DHL Global Forwarding has expanded its Life Sciences & Healthcare facility in Leipzig by approximately 2,500sq m.

The Deutsche Post DHL Group subsidiary said the expansion was part of its response in meeting the logistical requirements related to importing and exporting Covid-19 vaccines in Germany. A DHL Global Forwarding facility in Frankfurt am Main was also recently expanded in terms of capacity and equipment. And DHL has achieved IATA CEIV Pharma recertification for its GxP (good practice) facilities in Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Leipzig.

Close to Leipzig Airport, the newly-expanded facility houses equipment for storing and handling temperature-controlled pharmaceutical and medical products, such as vaccines.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we have observed a strong increase in demand for pharmaceutical products and goods. Given the good news regarding the development of Covid-19 vaccinations, this demand is likely to increase even further in the coming months,” said DHL Global Forwarding in Germany CEO Tobias Schmidt.

“That is why we prepared for this scenario early on and put everything in place to be able to respond effectively and efficiently. We also benefit from the fact that DHL Global Forwarding Germany is already very experienced in handling and transporting temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipments. We have a tight network that meets all the strict regulatory requirements in place.

“The current Covid-19 health emergency serves as a reminder to all of us how essential it is to have high quality standards in place for the transportation and storage of drugs and pharmaceutical products. Our customers’ product safety is our top priority, which is why we at DHL attach great importance to continuously improving our service quality.

“Our IATA CEIV Pharma recertification shows that our efforts are bearing fruit and we are a reliable partner for the shipment of structurally complex and temperature-sensitive drugs.”