ETH Cargo earns CEIV Pharma certification

ETH Cargo Services last month became the first member of the Puerto Rico Life Sciences Air Cargo Community to achieve IATA CEIV Pharma certification. IATA certifies organizations that meet its pharmaceuticals transportation standards, which address timing and temperature control . The certification ensures that facilities, equipment, operations and staff meet pharmaceutical manufacturers’ needs and expectations and comply with national and international regulations and standards, according to IATA. The IATA ONE Source platform, which provides capability and infrastructure information about air cargo organizations, lists 504 CEIV Pharma-certified organizations. “The CEIV Pharma certification is a guarantee that we handle our customers’ cargo in line with industry standards, ensuring it arrives intact and avoiding any damage,” Sascha Herzig, president of Carolina, Puerto Rico-based ETH Cargo, said in a release from the Puerto Rico Life Sciences Air Cargo Community (PRLSACC). “ETH Cargo has handled temperature-controlled pharma cargo for many years, some of which is life-saving medication. It is paramount that we keep the integrity of the cool chain, and this certification is proof of our dedication to doing just that.” Community plans CEIV training The Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC) rallied for government funding to invest in CEIV certifications across the community, securing an 80% subsidy for eight initial organizations. The exact amount of the subsidy was not disclosed, but DEDC adviser Jonas van Stekelenburg told Air Cargo Next that it is more than $10,000 total. The eight PRLSACC members working toward CEIV Pharma certification for their Puerto Rico operations, according to van Stekelenburg, are: GMD Airline Services , a ground handler; Prime Air ; CBX Global , a forwarder; Expeditors ; Cesar Castillo LLC , a warehouse operator; Isla Frio Refrigeration , a warehouse operator; American Airlines ; and FedEx . ETH Cargo will participate in training initiatives hosted by the community for smaller organizations in Puerto Rico, according to the release. “So far, we have had, during a community meeting, a master class from Johnson & Johnson ,” van Stekelenburg said. “We have had information meetings about CEIV by IATA and by the community. We are in the middle of developing the training program [for] smaller companies, like truckers, smaller forwarders and warehouse operators.” ‘Hidden gem’ of the pharma supply chain Puerto Rico is the No. 1 bioscience manufacturing hub in the United States by export volume. Twelve of the world’s 20 top-grossing pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Amgen and AbbVie , operate on the island, with eight of the 15 globally top-selling biopharmaceutical products manufactured in Puerto Rico , according to the DEDC. Twelve of the top 20 medical device companies have manufacturing sites on the island, including Medtronic , CooperVision and Boston Scientific . The life sciences air and sea cargo industry in Puerto Rico earned nearly $60 billion in 2022, DEDC business development officer David Perez-Larson previously told Air Cargo Next . The PRLSACC, which launched in May 2023, predicts a 24% year-over-year growth in life sciences exports from the island over the next three years, according to a release from the community. The statistics were drawn from a report by the Boston Consulting Group and from the community’s data dashboard , which aggregates sources such as air cargo imports and exports, and air trade demand between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States. The dashboard was developed by software developer Rotate .

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