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Hellmann Healthcare Logistics Hellmann Healthcare capabilities growing from strength to strength.
Hellmann Healthcare Logistics
Hellmann Healthcare Logistics is a strategic industry vertical of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. People, processes, infrastructure and digitalization are the foundation of Hellmann’s healthcare network and enabler to offer compliant, transparent and innovative transportation and distribution solutions.
Combining a risk-based approach and integration of secured digital solutions into supply chains, Hellmann offers qualified end-to-end transport with capabilities of real-time and proactive intervention. In the Middle East, Hellmann Healthcare Logistics gained a leadership position by operating a proven-and-tested hub concept for more than a decade, using UAE healthcare warehouses as distribution platforms for the region and Saudi healthcare warehouses for the national distribution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In April of this year, at the height of the start of the vaccinations against Covid19 pandemic, Hellmann Healthcare made the key strategic move to enter the UAE’s Hope Consortium to support global vaccine distribution efforts.
Six months down the lane Global Supply Chain set down with Anna Mansurova, Director
of Commercial, Hellmann Calipar
Healthcare Logistics, to reflect on the developments in the regional Healthcare industry.
Global Supply Chain (GSC): The past almost two years have been unprecedented and like no other with the onset and continuity of the pandemic. What is your brief assessment of the impact of the pandemic on your business to date and your performance in 2021?
Anna Mansurova (AM): 2021 has been a year of switching gears, as the world rolled out vaccination programs.
Hellmann Healthcare contributed greatly to those efforts, supporting vaccine distributions in the UAE, Asia, Europe and Latin America. In Russia for example, as we speak, we are in the middle of an audit by local government authorities to qualify our healthcare logistics processes and infrastructure for the vaccine distribution. Our Healthcare teams are very proud to have been part of this journey, which we see transitioning now to becoming the new normal.
On the front of Healthcare Supply Chains, companies with Regional Hub strategy did very well, with minor to no disruption in the supply of critical products. The challenge was and remains increased transport costs due to the reduced capacity.
As pandemic shifted focus from cost optimization to business continuity, we see increased interest from the healthcare companies in the regional Hub approach. In the pharmaceutical manufacturing space, local manufacturing capacity in the UAE is increasing through CMO (contract manufacturing) deals and set up of the new vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
To support these developments, Healthcare industry will rely greatly on specialized healthcare logistics solutions providers and this is where Hellmann Healthcare expertise is.
GSC: Tell us more about developments of Hellmann Healthcare capabilities in the Middle East region.
AM: Hellmann’s regional Hub capabilities has been growing from strength to strength. This year addition to our services has been Aggregation capabilities in view of compliance with NHRA, Bahrain aggregation requirements.
We successfully delivered required reporting at the aggregation level on time with the originally announced deadline of October 2021. This year as well marks successful delivery of the high-volume kitting project, where 200,000 medical kits were assembled and shipped in the span of 7 days.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hellmann Healthcare has entered the strategic joint venture, this means next year we will be able to offer high-quality healthcare warehousing and distribution operations across the Kingdom. This is important as we see an increased interest from the healthcare companies in the reliable partner able to offer compliant and flexible solutions.
Our freight forwarding solutions out of India, has been growing, mainly focus has been on exports into United States and Europe. Hellmann further expended their healthcare quality and commercial teams who together with our product to continue to innovate on solution front. This year marked opening of our office in Egypt. In the short span of 8 months, we are ready to support the Healthcare industry, leveraging our regional structure and UAE competency center. Healthcare Quality Management system has been rolled out together with the employee GDP training.
We are very fortunate to have close relationships with our customers, where we expand our collaboration across the region. Seeing our companies growing together over the span of 11 years is a true testimony of the solutions, yet most importantly relationships that we had developed.
GSC: In the context of developments, you just described, How important is now the Pharma-Cold Chain logistics sector within the wider Hellmann Logistics portfolio?
AM: Prior to pandemic Cold chain logistics has been expected to be the key growth driver in the industry, this growth will be accelerated now due to the increased requirement from vaccine sector. This is evident by the innovations in the solutions space arena from passive and active packaging suppliers, rolling out new container solutions and increasing their manufacturing capacity.
As major healthcare companies take pledge to reduce their carbon footprint, it will be interesting to see developments in the Middle East region solution space on the re-use or reverse logistics solutions to support those goals.
GSC: What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for the company in the region going forward?
AM: It is an exciting time to be in the Healthcare logistics in the Middle East. Next to responding to logistics challenges posed by pandemic, region is further progressing with the role out of serialization compliance with UAE and Qatar mandating compliance in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
In the UAE this will transform visibility, security, safety and reliability of the pharmaceutical supply chain, reducing counterfeits and sub-standard medicines. Next to the new capabilities that will be required in the logistics sector throughout all supply chain stakeholders it will be interesting to see how regulations will evolve considering improved visibility.
Further opportunities will remain in offering solutions that respond to healthcare company needs for greater flexibility, visibility, and carbon footprint reduction. Hellmann Healthcare continue to innovate in those domains, with recent addition of CO2 monitoring capabilities to our smart visibility solutions. These capabilities are beyond reporting, yet intelligent assessment and recommendation for the best Supply Chain routes considering Temperature route risk assessments and carbon footprint, all supported by Hellmann’s digital solutions.
Healthcare is the strategic industry within Hellmann group and we will continue our sharp focus on our customer needs, responding with innovative solution and supported by caring and knowledgeable team of healthcare logistics professionals.
Anna Mansurova
Anna Mansurova is Director of Commercial at Hellmann Calipar Healthcare Logistics, a global logistics company and specialized solution provider for the Healthcare industry. Based in Dubai, Anna heads commercial strategy of the company and solution development for the regional healthcare supply chains.
With 12+ years of experience, her healthcare journey started in operations in 2010 when Hellmann established its first regional Healthcare Distribution centre in Dubai. Since then, Anna has held number of operational and leadership roles, worked on various supply chain models, gained profound knowledge of the GDP environment and established diverse healthcare network.
Today, Hellmann Healthcare has developed into the market leader in the regional Healthcare logistics with the highly qualified and knowledgeable team.
