Page 10 - ITLN September - October 2023 for Magzter

Cover Story
Pharma
Logistics

among the staff who handle pharma mentioned guidelines on how to store,
shipments, Pratyush Kumar, Sr. how to pack and how to move. Logistics
General Manager, Demand Planning partners must be aware of those
& Logistics Excellence, Glenmark guidelines and they should be prepared
Pharmaceuticals, wants their logistics to follow them.”
partners to support staff with proper For this, he emphasised the need for
infrastructure and equipment at the trained staff who know how to maintain
airports and seaports. the necessary temperature levels and
“If we have three plants and what are the handling protocols.
each plant cannot dispatch the full “Because poor training and
container load, then we must have a awareness amongst staff can lead to
proper infrastructure at the seaport error and lost products. We can't take
where we can consolidate and make chances and with pharma products lives
a full container and the temperature are at stake,” he said.
conditions and other good warehouse Poor training and Kumar also gave an example of how
practices need to be maintained,” awareness amongst staff Glenmark, which supplies semi-solids like
he said. can lead to errors and ointment and creams to the United States,
About the processes at airports, he faced the challenges in maintaining the
noted that the temperature control lost products. We can't temperature in the air shipments.
near the aeroplane after the customs take chances and with “We switched our packaging from
clearance and before the goods are pharma products lives normal thermal covers to cold chain
loaded into the aircraft is when he are at stake. packing. We now apply gel bricks on
finds challenges. our pallets, and the weight per pallet
“The cool dollies at the airports are Pratyush Kumar has doubled. Gel brick storage and
either not appropriate to use or very Glenmark Pharmaceuticals destruction in the US is also a difficult
expensive. The unloading at the last job. Still, in order to ensure that our
moment is not acceptable. If you have For Kumar, regulatory compliance products are adhering to all regulatory
taken an air waybill and then at the is the biggest challenge in the pharma compliances we did that,” he said.
last moment pilots decide that we have supply chain because it needs to meet Transportation and handling of
got more than enough passengers and stringent regulatory requirements. pharmaceuticals presents both
then unload our goods. That not only He said, “The pharma market is a challenges and opportunities for all
disturbs our schedule but also risks the regulatory riveted market. Compliance the cold chain industry participants
product with damages or inappropriate is about following good manufacturing towards ensuring and protecting
handling,” he added. practices. It's about following clearly product integrity. 
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September - October 2023 www.itln.in