AstraZeneca awards logistics contract to Yusen Logistics 02 October 2017

AstraZeneca has awarded a contract extension to Yusen Logistics for the global distribution of its products. The contract extension covers existing road business, air and sea volumes handled by Yusen Logistics. As a Strategic Global Freight Partner to AstraZeneca, Yusen handles product throughout the manufacturing process, from active ingredient and bulk materials to prescription drugs.

The Yusen solution is based around its European Pharma Superhighway road network, with movements managed by its 'Control Tower'. This allows centralised planning of pan-European transport movements to maximise vehicle utilisation and reduce costs, whilst ensuring product integrity at all times.

The Control Tower also manages air movements via strategic gateways at Schiphol, Frankfurt and Chicago, as well as ocean movements to and from Europe, supported by Yusen’s GDP licenced warehouses in Antwerp and the UK, which deliver strategic storage and Customs Clearance capabilities.

The Pharma Superhighway currently carries circa 250,000 pallets for AstraZeneca, all of which are real time tracked with full temperature monitoring, from its manufacturing plants and third party manufacturers to over 100 destinations in Europe and 50 countries worldwide.

The two companies have been working in close partnership since 2007, when Yusen Logistics was appointed to work with AstraZeneca on the creation of a lean supply chain. Since that time, Yusen has consistently demonstrated year on year cost savings and service enhancements.