UPS today announced a significant expansion of its global healthcare distribution facility network to accommodate continued rapid growth in its healthcare business.

Driven by expanding relationships with healthcare companies and an increasing trend toward outsourcing, the new facilities in Asia, Europe, Canada and the United States bring to 30 the total number of global UPS healthcare-dedicated facilities, the company said in a statement.

“We are seeing increased demand from healthcare manufacturers wanting more agile supply chains,” said Bill Hook, vice president of global strategy for UPS Healthcare Logistics.

“This clear industry trend is driving companies to look for more global solutions and deeper supply chain partnerships. We have a robust pipeline of healthcare business and are continuing to invest in this industry to meet the fast-evolving needs of our global healthcare customers.”

The new facilities are located in Singapore, Venlo in the Netherlands, Burlington, Canada, and Louisville in the US state of Kentucky, and bring the total amount of UPS dedicated healthcare distribution space to more than four million square feet.

These facilities are designed to meet the needs of pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies. They are configured to help manufacturers meet stringent and often-complex regulatory requirements for healthcare products, provide flexibility for a changing business environment and serve an increasingly global customer base.

With an influx of biologics and temperature-sensitive healthcare products coming into the marketplace, UPS’s healthcare facilities also include temperature sensitive capabilities to handle the specialised storage and distribution needs of these high-value products.

The Singapore facility is scheduled to open later in this first quarter. It will consist of a 43,000-sq ft regional distribution facility to serve the increasing number of healthcare companies that are locating manufacturing operations in Asia.

It will serve as an import-export facility and is strategically located to access air and road networks. Capabilities will include cold chain capacity for products requiring temperature-sensitive storage and distribution, as well as postponement services such as re-labeling and kitting.

Source: Cargonews Asia