Kerry Logistics gears up to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to Hong Kong, as sector gets ready for challenge of delivering 10 billion doses globally
- Hong Kong-listed company says it is ready to deliver shots to the city, which has announced deals for 15 million doses
- FedEx, DHL and UPS reveal plans to tackle challenges of vaccine distribution effort
Major logistics companies are prioritising the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines by applying for certification, acquiring new equipment and revamping capabilities such as location tracking and security, among other efforts.
Hong Kong-listed Kerry Logistics said it had bought specialised vehicles and freezers, and obtained the Good Distribution Practices certificate, a supply chain certification for medicine transport in line with European Union legislation. The company said it had even formed a team specifically for the task at hand.
“We are ready for it, based on our current logistics capacity,” Samuel Lau, the deputy managing director of integrated logistics at company, said in an interview recently.
Kerry has also been part of talks led by the government with airlines, the airport authority and other logistics firms about initial preparations. “There’s competition … There are more players who are prepared and can participate in the race [to transport the vaccines],” Lau said.
Major logistics companies across the world are gearing up to transport the vaccines, which are more fragile than regular shots and are very temperature-sensitive. The historic urgency and volumes involved – 10 billion doses according to DHL – pose an unprecedented challenge for these firms that has been exacerbated by the recent boom in e-commerce, the holiday gift-giving season and a crunch in aviation capacity.
