Cargo Talk Feb2021 (2) - Flipbook - Page 27
SUPPLYCHAIN TALK
even prior to the pandemic. Given
the highly complex nature of
pharmaceutical supply chains, there
would not be a one size-fits-all
solution. The current unprecedented
environment has forced many
stakeholders in the supply chain to
think differently and focus on the
basics. The re-opening of economies
will lead to different industries
competing for the limited capacity
available on aircraft. Given this
situation, airlines might adopt a policy
‘go where the money is’ in assigning
cargo spaces. Notwithstanding this,
there is a continued need to enhance
supply chain integrity, improve endto-end supply chain visibility coupled
with seamless handshakes amongst
the players in the air cargo supply
chain to ensure the timely
and effective distribution of
pharmaceutical shipments.”
Commenting on the technology part,
Rao adds, “Air cargo industry is at a very
nascent stage in terms of technology.
We need to develop more smart
solutions for tracking, monitoring and
smooth coordination between various
stakeholders of the supply chain.
Integration of artificial intelligence
and other technologies may present
unique opportunities for further supply
chain innovation.”
“Another challenge is to achieve air
cargo charter costs as low as regular
belly flight space, airlines have worked
out a formula of transporting mix
density cargo to attain better revenue
and handling companies have also
come forward with reduced handling
rates. Although warehousing, loading,
unloading building, x-ray costs are still
higher,” he adds.
Rao is optimistic that with more
competition in the segments, the prices
will eventually reduce.
COVID-19 Vaccine
rollout
The vaccine rollout has begun
across the world and India has
kicked off a leg in the fight against
the pandemic by flying Covishield
and Covaxin to different parts of
the country.
Raghunath shares
the challenge in the colossal task
of moving vaccine worldwide. He
says, “Temperature excursions, lack
of adequate infrastructure such
as cold chain, cargo supply chain,
transparency about the condition of
the shipment, availability of cargo
space and transportation from port
to delivery point are key challenges
that need to be addressed. Apart from
cold chain and supply chain issues,
countries would need to prepare and
train their health workforce, deploy
digital tracking systems, ensure safety
surveillance protocols are in place and
undertake community preparedness
activities. BLR Airport is equipped
to handle smooth processing of
vaccines because of its state-of-theart infrastructure with a temperaturecontrolled cargo terminal capacity
of 60,000 MTPA and 25 dedicated
cold storage rooms with adjustable
temperature ranges from -25 to +25
degree Celsius.”
“The industry could face a shortage of
airfreight capacity, especially for certain
key corridors where vaccines are being
produced as well as hub locations
where vaccines are stored,” says Singh,
in adding “Already a challenge is the
lack of dry ice and the safety procedures
around producing dry ice, hence several
stakeholders in the supply chain are
now planning to produce dry ice. The
product integrity of vaccines must be
maintained throughout the supply
chain to ensure patient safety.
This requires a great deal of infrastructure
to be in place. Especially challenging is
the vaccine from Pfizer which needs
to be stored and transported at a
temperature of -70 °C. Final leg delivery
to hospitals and storage at hospitals is
critical as most countries’ cold chain
infrastructure is not built around
such temperatures.”
Singh further lists a set of challenges:
The temperature requirements are
also affected by extreme weather
conditions and the complexity of
routings for the vaccines. In order to
move such large quantities, there will be
potential shortages of certain equipment
and issues with the positioning of
empty equipment.
Beside the pharmaceutical industry,
we also have to consider all other
industries involved in vaccine
distribution, who will also be heavily
challenged for supply, such as glass vial
producers, the packing industry or the
labelling industry.
Vaibhav Vohra
Managing Director, Continental Carriers and
Face of the Future - India Cargo Awards 2017
Pharmaceutical supply
chain requires logical,
realistic and flexible
solutions to overcome
challenges related to timely
distribution. Organised
logistics network,
digitised supply chain, a
high-end tracking system
are important
Requisites
The cold chain requires three
major pieces of infrastructure:
planes, trucks and cold storage
and warehouses.
Currently, the world is capable
of producing and distributing
around 6.4 billion flu vaccines
per year.
FEBRUARY - 2021
CARGOTALK 27
