MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL Group, announced it is celebrating 10 years as a dedicated Life Science Competency Center, out of the approximately 60 years it has been in operation in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Additionally, this year it is opening four new temperature-controlled storage chambers in San Juan. The 6,792-sq ft DHL warehouse was expanded to six times its original size into environmentally-controlled cold chambers.

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“Through our investments, we have shown we believe in Puerto Rico’s growth potential, and we are confident we are part of the engine that can help it regain its solid economic footing in the global marketplace,” said David Bang, global head of DHL Temperature Management Solutions/CEO LifeConEx, DHL Global Forwarding. “Given its strategic location, Puerto Rico has been an important launch point for DHL to the Americas, Europe and Asia, and as one of the DHL certified life science stations, it provides services and coverage to more than 2,000 trade lane pairings in secure and compliant manner.”

Operating for close to six decades as Air Express International, in 2016 alone, DHL Global Forwarding invested close to $1 million in the market. In 2007, San Juan became a part of DHL’s Life Science Competency Center global network, comprised of more than 100 Centers worldwide.

Most recently, it invested in dividing its current warehouse in San Juan into three independently-operated cold chambers with a combined capacity of 480 pallets. Each of the three chambers operates at 15 to 25° C and has 100 percent redundant refrigeration systems. The chambers also have a hot gas injection system to maintain required relative humidity levels during operation. Additionally, the company offers one chamber operating at 2 to 8°C, with a combined capacity of 90 pallets. The renovated cold chambers are part of the TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Facilities (CCSF) program, which allows for on-site cargo screening and compliance auditing.

“Within the last decade, pharmaceutical companies have increasingly invested in Puerto Rico, and these companies need a strong network and cold chain infrastructure to handle their delicate medicines and pharmaceutical products,” said Frank Cascante, head of Business Development Americas for DHL Temperature Management Solutions, DHL Global Forwarding. “DHL Global Forwarding has expanded to meet the growing needs of this important pharmaceutical market by offering it our cutting-edge temperature-controlled services.”

In the second quarter of 2017, the DHL Global Forwarding San Juan facility will join the 30 DHL stations worldwide to be awarded the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) in Pharmaceutical Logistics certification. San Juan is already an accredited Qualified Envirotainer Partner (QEP), endorsing DHL Global Forwarding’s management of shipments moving in Envirotainer containers. It is also a part of DHL Global Forwarding’s Air Thermonet network, a global Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standard for time– and temperature-sensitive air freight shipments, providing seamless temperature visibility along the supply chain.

As part of its customer-centric focus, in 2016 the company launched a series of free customer workshops, aimed at further equipping its customers to stay up to date on the recent logistics trends, changes and compliance topics impacting their businesses. One free workshop is planned for each quarter of 2017.

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DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 340,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and health care, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world.”

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 59 billion euros in 2015.
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