Matternet M2 drone system to be deployed in Tokyo’s new drone logistics project and utilized to assess drone delivery healthcare opportunities in Japan

Japan Airlines and Matternet signed an MOU to assess drone delivery healthcare opportunities and develop a future drone healthcare delivery business in Japan utilizing Matternet’s world-leading M2 urban drone logistics platform.

DHL Global Forwarding, the freight forwarding specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has launched an air freight charter connecting Asia Pacific to Europe and the U.S. to meet demand from customers in the technology, manufacturing and life science and healthcare sectors. Managed by StarBroker, DHL Global Forwarding’s in-house charter team, the twice-weekly charter originates from Chongqing, China and flies to Amsterdam, Netherlands; Chicago, United States; Incheon, South Korea before returning to China.

Thomas Mack, Head of Global Air Freight DHL Global Forwarding said, “While some passenger airlines have resumed operations, the situation in the air freight market remains volatile — especially as belly capacity is still tight As the leader in the air freight market, DHL Global Forwarding’s top priority is to provide our customers with sufficient and reliable air freight capacity. Not only are the resilient, agile and reliable supply chains of highest importance for an economic recovery, but also in preparation for the availability of vaccines and other essential medical supplies during the pandemic.”

South Korea has seen its export of healthcare products rise year-on-year by 26.7% in the first half of 2020, with pharmaceutical goods in particular increasing by 52.5%. China has exported 28.5% more medical devices in the first five months of the year as compared to a year ago. In 2019, China, the Netherlands and the United States were among the top ten importers and exporters of medical goods.

“Over the years, DHL has built up its expertise from globally certified facilities and staff to technologies that track shipments in real-time in addition to ensuring the integrity of such products throughout their journey. Getting the much-needed air capacity is the last piece in the value chain puzzle, so to speak, that ensures temperature sensitive products such as life-saving vaccines reach the communities-in-need,” added Mack.

In a recently published white paper DHL together with McKinsey & Company as analytics partner explores the logistics challenges for vaccines and medical goods during COVID-19. To provide global coverage of COVID-19 vaccines, up to ~200,000 pallet shipments and ~15 million deliveries in cooling boxes as well as ~15,000 flights will be required across the various supply chain set-ups.

DHL Global Forwarding has a global network of facilities that meet the European Union’s Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines for life science and healthcare supply chains. The leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services has a suite of temperature-controlled freight solutions such as DHL Air Thermonet and DHL LifeConEx that allows real-time visibility and active monitoring for the movement of goods that could include medicines, supplements, vaccines, medical devices and diagnostic equipment.

To meet growing demand for imports of temperature-controlled and high-technology goods into Australia, DHL Global Forwarding will also launch a new airfreight charter on September 23. Flying four times a week, the charter will consolidate goods from Europe, China and Singapore in Hong Kong before transporting them to Sydney, Australia.

In April 2020, DHL Global Forwarding tapped on its network of life science and healthcare facilities, temperature-controlled solutions and customs clearance expertise to fly more than 1.3 million Covid-19 test kits from South Korea to Brazil, Ecuador, India, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Saudi Arabia. The freight forwarder also launched a dedicated 100-ton weekly air freight service for organizations and governments shipping health and medical-related items and other goods from China to Middle East and Africa.

Delta Cargo was the first U.S. passenger carrier to receive IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma Logistics Certification in 2017. This certification recognizes that we are compliant, in our Atlanta warehouse and at over 50 specialized Pharma approved airports across the globe provided through our handling partners, with the highest industry standards for the shipment of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and life sciences.

We know that the difference in a few degrees can save lives when it comes to delivering temperature-sensitive shipments. As part of this, we have expanded our cooler facilities at the Atlanta warehouse. Our priority boarding and quick connection times also minimize exposure to outside temperatures ensuring the integrity of the product. We offer four tailored options which come with a variety of containers and coolers designed to meet specific temperature requirements. Plus, we can transport Pharma shipments containing dry ice to support the transportation of vaccines.

As our current flight network is reduced due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our cargo charters team can assist with any pharmaceutical transportation needs if they are outside of our existing network, ensuring peace of mind for our customers.

“Pharmaceutical and medical supplies are in high demand and we historically transport more than 5,500 pharma shipments each year, in fact it is in the top three most shipped commodities,” said Shawn Cole, Vice President-Cargo. “The safe and efficient transportation of Pharma products for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry is a key priority for us. We continue to invest in our facilities, equipment, operations and staff to ensure that we comply with all applicable standards, regulations and guidelines expected from pharmaceutical manufacturers.”

From drug research and development, to transporting vital medicine to patients who rely on us to maintain product integrity, Delta Cargo is making a difference to the communities we serve. Our partner airlines also have Pharma certification which provides significant opportunities for shipping pharmaceuticals across the Pacific and Atlantic. Air France-KLM Cargo and Korean Air Cargo are both CEIV certified, while Virgin Atlantic Cargo has Wholesale Distribution Authorization (WDA) enabling true end-to-end compliance and assurance for customers across a broad network of flights across the globe.