Exel excels

After an intensive audit programme by Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI), Exel, a global leader in supply chain management, has been awarded the ISO 13485 license at its Opglabbeek warehouse in Belgium, making it the first company to receive this certification.

ISO 13485 is a quality standard specific to medical device quality systems that includes requirements over and above the ISO 9001 standard: these relate to design controls, process controls (including environmental controls), traceability, record retention, and regulatory actions, all of which are critical for the medical device industry.

Additionally, the company has signed a three-year contract to manage the distribution of diagnostic kits for Covance, a leading provider of drug development services to the pharmaceutical industry.

Exel will ship over 200 consignments each day from Covances' production plant in Indianapolis, US, to its own distribution hub in Schiphol, Netherlands. Exel then ensures same day onward delivery using nominated express carriers to reach destinations within specific lead times.

Exel is also managing the storage of packaging material, which is sent on with the kits to enable doctors to return clinical samples to local Covance laboratories.

The operation is supported by Exel's Managed Transportation System (MTS), which controls shipments and facilitates cost-effective allocation of consignments to carriers, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) links, which provide real time information to assist day-to-day planning and invoicing. Daily shipment tracking information is also provided, enabling Covance to streamline its administrative processes.

The company already operates European warehousing and distribution for two major global medical devices companies at its site in Belgium.