The partnership between multinational pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy’s and Dachser, one of the global leaders in system logistics, started in 2011 in Hyderabad, India, when the supply chain tender was awarded to Dachser India. Soon afterwards, Dachser South Africa delivered the first local shipment and has since supported the continuous growth of Dr Reddy’s in the country.
As a wholly-owned subsidiary, the South African Dr Reddy’s operation is now one of the leading generics companies in South Africa, with products focusing on key therapeutic areas and specialist care. Ravie Chetty, Head of Supply Chain of Dr Reddy’s says, “We accelerate access to affordable and innovative medicines, led by our core philosophy – Good Health Can’t Wait. As a leader in the pharmaceutical industry, we have the ethical and moral imperative to ensure good health can be delivered to those who need it and excellent logistics is a critical part of that process. Dachser has been an invaluable supply chain partner as we’ve expanded our operations here.”
Dachser South Africa Managing Director Detlev Duve says, “We have successfully been arranging tailor-made transport solutions for Dr Reddy’s for nearly a decade, focusing on the requirements of both current and new products in the company’s expanding range. Our services include all air and sea freight imports, customs clearing with off-site cold storage, and sub-contracted local deliveries.”
Duve explains that shipping pharmaceuticals is a very regulated field and that Life Science and Healthcare (LSH) has become an important specialist sector for Dachser globally and in South Africa. “Pharmaceutical products are both temperature and time-sensitive, requiring meticulous, accurate, and high standards in monitoring and handling to ensure product quality is maintained,” says Duve. “Our specialist teams are focused on ensuring that temperature control is consistent throughout the entire supply chain to preserve the integrity of the shipment. The security and privacy of pharmaceutical products is also a priority.”
Globally, Dachser has the know-how in handling pharma products and is certified for pharmaceutical shipments on three continents by CEIV Pharma certification from IATA. While Dachser South Africa is still in the process of obtaining this certification, the company has developed a close partnership with an approved service provider to offer Dr Reddy’s a specialist level of logistics performance at every stage of the local supply chain. “We draw from a pool of global knowledge and we regularly review the procedures for handling temperature-controlled pharma/life science shipments with our subcontractor. Our employees have the appropriate know-how and essential training is provided to Dachser staff at regular intervals. We’re looking forward to expanding our client portfolio in this area.”
