VIE and K+N ink partnership on pharma handling

According to the agreement, logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel has become a ‘preferred partner’ of the Vienna Pharma Handling Center. This guarantees the company exclusive areas within the new facility for processing their own shipments. The contract has the potential to catapult Vienna Airport into the major league of European pharma hubs.

In a release, K+N points out that all services such as packaging, storage, loading and unloading of temperature-controlled shipments can now be done in an exclusive handling area. This will “further enhance the service levels for our customers from the pharma & healthcare industry in Austria and the neighboring countries,” emphasizes Heiko Schuhmacher, Regional Airfreight Manager at Kuehne + Nagel.
The daily guaranteed minimum capacity for K+N comprises several dozen Euro pallets, illustrates Peter Kleemann, Head of Corporate Communications at the Austrian hub. Responsible for the physical handling of the temp sensitive items is the airport’s dedicated ground handling team.

Direct apron access
Patrick Mair, National Airfreight Manager at Kuehne + Nagel Austria, mentions an additional benefit of the partnership: “The facility is situated directly at the apron with very short tarmac distances to all aircraft positions. This enables a continuous cold chain for our shipments and seamless, temperature-controlled transportation to and from the aircraft, which was not previously available at Vienna International Airport."
Vienna Airport’s Pharma Handling Center (VPHC), which opened its doors last December, is part of the larger Air Cargo Center and directly accessible from both, land and airside areas. The state-of-the-art facility us equipped with two separate temperature-controlled areas: A 1,600 sqm CRT (Controlled Room Temperature) area for the handling of pharmaceuticals at 15 - 25°C und an additional 153 sqm for the storage, build-up and break down of 2° - 8°C shipments. The airport has invested about €1.8 million in the new pharma facility.

Vienna’s USP
According to VIE’s website, the new Pharma Handling Center is the only cool facility at any airport in Southeast Europe offering full end-to end pharma services from a single source.
From Kuehne + Nagel’s perspective, Vienna seems to be a good pick. The Austrian capital is ideally located at the European crossroads between north and south, east and west. This benefits road feeder services because customers in Central and Eastern Europe or the Balkan countries can be serviced by cool trucks within 24h or 36h. Moreover, Vienna Airport offers abundant flight connections to the Middle East, Asia and North America.
Final remarks from Julian Jaeger, member of the Management Board (COO) of airport operator Flughafen Wien AG: “We are delighted that Kuehne + Nagel relies on our flexibility and operational excellence.”

Heiner Siegmund