DHL expands its global presence in vaccine logistics

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has been contracted for the vaccine distribution to Japan. 

With this order, the company is further expanding its global presence in vaccine logistics. The first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines arrived end of last week. Further shipments will be delivered in various batches by air from the DHL Global Forwarding hub in Belgium to Japan throughout the year. DHL also handles the customs clearance and delivery to a temporary storage facility in Japan, as well as dispatching the vaccines to vaccination facilities across Japan.

“The world has taken another milestone in effectively combating COVID-19 with the development of the vaccines. Now it is essential to make it available to as many people as possible”, says Tim Scharwath, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Freight. “Logistics plays a key role here. It is our job to get the vaccine to where it is urgently needed, and we accept the responsibility.”

To safely store the vaccine at -70 degrees until the final domestic delivery in Japan, deep freezers were installed at a DHL storage facility. Further, warehouse operations have been ramped up and this project will create additional job opportunities for local workers in the area.

“We are proud to play a role in helping the people of Japan receive their vaccinations for COVID-19, which has upended lives and businesses here. While DHL Global Forwarding’s well-established cold-chain network and pharmaceutical logistics expertise were key to the success of the shipment, our dedicated employees were the true unsung heroes who meticulously planned every last detail to manage an extremely complex operation seamlessly,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific.”