VACCINE LOGISTICS
Rafed an Abu Dhabi Ports collaborate on UAE’s Cold Store Distribution Centre Centre is the UAE’s largest Health & Medical Supplies facility
R
afed, the recently established healthcare procurement company, and Abu Dhabi Ports, the region’s premier facilitator of logistics, transport, and trade, have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly launch the largest healthcare and medical supplies cold store distribution centre in the UAE. Under the strategic collaboration agreement, Abu Dhabi Ports will deliver a state-of-the-art warehouse and inventory management solution for upstream, midstream and downstream operations as Rafed’s fourth-party logistics service provider. Both Abu Dhabi Ports Group and Rafed are members of the Hope Consortium launched last week. Spearheaded by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, the consortium represented a public-private partnership and offers a complete supply chain solution to address vaccine transport, demand planning, sourcing, training, and digital technology infrastructure, and facilitate vaccine availability across the world, it was revealed in a press communiqué.
Technologically advanced The new distribution centre will be the largest, most technologically advanced centre in the UAE. The partnership will provide stakeholders with streamlined services and synergies across multiple business areas, specifically enabling them to deliver pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and consumables across the local and regional supply chains. Both Abu Dhabi Ports Group and Rafed are members of the Hope Consortium launched last week. Spearheaded by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, the consortium represents a public-private partnership and offers a complete supply chain solution to address vaccine transport, demand planning, sourcing, training,
Rafed and ADP collaborate to store and transport the pandemic vaccines.
and digital technology infrastructure, and facilitate vaccine availability across the world. “As part of our strategy, we are creating a new business model that enhances the procurement process of the healthcare sector that is primed for future growth and deliver exceptional value, efficiency and quality,” commented Rashed Saif Al Qubaisi, CEO, Rafed. “Rafed’s agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports as their sole provider of logistics services is a testament to our capabilities and expertise in efficiently managing end-to-end supply chain and associated value added services to support the healthcare sector across the country,” remarked Robert Sutton, Head of Logistics Cluster, Abu Dhabi Ports.
Enhanced logistics capabilities Abu Dhabi Ports recently announced its enhanced logistics capabilities for the storage and distribution of more than 70mn Covid-19 vaccines at its dedicated 19,000sqm temperature-controlled warehouse facility in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD).
The technologically advanced facility is equipped to store vaccines and other pharmaceutical products at a temperature range of 2 to 8 degrees as well as the more extreme range of -80 degrees. The facility is equipped with temperature and humidity systems monitored digitally via a control dashboard.
Ensuring availability and quality Rafed aims to ensure the availability and quality of essential goods and services for Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector, which include pharmaceuticals, equipment, diagnostics and consumables, and to reduce operating costs for healthcare providers. As a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), Rafed specialises primarily in healthcare procurement which includes supplier sourcing and contract management, procurement ordering services, warehousing, and distribution. Rafed was developed by and is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy JANUARY 2021 51
