Envirotainer has signed a Global Master Lease Agreement (MLA) with Air China Cargo. This is the first time that the cold chain solutions supplier has formed a partnership with an airline based in Mainland China.
The firm says the partnership will improve connections for pharmaceutical companies doing business in China, while also upgrading the availability of containers for exporters in China through the airline’s extensive network.
Air China Cargo plans to roll out a cold chain product this spring with further network expansion planned in 2016 based on market demand. The airline has identified five stations – Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Frankfurt and Geneva – as launch stations in its first phase of implementation.
Ray Lo, Vice President, Service and Operations at Air China Cargo, said: 'We are extremely pleased to be Envirotainer’s first airline partner in Mainland China. We place great importance in ensuring that pharmaceutical products carried on us get absolute care. With the extensive expertise and global presence Envirotainer has in the active cold chain, this allows us to ensure that temperature-sensitive shipments are just as effective and safe as when they left the production line.'
The new partnership is expected to benefit bio-pharma companies importing and exporting active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), intermediates and other bulk and semi-finished products to and from China.
Envirotainer opened a new service station in Shanghai, China in November 2015 to support its growing cold chain business to the pharma supply chain.
The firm said it will continue to invest and open its network to ensure that its cold chain solutions are available globally. In the past year, the company has taken several steps to strengthen its position, including the opening of a new US headquarters in New York and a new office in Singapore, a stronger product and service offering, and the increase of production and of its container fleet size to meet market demand.
