UPS is expanding its specialty pharmaceutical offerings by establishing UPS Cold Chain Solutions, a comprehensive suite of cold chain technologies, capabilities, and new and expanded global facilities providing end-to-end temperature-controlled logistics.
 
“Our customers have been taking advantage of our cold chain capabilities for years, but the pandemic caused UPS to move even faster to enhance an integrated set of cold chain solutions to support the future of the pharmaceutical and medical device industry,” said Wes Wheeler, UPS Healthcare president. “UPS’s near-perfect, on-time delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine proves how effectively and efficiently our network handles biologically derived drugs, even at extreme temperatures.”
 
According to the Biopharma Cold Chain Sourcebook, cold chain trends show 48 percent growth between 2018 and 2024 for drugs that require at least 2 to 8 degrees Celsius storage and shipping.

Expanded temperature-controlled products and services, include:
 
Cold chain GMP storage capacities – roughly 390,000 sq.-ft. of coolers and freezers installed at UPS facilities to support the storage of biologics ranging from 2 degrees Celsius to as low as minus-80 degrees Celsius
 
Packaging customization – recommendations for specific temperature-controlled packaging options to ensure safe and efficient transportation of products
 
UPS European cold chain ground network expansion – adding more ground transportation fleets, better connection between gateways and teams to create customizable solutions
 
Transportation efficiencies – four flexible, temperature-regulated service options via air or ocean freight that can be configured to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical packaging
 
Precise monitoring with UPS® Premier technology – protocols to provide pinpoint visibility into covered pallets, boxes, trailers and packages within 10 feet of their location anywhere in the UPS network
 
Facility updates – construction of two new GDP-compliant, healthcare-licensed distribution facilities in Italy and Australia, as well expansions and cold chain retrofit projects to facilities in The Netherlands, Czechia, Poland, Hungary and the U.S.