Marouissi, Greece: Global pharmaceutical group Roche has awarded Kuehne + Nagel logistics contracts for its Greek business. The two companies have jointly developed an environmentally friendly logistics solution which can substantially reduce CO2 emissions.
Kuehne + Nagel transports temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products for Roche which have to be kept within clearly defined temperature ranges throughout the entire transport from pick-up to the customer (between +2°C and +8°C and between +15°C and +25°C). Usually, such products are transported by airfreight even over relatively short distances. For its business in Greece, however, the pharma company sought a more environmentally friendly alternative which maintained the highest quality standards while at the same time achieving a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions.
The service is based on Kuehne + Nagel’s own “KN PharmaChain” product, a Europe-wide overland transport service for pharmaceutical products. The service uses state-of-the-art refrigerated trailers which permit exact temperature control and efficient double-stack loading.
Shipments originating from various Roche production plants are consolidated by Kuehne + Nagel and transported to Greece under temperature-controlled conditions. Compared with air transport, substantially less fuel is consumed for the same distance.
The passive temperature control packing, which was previously required, is no longer needed, thus reducing the volume of the shipment as well as saving packing material. As a result of these measures, the CO2 emissions are reduced by around 85%. The remaining CO2 is offset by a project of the organisation myclimate, which is being financed with a one-time payment by Kuehne + Nagel.
* Kuehne + Nagel is taking over the specialised Australian freight forwarder Link Logistics International Pty. The acquisition is in line with Kuehne + Nagel’s strategy to globally expand its activities in the field of perishables logistics.
