FedEx has been serving healthcare customers for over 30 years and is significantly active in the healthcare industry, designing specific, innovative and flexible solutions for its customers, particularly hospitals.
To meet the needs of healthcare professionals in the EMEA, FedEx has developed a variety of new and innovative technologies and temperature sensitive solutions, as well as developing a strong portfolio of capabilities to meet the healthcare industry’s evolving and expanding needs, as part of the global FedEx Healthcare Strategy.
The FedEx Healthcare portfolio
Global biopharma cold chain services are transforming healthcare worldwide through access to life saving medications and technologies. The industry is projected to grow to $9.3 billion in 2017,[1] thus highlighting its importance to the global healthcare industry.
FedEx serves the healthcare sector throughout every corner of the globe. However, there is a strong focus on Europe, as it is one of the largest consumer markets and houses five of the principal pharma-manufacturing exporters’ headquarters. As a result, FedEx follows developments closely so that it can remain ahead of demand.
FedEx offers customers, including hospitals, a wide range of temperature controlled solutions. The FedEx range of shipping solutions includes one of the broadest dry ice capabilities in the world, with re-icing at major hubs and ramps in EMEA.
The following products and services form part of the FedEx healthcare portfolio:
1. SenseAware®
SenseAware is a breakthrough innovation and is the first product that was designed specifically for the healthcare industry, where the need is most critical. From biological manufacturing items to pharmaceuticals to clinical trials, items requiring cool or cold chain shipping are important, sensitive and difficult to replace. SenseAware provides near real-time access to a package’s vital statistics within the in-transit supply chain or as part of stationary inventory monitoring, and has the ability to share that information continually across global supply chain stakeholders.
With SenseAware, FedEx provides healthcare professionals with the ability to check the status of a shipment including, tracking the temperature, barometric pressure and humidity of the package. Furthermore, a multi-sensor device, integrated with a web-based application, allows customers to stay connected to their critical shipments. The service provides a customer with the shipments current location (when travelling on the ground), as well as notifications if a shipment’s contents have been exposed to light. A comprehensive service is provided, which is vital in the clinical trials field, as it is one of the most demanding and challenging sectors within the healthcare industry.
2. FedEx Priority Alert® and FedEx Priority Alert Plus(TM)
FedEx Priority Alert, provides an extra layer of visibility and security. FedEx Priority Alert and FedEx Priority Alert Plus(TM) both offer specialised shipping services for critical shipments including personalised 24-hour support from a team of dedicated global service specialists.
3. FedEx® Cold Shipping Solution
This innovative cold shipping packaging option can be used in conjunction with SenseAware and FedEx Priority Alert and brings significant benefits to the healthcare industry. Easy to use, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly, this patented system, built by NanoCool, achieves a temperature of 4°C in less than five minutes without the use of gel packs or dry ice and is designed to maintain a shipments temperature between 2°C –8°C.
The packaging device maintains its exacting ‘cold ship’ temperature requirements with a special cooling system that evaporates water over time, a process that is activated by merely pressing a button inside the box.
How the FedEx Portfolio is relevant to hospital healthcare
FedEx constantly strives to break new ground, as its customers continually seek to push the boundaries, particularly in the healthcare industry. The hospital market is expected to be the main driver of growth in Western European markets, with increasing investment in expensive, innovative products to treat chronic diseases, such as cancer. Experts expect the global healthcare market to grow by 6% a year to 20 trillion $US by 2030[2] and FedEx aims to support this growth through continuous innovation.
Healthcare is a dynamic industry, especially regarding the increasing levels of globalisation and new drugs continually being introduced on the market. FedEx recognises the need to collaborate, and be part of hospitals’ supply chains, whilst designing innovative solutions to fit their needs – keeping up with the evolution of the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
FedEx Express has a strong market presence with more than 11,000 customers in all aspects of healthcare, and therefore aims to provide hospitals confidence, security and safety through its reliable secure and safe shipping options for their specialised products.
By offering a wide range of temperature-controlled packaging solutions, parcel to air freight and from traditional dry ice capabilities, FedEx not only provides a flexible service for hospitals but ensures innovative green technologies, whilst meeting strict regulatory control.
When shipping healthcare goods with FedEx, the healthcare industry, including hospitals can benefit from: door-to-door service from one company, complete access to the FedEx system for shipment tracking, re-routing, full custodial control and documented audit trail, as well as global expertise in customs clearance.
Recently, the independently owned and operated specialised cancer diagnostics laboratory, CSI Laboratories introduced SenseAware as the laboratory was concerned that irreplaceable tissue biopsies and bone marrow samples could be delayed past the 48-hour viability window while on route to the testing facility. From using the SenseAware service, CSI Laboratories was able to ensure time-critical samples arrived on time. This is just one way in which FedEx and hospitals can work together to ensure healthcare services goes beyond expectations.
References
- Pharmaceutical Commerce’s Biopharma Cold Chain Sourcebook, 4th edition.
- Source: http://www.rolandberger.com/media/press/ releases/511press_archive2011_sc_content/steadily_growing_healthcare_market_offers.html.
