DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, and Air France KLM Martinair (AFKLMP) Cargo improve transparency in the pharmaceutical logistics chain. Together, the two leading players in the airfreight pharmaceutical industry have created a direct host-to-host connection to enhance the data reliability and availability for their customers. Information about deliveries can be easily accessed and monitored via DHL’s LifeTrack Portal.

Nina Heinz, global head of network and quality, at DHL Global Forwarding, explains: “When securing product integrity and patient safety in the supply chain, data transparency is key. Taking a partnership approach to automating shipment data sharing for cargo characteristics like container temperatures is an essential step to providing our customers with peace of mind about how their shipments are being moved across the globe.”

AFKLMP’s global head of pharmaceutical logistics Enrica Calonghi adds: “This is an important milestone and yet another example of our strong innovative ambition. Within Pharmaceutical Logistics, we aim to create transparency and visibility in each step of the cold chain. It is the next stage in the digitisation of our industry.”

By joining forces, DHL Global Forwarding and AFKLMP Cargo enhance the integration of their systems and enable shared temperature readings for active pharma solutions. In the pharmaceutical industry, total transparency of the logistics chain is fundamental in order to maintain the integrity of the product.

The joint solution enables a host-to-host connection through an application programming interface (API) that allows for system-based integrated information sharing about the shipment journey, including all shipments’ important milestones and temperature checks for active containers. This facilitates both higher standards for reliability and real-time updates of product temperature in the cold chain while it is transported in special climate-controlled containers.

Currently, this service is provided at AFKLMP’s largest life sciences hubs in Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris CDG. Based on this first proof of concept, the two companies have agreed to extend the roll-out of active container temperature readings to all the main pharma network points.