The Frankfurt branch of Rhenus Air & Ocean has obtained certification in line with Good Distribution Practice (GDP). This means that the air and ocean freight specialist meets the EU’s guidelines for “good distribution practice for human medicinal products”. The certification is crucially important for the global positioning of Rhenus Air & Ocean in the field of life sciences and health care.
The key factors in obtaining the certification involved implementing a quality management system in line with the GDP guidelines at the branch in Frankfurt and documenting all the processes along the supply chain without any gaps. As a result, Rhenus Air & Ocean has been able to demonstrate that the supply chain for human medicines is fully controlled and the effectiveness of the medicines is guaranteed during all transport and storage operations. This means that the company has fulfilled the condition for being allowed to operate as a logistics specialist in the pharmaceuticals sector.
To achieve this, Rhenus Air & Ocean must select and qualify all its partners in line with the GDP principles. “The rule for every company operating in the health sector is that patient’s well-being is the top priority. We, therefore, set ourselves the highest quality standards and measure all our processes by them,” says Tristan Stechmann, Head of Life Sciences & Health Care Germany at Rhenus Air & Ocean.
Rhenus Air & Ocean offers customers operating in the life sciences and health care sector-specific solutions for air, ocean, and road freight operations. Its business site at Frankfurt Airport operates as the centre of competence and therefore enables Rhenus Air & Ocean to gain access to the important German market for the life sciences and health care industry. The GDP certification is also an important milestone for the global development of this industry vertical.
The quality management system, which has now been certified, serves as the basis for applying the global standard in the GDP network at Rhenus Air & Ocean. “We’re pursuing a clear plan to establish a completely GDP-certified, global life sciences and health care network. By having unified standards and solutions around the globe, we want to set standards in terms of service and quality,” says Stephan Dülk, Global Head of Life Sciences & Health Care at Rhenus Air & Ocean.
The Rhenus Group has been a long-standing logistics partner for life sciences and health care companies around the world. Its portfolio of services not only includes sector-specific air and ocean freight services but also temperature-controlled road transport operations for pharmaceutical products and more than 40,000 dedicated square metres of storage space for medicinal products, all of which are certified in line with the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) directives. Rhenus has a pharmaceutical production and wholesaler permit at several of its business sites and can therefore offer other sector-specific solutions and value-added services such as taking samples and repackaging items.
