End-to-end thermal integrity
The life sciences industry is growing at a record pace.
According to McKinsey & Company, $150 billion in new capital projects have been announced through 2030. But with geopolitical instability, extreme weather, and increasing regulatory complexity, supply chain volatility is throttling global speed-to-market and impacting patient outcomes and brand reputations.
In today’s world, global supply chain logistics must be more than trustworthy. They must be designed for quality. DSV’s end-to-end cold-chain coverage ‘Air ThermoDirect’ offers industry-leading efficacy and safety, including:
- End-to-end temperature-controlled capabilities with active and passive cooling to preserve the stability budget of sensitive pharmaceuticals and biopharma products
- Full supply chain control with DSV AirDirect’s healthcare-dedicated air network
- Real-time monitoring and industry-leading lane assessment
This white paper provides an introduction to DSV’s cold chain logistics offerings – and why DSV’s leading pharma and biopharma customers trust us to ensure complete product integrity. From origin to destination.
Air ThermoDirect: A complete, global end-to-end solution
Air ThermoDirect leverages DSV’s Quality-by-Design (QbD) processes and comprehensive cold chain logistics solutions. From AirDirect, DSV’s own air network, to our specialised thermal packaging, temperature-controlled ground handling capabilities, and GxP compliant transport and warehousing solutions.
Key features
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GxP compliance
GxP compliance to the highest standard, including for transport and cargo handling solutions. -
End-to-end temperature-controlled
End-to-end temperature-controlled capabilities, preserving the stability budget. -
Healthcare-dedicated air network
DSV AirDirect’s healthcare-dedicated air network. -
Direct tarmac access and terminal handling
Direct tarmac access and terminal handling in a temperature-controlled environment with pallet build-up, break-down and storage. -
DSV owned or validated
DSV owned or rigorously validated and vetted 3rd party ground handling partner with direct DSV supervision on site. -
Real-time monitoring
Real-time monitoring via DSV’s global visibility solution. -
Industry-leading lane assessment
Industry-leading lane risk assessment.
To ensure thermal integrity, Air ThermoDirect relies on a thermal packaging system incorporating multi-layered thermal quilt packaging to maintain the temperature range (e.g. +2°C to +8°C) This offers flexibility in its modular design with the ability to deploy phase change materials (PCMs) increasing protection duration to over 5 hours without requiring an external power source or mechanical refrigeration in an ambient environment. The result: enhanced thermal protection for your product without an active cooling unit from the origin to its final destination.
The benefits of the DSV global end-to-end partnership
Life sciences supply chains are highly complex and fragmented. Our global end-to-end solutions reduce that complexity by ensuring direct control over freight - including pre- and on-carriage, ground handling, and airfreight – all within temperature-controlled environments without the need for active cooling units. Our partnerships with ground-handling agents safeguards the integrity of our process, even on the tarmac. With this end-to-end control comes greater scalability and operational agility – giving you a partner that can adapt to sudden changes in market demand.
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Lower operating costs
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End-to-end operational control
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Increased scalability and flexibility
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Reusability of the packaging materials through reverse logistics
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Reduced exposure to uncontrolled environments
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Decreased energy consumption and carbon footprint
End-to-end thermal integrity in practice
With DSV’s well-established temperature controlled-tarmac operations, you are assured end-to-end thermal integrity.
Every week one of our customers – a multinational pharmaceutical company – achieves 100% thermal compliance and zero product loss on the Trans-Atlantic AirDirect lane between Huntsville, U.S. and Luxembourg.
Origin
- At the U.S. origin, our customer prepares palletized 2–8°C freight in validated packaging and applies temperature loggers inside or on the packages; the freight is then loaded onto DSV’s temperature-controlled vehicles.
- Freight is transported directly to a DSV owned temperature-controlled facility air site facility, ensuring thermal conditions are maintained at 2–8°C throughout loading/off-loading process until reaches cold storage.
- Receiving process, pallet operations, and airport handling at DSV facility in 5°C controlled handling area – incl. documentation verification, import lot validation, visual inspection of shipment integrity. Load optimization and ULD (unit load device) built-up is performed inside the DSV owned temperature-controlled facility. Once built-up is completed, ULD thermal covers are applied including PCM boosters. The aircraft is pre-conditioned to a 5°C cargo hold set point prior to loading.
- ULD positions are transferred directly from the cooler to the aircraft, ensuring minimal tarmac exposure and controlled thermal chain continuity.
Transport by air
- Active temperature control during the non-stop flight from U.S. origin until destination.
Destination
- Arrival handling at the European airport, with Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) running to maintain cargo hold temperature while ULD positions are unloaded in controlled batches to minimize exposure.
- At DSV-controlled facilities, ULDs are broken down in batches at airport’s ground-handling cooler lobby area, with skid-level thermals protecting pallets before they are moved into the 5°C runway-side cooler – ensuring minimal ambient exposure and controlled temperature transition.
- Once pallets enter the 5°C destination airport runway cooler, skid-level thermals are removed, final import lot count verification is completed, and shipments are staged pending customs and regulatory clearance.
- After regulatory release, the freight is loaded onto temperature-controlled vehicles and shipments are delivered to the final destination – ensuring temperature integrity is maintained throughout last-mile transport.
- DSV follows up with a thermal cover recovery and reuse programme, collecting thermal covers, returning them to the U.S. facility and inspecting, sanitizing, and redeploying them for shipments – contributing to sustainability targets, reducing waste, and lowering operating costs.
Emerging trends for cold chain logistics
Your cold chain logistics partner should do more than deliver solutions; they should future-proof your business against the costs of climate and market disruptions.
With the continuing drive to optimize cold-chain logistics for cost and sustainability – alongside rapid advances in packaging, robotics, and artificial intelligence – our business relies on new and emerging technology to increase speed-to-market, reduce risk, and expand global reach, such as:
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Real-time visibility
End-to-end visibility and exception management are among our core offerings, and they are becoming ever more precise and autonomous as increasingly sophisticated IoT sensors track the constant integrity of the cargo.
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Next-generation packaging materials
Technological advances in insulating materials and PCMs will lead to packaging with more thermal stability, greater durability, and lower weight – cutting costs and reducing carbon footprints. -
Expansion into more challenging geographies
With more advanced packaging materials and the introduction of micro-fulfilment centres serving as “cold nodes” in the global chain network, life sciences companies will be able to expand their reach to areas with challenging infrastructure and extreme climate conditions.
One trusted partner, anywhere in the world
With DSV, your company gets access to an extensive network, healthcare experience and global infrastructure, including QMS and GDP-certified facilities, ensuring your healthcare products are handled, managed and stored at the right temperature and in full compliance with regulations. From origin to destination.
Key features
- Global coverage and established local relationships.
- End-to-end control, including a dedicated healthcare, cold-chain air network, direct tarmac access and terminal handling in temperature-controlled environments.
- Complete GxP compliance, including for transport and cargo handling solutions.
- Real-time monitoring via DSV’s global visibility solution.
- Industry-leading lane risk assessment.
- Reduction of Scope 3 emissions through our thermal packaging recovery and reuse programme.
Want to learn more about efficiency, quality, and sustainability in pharma and biopharma logistics?
Sign up to receive a notification, when we release our upcoming white papers on sustainability, quality, and cost savings. Send an email to marie-louise.lyster@dsv.com to register.