state-level regulations also complicates multimodal planning, requiring constant vigilance from logistics providers. Rising freight rates, fuel costs, and capacity constraints further add pressure, especially during peak export seasons when vaccines and generics compete for limited air cargo space. DHL and Kuehne+Nagel mitigate these risks through advanced forecasting, lane validation, and pre-secured carrier agreements, but they both acknowledge that infrastructural and regulatory gaps need sustained investment and harmonisation.

Technology and packaging innovation

Digital visibility and advanced packaging are redefining cold chain logistics. DHL has invested in its LifeTrack cold-chain tracking app, supply chain risk analytics, and condition-monitoring tools. Anand points out: “Visibility and control are critical, so we provide real-time updates on shipments through temperature sensors, data loggers, and monitoring alerts.” DHL is also emphasising sustainability by deploying reusable, temperature-controlled packaging and carbon-neutral warehouses.

For Kuehne+Nagel, the technology backbone is the myKN platform, which aggregates GPS and carrier data to give shippers a live view of shipments. Sharma explains: “Our Container Dashboard and IoT-enabled sensors provide live alerts and visual ‘lane progress’ maps. A dedicated CareTeam monitors shipments 24/7, ready to intervene in case of deviations.”

These digital solutions are increasingly being enhanced with artificial intelligence and predictive analytics. DHL, for example, uses AI-powered risk assessment tools that anticipate disruptions due to weather, strikes, or geopolitical issues, allowing shippers to re-route cargo proactively. Kuehne+Nagel is also exploring blockchain-based systems to secure data integrity across the supply chain, particularly for high-value biologics where regulatory audits demand full traceability. At the same time, innovation in packaging is accelerating. Companies are piloting smart containers equipped with IoT-enabled locks, tamper-proof seals, and automated alerts. Breakthroughs in phase-change materials are enabling longer-duration passive cooling without dry ice, making shipments safer and more sustainable.

The push towards sustainability is particularly visible in packaging. Reusable thermal containers, recyclable insulation materials, and lightweight pallet covers are replacing single-use options. With global customers increasingly demanding carbon footprint disclosures, these innovations are not just compliance measures but also competitive differentiators. As Anand notes, “Sustainability has moved from being an optional value-add to becoming central to supply chain strategy.”

Embedding compliance into every move
Pharma logistics leaves no room for error, and GDP compliance is central to both companies’ strategies. Anand stresses that compliance is embedded at DHL through “GDP-certified facilities and transport operations, validated cold-chain infrastructure, strict SOPs, regular audits, and continuous training.” He adds that a strong quality management system ensures preventive action and customer-specific regulatory needs are addressed.

Kuehne+Nagel’s HealthChain-certified sites follow global GDP standards with validated SOPs, risk assessments, and GDP-trained staff. Sharma elaborates: “Every link in our chain is standardised under HealthChain. All sites like airports, seaports, rail terminals, fulfilment centres are audited to exceed GDP standards, while vetted carriers sign pharma-specific quality agreements.”

Ensuring compliance, however, is not without its hurdles. India’s regulatory landscape is evolving, but the country must still align with diverse standards set by the US FDA, EU regulators, and the World Health Organization. This patchwork of requirements can complicate documentation and create bottlenecks if not meticulously managed. Both DHL and Kuehne+Nagel tackle this by embedding regulatory expertise into their teams, conducting regular mock audits, and aligning processes with global best practices.

The air cargo advantage
While multimodal solutions are expanding, air cargo remains at the heart of India’s pharma export story. Airports such as Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi have invested in GDP-compliant cold chain corridors, creating infrastructure that supports rapid throughput and minimises tarmac exposure. DHL and Kuehne+Nagel are active partners in these corridors, ensuring that the interface between ground handling agents, airlines, and freight forwarders is seamless.

Sharma highlights the collaboration with airport stakeholders: “In India and globally, we work with airports via ACFI/AAICLAS corridors to ensure end-to-end cold chain monitoring. This strengthens reliability and reduces the risk of excursions.” Anand agrees that such initiatives have been critical in supporting India’s vaccine exports, particularly during the pandemic.

The pandemic also revealed another challenge: capacity crunch. When passenger flights were grounded, belly-hold capacity vanished, pushing pharma shippers to compete for scarce freighter space. Logistics providers had to innovate with charter flights, mini freighters, and rapid lane reconfigurations. That experience has left a lasting lesson that air cargo resilience is essential for India’s pharma ambitions, and building dedicated freighter capacity could be a game changer in the years ahead.

Trends shaping the next five years
Both executives agree that the future of pharma logistics from India will be defined by biologics, personalised medicine, and digitalisation. According to Anand: “We foresee strong growth in biologics and personalised medicine, which will increase demand for specialised temperature-controlled logistics. Sustainability is also becoming central, and we are embedding greener solutions such as reusable eco-packaging and carbon-neutral warehousing.”

Sharma echoes the shift, citing industry forecasts: “India’s pharma logistics market is set to grow about 8% annually to nearly $7.3 billion by FY2033. The growth of biologics, vaccines, and personalised medicines is making cold chain an industry standard.”

As biologics and cell-and-gene therapies emerge, the logistics model will need to evolve from bulk shipping to precision, small-batch, and even patient-specific deliveries. This shift demands not only robust cold chains but also hyper-digitalised ecosystems where every vial is monitored from lab to bedside. Both DHL and Kuehne+Nagel are already preparing for this shift with digital twins, advanced lane simulations, and collaborations with biotech firms.

Sustainability, too, is shaping investment priorities. Beyond packaging, DHL has committed to operating carbon-neutral warehouses and deploying electric fleets for first- and last-mile distribution. Kuehne+Nagel is advancing similar goals, investing in renewable-powered facilities and offering customers CO2 visibility dashboards to measure emissions per shipment. Green corridors that prioritise sustainable fuels and energy-efficient processes are increasingly being piloted in partnership with airports and seaports.

Innovation is also expected to accelerate collaboration between public and private stakeholders. Government initiatives like the National Logistics Policy and PM GatiShakti are providing frameworks for multimodal integration and infrastructure modernisation. Industry partnerships with airport operators, technology startups, and pharma associations are likely to create a more cohesive logistics ecosystem, enabling India to position itself as a global benchmark for healthcare logistics.

The way forward for Indian shippers
As pharma shippers face tighter regulatory requirements and rising export demand, their success will depend on choosing partners with strong multimodal capabilities, digital visibility, and disciplined cold-chain management. DHL and Kuehne+Nagel are investing heavily in technology, infrastructure, and compliance to keep India’s pharma flowing seamlessly to global markets.

India’s ambition to stay at the forefront of global pharma will hinge on supply chains that are reliable, sustainable, and fully compliant. And as these two logistics leaders show, the future of pharma logistics is not just about moving products, it’s about building resilient networks that protect patient lives worldwide.