How Pharmaceutical Logistics Comes Together
Europe-wide 360° contract logistics for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries are becoming even smoother—thanks to the new developments presented at CPHI in Milan.
The contract logistics provider Loxxess pharma & healthcare serves over 60 clients in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors across nearly six locations in Germany. This makes Loxxess one of the largest specialized logistics providers in the country. It offers 360° services for the healthcare market—but what’s behind it all?
360° services for pharmaceutical logistics go far beyond the already challenging task of temperature control. This will be evident once again from 6–8 October at CPHI in Milan at the Loxxess booth (11J11). At Loxxess, GMP-certified processes are not viewed in isolation, but rather as part of an end-to-end supply chain. This approach is driven by a commitment to creating solutions for even the most short-notice and complex requirements, ensuring that medications remain available — for example, when packaging or package inserts change. Repackaging, labelling, serialization, or aggregation is also often necessary for country-specific versions or clinical trials. To bridge the gap between manufacturing and logistics, Loxxess pharma & healthcare holds both a manufacturing licence and a wholesale licence.
Automated Logistics for Promotional Materials and Samples
“Efficiency, cost pressures, and quality call for new solutions. With our 360° approach, we now have an excellent new option in our portfolio for shipping samples and storing promotional materials.”
Shipping temperature-controlled medical samples and promotional materials cost-effectively in a single package is challenging.However, Loxxess pharma & healthcare tackles this challenge as well with a fully automated promotional materials warehouse at its Ebermannsdorf location. There, a wide variety of items will be efficiently managed in the fall, and orders will be reliably processed “on time,” with a throughput of approximately 200 containers per hour in conjunction with an automated multi-order picking process.
Special requirements call for special solutions
Loxxess operates several specialized GDP facilities throughout Germany, where the contract logistics provider pools its expertise and provides capacity and proximity.Multi-user facilities are located, for example, in Munich, Regensburg, and the aforementioned Ebermannsdorf. In Henstedt-Ulzburg, GDP-compliant hazardous materials are processed, and in Meerbusch near Düsseldorf, there is a high-security specialized warehouse for controlled substances (BTM), which efficiently complies with regulatory requirements for handling highly sensitive goods.
Controlled substances (BTMs) and medical cannabis, in particular, place special demands on the pharmaceutical supply chain. Loxxess established its Meerbusch facility in 2024 to meet these requirements. Even the goods receipt process follows clearly defined and controlled procedures. Goods movements are carefully checked and documented. Relevant process steps are monitored according to the dual-control principle. Daily inventory counts further ensure that stock levels are transparent, up-to-date, and traceable at all times.
News from the North and South: Several countries are served from a single warehouse
A new facility will begin operations in northern Germany at the end of the year: The Hamburg location will operate with a high degree of automation, making it particularly efficient. Located in Rosengarten-Nenndorf, it will be another important component of Loxxess’s nationwide network.New offerings in the south are also set to expand the service portfolio: In November, Loxxess pharma & healthcare will launch—for the first time in the industry—a temperature-controlled, cross-border next-day direct delivery service to the Austrian market from Regensburg. This service has been developed in partnership with a globally renowned pharmaceutical client. What was once a border is now a service open to other companies.
