DHL Global Forwarding ships COVID-19 vaccines weekly as Australia rolls out vaccination program

• Delivery
  will take place on a weekly basis further to the first successful delivery on
  February 15   
• Marks
  expansion of DHL’s global presence in vaccine logistics

SYDNEY,
AUSTRALIA – Media
OutReach – 24 February 2021 – To support the Australian
government’s inoculation program, DHL Global Forwarding, the air and
ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, will deliver additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines on a
weekly basis into the country. DHL Global Forwarding
arranged for the collection and airfreight of the vaccines from the manufacturing
site in Europe and upon the vaccines’ arrival in Australia, handled the customs
clearance and final delivery to a designated location.

 

“Logistics plays a critical role in getting vaccines to where
it is urgently needed. Globally, across many markets, our cold-chain network
and pharmaceutical logistics expertise have meticulously planned every last
detail to manage an extremely complex operation seamlessly,” said Charles
Kaufmann, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding North Asia & South Pacific.

 

The strength of DHL’s global logistics network is deployed in
Australia’s on-going response to the COVID-19. In December last year, the
Australian Department of Health announced contracts
with logistics partners, including DHL Supply Chain, to “design and operate a national distribution
network” to support nationwide vaccinations even in remote and hard to reach
areas.  

 

“The shipments
were delivered on time, and most importantly, in the right condition according
to strict requirements. That’s the result of many months of rigorous planning to
ensure the vaccines are delivered within the fastest possible time while
ensuring the quality, safety and security of these critical shipments,” said
George Lawson, Managing Director, DHL Global Forwarding Australia.

 

“Connecting People, Improving Lives is part of our Group’s
core purpose. As we join the global response to the pandemic, we live this by
doing what we do best — providing first rate logistics in the communities we
operate in,” Lawson added.

 

Across DHL’s dedicated
global network, more than 9,000 specialists work to connect pharmaceutical and
research organizations, wholesalers and distributors, as well as hospitals and
healthcare providers across the value chain. With this contract, the logistics
expert for air, ocean and road freight expands its global presence in vaccine
distribution.

 

DHL’s portfolio for the
healthcare industry includes 150+ pharmacists, 20+ clinical trials depots, 100+
certified stations, 160+ GDP-qualified warehouses, 15+ GMP-certified sites,
135+ medical express sites, and an international network covering 220 countries
and territories.

 

On a global scale,
logistics providers are challenged to establish
medical supply chains rapidly to deliver vaccines of unprecedented amount of
more than 10 billion doses worldwide — also in regions with less developed
logistics infrastructure, where approximately 3 billion people live. To provide global coverage of the next
two years, DHL estimated in its vaccine whitepaper report that up to 200,000 pallet shippers and 15 million
cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be required across the
various supply chain setups.