dnata obtains CEIV Pharma certification at DWC

dnata has received the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for its pharma-handling processes at its Dubai World Central (DWC) facility. The UAE-based company’s facility at Dubai International (DXB) is already CEIV Pharma-certified.

According to dnata, it has significantly invested over the past few years in infrastructure and equipment to enhance its pharma capabilities. The cold storage areas in the cargo facilities are modular and enable teams to manage changing handling demands with dedicated climate control capability. Web-based monitoring systems allow for real-time management of all areas. dnata also began using cool dollies to ensure seamless delivery of temperature-sensitive goods from the warehouse to the aircraft.

“Air cargo has been playing an increasing role in the transportation of temperature-sensitive cargo, including pharmaceutical products,” said Bernd Struck, senior vice president of UAE cargo and DWC airline services at dnata. “We constantly enhance our operations to meet the growing demand, and invest in cutting-edge technologies to provide the highest possible value to our customers.”

IATA’s CEIV Pharma certification sets a common standard for the handling of pharmaceutical products, with the aim of improving the overall supply chain for these temperature-sensitive shipments. “Improving industry logistics networks to achieve supply chain excellence increasingly requires transparency and cooperation amongst all supply chain partners to provide the high-quality services customers demand to ultimately safeguard patient safety,” said Glyn Hughes, global head of cargo at IATA.

Across the two Dubai airports, dnata handled 3,130 tonnes of pharmaceutical products in the financial year 2018-19. Outside of the UAE, dnata has achieved the CEIV Pharma certification in Amsterdam (AMS), Dallas (DFW), Singapore (SIN) and Toronto (YYZ), as well as the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification in Amsterdam (AMS), London (LHR), Manchester (MAN), Singapore (SIN) and Zurich (ZRH).