The resilience advantage: how end-to-end cold-chain coverage gives life sciences companies a competitive edge
As the life sciences industry accelerates toward $150 billion in new capital projects by 2030, the margin for error in global logistics has vanished. Volatile geopolitics and extreme weather are no longer just “risks,” they are constant taxes on your stability budget. DSV’s Air ThermoDirect provides the end-to-end cold-chain coverage that leading pharma and biopharma companies need to stay resilient — and continue to grow.
Every day, delivering medicine to billions of people across the world becomes more difficult: trade restrictions and sanctions complicate traditional shipping routes; temperature spikes destroy millions of dollars in biologics; regulatory demands intensify, increasing the complexity and cost of managing the movement of products across markets.
Companies – including those in the life sciences – feel the pain on the bottom line. According to Swiss Re, supply chain disruptions cost organisations, in general, an estimated $184 billion annually. The consequences for patients can be severe, including “high costs, delayed care, and potential medication errors or unintended side effects when using alternative or unfamiliar drugs” (ASPE Report on “Impact of Drug Shortages on Patients in the United States,” April 2024).
Investments in risk reduction are significant. But companies can do more than reduce risk; they can optimize their supply chain and improve their access to market for their critical products.
Air ThermoDirect offers the benefits of end-to-end cold-chain coverage. By relying on DSV’s own charter network, passive cooling, and unique thermal packaging, life sciences companies reduce risk, cut costs, and simplify logistics.
Global, end-to-end stability
With DSV’s Air ThermoDirect, your products are assured end-to-end thermal integrity. Our extensive network, healthcare experience and global infrastructure, including QMS and GDP-certified facilities, provide a resilient foundation for even the most sensitive life sciences supply chain. The innovative way we use thermal protection and phase change materials (PCMs) provides an additional buffer against disruptions – everything from customs delays to port closures.
We ensure that there are no temperature deviations during handling, transport, and storage. Active cooling maintains the required temperatures, while passive cooling reduces the risk of temperature excursions. The result is a stable temperature from origin to destination.
DSV's Air ThermoDirect Offers:
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Complete GxP compliance
Complete GxP compliance, including for transport and cargo handling solutions. -
End-to-end temperature-controlled
End-to-end temperature-controlled capabilities, preserving the stability budget. -
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 Vetted 3rd Party Ground Handling
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 assessment to identify risks.
AirThermo Direct: unique synergies and solutions
DSV provides industry-leading asset-backed orchestration with end-to-end visibility and control. For life sciences customers, DSV Air ThermoDirect offers additional benefits: synergies between the AirDirect network and temperature-controlled ground-handling solutions, validated processes that meet GxP requirements and the highest industry standard, and unique packaging cargo solutions for thermal integrity. Together, these features prevent stability budget erosion during unforeseen disruptions and enable more scalability, operational agility, and supply chain resilience.
Benefits to working with DSV
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Lower operating cost
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End-to-end operational control
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Increased scalability and flexibility
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Reusability through reverse logistics
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Reduced exposure to uncontrolled environments
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Decreased energy consumption and carbon footprint
(due to lighter-weight cooling solution and the use of external power sources for active units during ground staging)
Case: Complete thermal integrity from the U.S. to Brazil
Every week, our customers leverage Air ThermoDirect for their critical cargo. In one example, a leading multinational pharmaceutical company ships highly sensitive products across the transatlantic from the U.S. to Europe (HSV–LUX) and Europe to US (LUX–HSV).
DSV provides one point of contact, follows a single standard operating procedure, and ensures real-time monitoring – from the moment the customer’s 2–8°C palletized freight leaves its origin on DSV’s temperature-controlled vehicles to the freight’s handling and loading under temperature-controlled conditions and onward to the flight and delivery to destination.
With Air ThermoDirect – including its direct tarmac access and APU usage – the shipment achieves 100% thermal compliance and zero product loss. After which we initiate our thermal cover recovery and reuse programme, helping our customer reduce Scope 3 emissions.
This case is one small example of the work we do every day to ensure our customers can deliver products with complete thermal integrity.
Learn more about Air ThermoDirect
If you are ready to learn more about how Air ThermoDirect can make your company more resilient – including a full step-by-step breakdown of the process steps involved , plus the latest trends shaping cold-chain services – consider downloading our publication Air ThermoDirect: End-to-end thermal integrity for global speed-to-market.
