The 25th anniversary of this flagship life sciences event brought together industry leaders to discuss supply chains of the future. Pharma is undergoing a change: moving from a reliance on air freight to considering the role ocean – and its significant cost savings – plays in building resilient and transparent supply chains.
At the Maersk masterclass “Accelerating air to sea conversion through asset control”, featuring our customer Pfizer, we discussed what matters to pharma today… and what’s critical for success tomorrow. Here’s what you need to know:
Quality and visibility are non-negotiable
One prevailing theme from LogiPharma was the critical importance of quality and visibility. But how can this be maintained if some areas of the supply chain are outside of your influence? A ‘shock-proof’ supply chain is only possible with asset control. Maersk has designed an end-to-end solution for pharma, from filling containers through to the final mile.
Our integrated network combines owned assets on the ground, sea, air and terminals, plus the world’s largest reefer fleet. And we’ve designed processes just for pharma, including where containers are stored on vessels to ensure they can be attended to at any time.
We’re challenging the status quo: you can now book your shipment end to end with a one-stop shop. Visibility is the backbone of our pharma solution and we’re striving for operational excellence. We’re providing more control over cargo through our assets, and we can make recommendations to make supply chains more efficient through insights-driven advice.
Visibility helped engage internal stakeholders: this was the counter-argument for ‘why not ocean’. We had an ocean journey before Maersk, but the investigations were long. You could get reefer data, but it could take a long time. To expand the ocean programme to more sensitive products we needed reassurance. We implemented real-time monitoring but there were still black spots. That’s where Maersk came in: they have control in the terminals and owned assets.
The Internet of Things helps prevent risk
The Internet of Things (IoT) is considered one of the biggest and most relevant trends in pharma today, though only around 60% of companies have seen full adoption. Its use is critical in ocean freight too: intelligent sensors enable the avoidance of risk and quick reactions if challenges arise. At Maersk, our reefer fleet is equipped with Remote Container Management (RCM) tech that communicates whenever it’s plugged into power, giving readings on temperature, humidity and location. Customers can then log into Captain Peter, our web application that allows them to check the status of every shipment, putting them firmly in control.
You need a plan B… and a plan C
Another theme was clear at LogiPharma: certainty and peace of mind are vital. Visibility is only useful if you can actually action your findings. To overcome this, Maersk designed Hypercare for pharma: a dedicated team of GDP-trained professionals who supervise cargo from a control tower location.
They frequently source container data and liaise with ground teams to minimise issues, including raising pre-alerts for containers that need prioritising. And, in the event a container cannot communicate, our on-ground team captures data to ensure nothing is compromised.
When there’s an issue, Maersk can call the terminal, and they’re an authority that will be listened to. We started with 8 lanes and have expanded to over 100. We’ve even launched a new product on ocean, because the confidence has built. We’ve seen a good state of control, investigation times have been significantly reduced, and we can get data quickly.
With disruption rife, some in the industry are extending contingency planning to include evaluating backup ports and routes. Maersk’s vast network can provide multiple operational trade routes on key lanes, offering the ability to pivot quickly.
Reduced power-off times at ports
Maersk is using its huge wealth of data to help minimise overall power-off times, and we’re seeing improvements in many different ports. For example, Montreal Terminal power-off time for pharma cargo is now 0.9 hours, versus 2.2 hours for standard cargo. Not only do lower outage times reduce risk, but the data allows pharmaceutical companies to make more informed decisions on how to pack containers depending on the destination port and how long the power-off is likely to be.
Best practices for successful sea shipping
Masterclass attendees were keen to explore the right ways to load reefer containers to ensure the best airflow. After investigating our data, Maersk recommends adding airbags around the sides rather than loading directly against the container wall.
Some customers like Pfizer use thermal blankets, and Thomas Fant said that “the data so far has been good” regarding not harming circulation. But the location of the data sensors themselves is also critical.
If you set the data logger facing the container wall and the sun shines on it, it may give a different picture: it’s not the ambient air with a higher temperature reading, it’s the container wall. So you could get the wrong impression from the data.
Maersk is happy to consult with customers on an individual basis to give specific insights, recommendations and benchmarks, including the best loading practices to maintain your product integrity.
Changing temperatures on the go
Attendees discussed whether it’s possible to change container temperatures during the ocean journey – and the answer is yes! Maersk can even tweak the temperature while at deep sea and, depending upon the weather conditions, these changes can often be attended to immediately. On a trial run from Rotterdam to Singapore, when approaching the Cape of Good Hope, a Maersk customer asked for a shift from +20°C to +4°C. It took just 3 hours to successfully make that change.
Direct relationships improve the flow of data
Some customers choose to book directly with Maersk, while others work with global freight forwarders. Monitoring via Captain Peter is available to any customer that books reefer with Maersk, but an indirect relationship can create limitations.
The really detailed data is only part of our direct package because we want to understand your requirements in detail and set up a bespoke solution. With forwarders, we don’t always know what they’re putting in the containers. That creates challenges… so, to overcome these and respond to requirements in the right way, we like to establish direct relationships with customers.
And finally… no one can do this alone!
Against a backdrop of ongoing disruption, we need collaboration to ensure supply chain success. Lasting partnerships that can co-innovate, challenge the status quo and transform the way we all do business. Maersk takes this long-term view with our customers, looking beyond short-term transactional activity to drive the changes that the pharma industry needs to see, all the way.
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