What have been the main highlights for Pharma.Aero in 2023?  

Pharma.Aero has seen significant organic growth and our membership has increased by 100% in the past three years, with DB Schenker being one of the latest members to join. Increased membership growth also means increasing the number and quality of projects and the expected delivery of those. 

The start of our Life Sciences Manufacturers Advisory Platform (LMAP) has also been a great highlight, and we now offer an open platform for life sciences companies to have conversations around priorities in their field and discuss challenges in the supply chain. It is a neutral and safe area for life sciences companies to drive value for the organization by identifying opportunities and challenges for us to focus on. LMAP has brought significant quality and attention to our organization. 

After the success of the last one in Singapore, we are excited about our fourth Pharma Logistics Masterclass held in Dallas in 2024. This Masterclass covers current critical aspects of pharma logistics and is a wonderful opportunity for seasoned professionals, policymakers, and academics in the business to gain more in-depth knowledge of how pharmaceutical supply chains are organized and what scientific methods can be applied to optimize logistics processes for the pharma and life sciences sector. 

How is Pharma.Aero helping to balance innovation with aerial regulation?

Pharma.Aero conducted a regulatory project, where we worked with IATA to streamline the Pharma CEIV certification based on the feedback and insights provided by our CEIV Pharma-certified members. In its first phase, the project aimed to evaluate how CEIV Pharma-certified companies perceive the impact of the CEIV certification on their daily business and the value that the certification has brought. We then rolled out a second phase of this project, further exploring concrete actions to implement some of the suggested potential solutions to optimize the program.

Another notable initiative is our first Green Air Pharma Logistics project to develop a set of standards and measurements to qualify and quantify a green air lane in the life sciences and medtech supply chain industry. The project focused on defining a green lane to support pharma manufacturers, shippers, and freight forwarders in their sustainability consideration during the lane assessment process and towards their Scope 3 decarbonization targets. It also provided important support for air cargo stakeholders in pursuing green air logistics initiatives as part of their Scope 1 decarbonization efforts. All our projects result in comprehensive technical reports that are shared exclusively with our Pharma.Aero members, followed by white papers that are available for the wider industry, as our mission, as Pharma.Aero, is to provide valuable industry insights and contribute to progress in our field.

Looking ahead, how important will pharmaceutical air cargo shipping be for the industry?

Resiliency in the supply chain is a big focus as instability can create huge issues, as we saw with the pandemic. Air shipping contributes to the resiliency of the supply chain and we will continue to focus on air, but we also understand that ocean freight will probably become the more dominant mode of transport over the next years due to lower costs, higher volumes that can be shipped, and environmental considerations. As an organization, we are fully aware of this shift, and we will put in the effort to understand these other modes of transport and support the logistics supply chain by connecting partners in the chain, whether it is by ocean, air, or road. 

How do you assess the health of the life sciences industry as we head into 2024?

There has been a reset on supply with currently significant capacity available. Pharma.Aero will invest further in presenting cross-industry collaboration to find additional initiatives and services for our partners, driving more top-quality projects. We are becoming more focused on the importance of data security and data quality as security requirements in the supply chain are becoming an increasingly common area for concern with the trend of digitalization. 

What is Pharma.Aero’s growth strategy moving forward? 

Pharma.Aero’s membership growth is a direct result of delivering high-value projects. We will continue to deliver this quality to our members, meeting and exceeding their expectations, and we will continue to drive efficiency and value with our association partners.