Miami, May 17, 2021 – DB Schenker Americas has expanded its existing Indianapolis logistics facility to include an additional 5,000sf cold room and 50,000sf of controlled room temperature space. The expanded facility will support the pharmaceutical industry’s growing need for temperature-controlled logistics space. By building the additions in Indianapolis, DB Schenker can leverage a less-congested U.S. airport to fly direct to-and-from Luxembourg via its own-controlled flights.
With both Indianapolis and Luxembourg serving as major centers of vaccine/pharmaceutical manufacturing activity, DB Schenker is facilitating the fast and safe delivery of vaccines, medicines, supplies, and COVID-19 test kits to the recipients who need them.
Open since 2006, the Indianapolis facility now incorporates 9,000sf of +2C to +8C space; 100,000 of +15C to +25C space, and dedicated capacity on DB Schenker’s own-controlled flights to and from Luxembourg. Those flights feature dedicated, temperature-controlled capacity.
The facility is Good Distribution Practice-compliant, with all freight assembled within the temperature-controlled rooms before being loaded onto the aircraft for shipping. Once onsite, the storage of the controlled products can be mapped and validated according to industry guidelines, and value-added services can be performed right within the temperature-controlled environment.
Also at the Indianapolis location, DB Schenker has added state-of-the-art refrigerated trucks (“reefers”) for the transport of key pharmaceutical and health care products. Equipped with electric standby capabilities, these vehicles can be plugged into an outlet and turned off when they aren’t moving.
“We’ve covered all of the bases from a compliance perspective,” said Benno Forster, Senior Vice President, Head of Operations and Procurement, Americas at DB Schenker, “while also giving health care and pharmaceutical companies an end-to-end solution that’s fully temperature controlled from door-to-door.”
The cold rooms were designed to incorporate airplane pallets within the designated temperature zones. That means freight can be loaded on a just-in-time basis without ever having to be exposed to room or warm temperatures.
Benjamin Zervas, Head of Airfreight Management Healthcare, Americas at DB Schenker, said the company’s decision to expand the Indianapolis facility was strategic and based on its geographic location.
“As the major airports in the U.S. become more congested, smaller airports like Indianapolis and Luxembourg have become more suitable for moving temperature-controlled healthcare shipments.,” said Zervas. “We can move directly from the tarmac to our facility, thus reducing any risks of temperature deviation during tarmac operation.”
Current investments made at the Indianapolis facility are part of DB Schenker’s ongoing engagement in the Healthcare Logistics space. Its vertical market focused solution DB SCHENKERlife+ includes a full suite of transportation and logistics services, extensive global network, strict adherence to local and international compliance, and superior end-to-end visibility. These services enable our clients’ supply chains with agility, control, and speed to market. Our more than 75,000 DB Schenker employees worldwide, are working relentlessly around the clock to ensure precious and often life-saving shipments get to where they need to be – securely, at the right temperature, and on time. From biopharmaceuticals to medical devices, from PPE to blood plasma, DB SCHENKERlife+ delivers reliability for customers across the industry, including Biopharma, Pharmaceuticals, Animal Health, MedTech, and Consumer Health & Nutrition. Giving our customers peace of mind knowing we have been delivering reliable solutions for our life science customers globally for decades.
About DB Schenker Americas
DB Schenker is one of the largest Integrated Logistics Service Providers in the Americas with more than 10,000 employees in 123 locations providing over 27 million sq. ft. of distribution operations to its clients. DB Schenker’s Americas presence includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, United States, and Venezuela. DB Schenker offers land transport and air and ocean freight, as well as comprehensive logistics solutions and global supply chain management services from a single source. With integrated partners across the Americas, DB Schenker provides the best combination of intimate local practices knowledge and global capabilities.
