Delivering an enhanced pharmaceutical distribution service without compromise

The background

AAH Pharmaceuticals Ltd is one of the UK’s leading distributors of pharmaceuticals, healthcare products and services to pharmacies, hospitals and dispensing doctors.

The challenge

The company operates its own delivery network using specialised ‘Pharma Vans’ which ensure that medicines are stored at the correct temperature and in the correct conditions whilst in transit.

When it comes to the transit of pharmaceuticals, public safety is of paramount importance and it was vital for AAH to meet 2013 Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidance around medical products for human use.

CoolKit understands the importance of uniformity of the temperature in the load area and has vast experience dealing with the requirements of these complex standards, which are managed in the UK by the MHRA.

As such, they were enlisted to deliver the 900 temperature controlled Ford Transit vehicles required by AAH.

CoolKit fitted each of AAH’s PharmaVan II vehicles with a Seven Telematics Transcan unit linked to the SevenEye portal, allowing drivers to constantly monitor the temperature of the fridge, which is maintained between 2 and 8 degrees, and the cargo area, between 8 and 25 degrees.

The fridge and cargo area, which are independent of each other, continue to operate while the driver makes deliveries ensuring no deviation of temperature.

Each vehicle comes with a full reporting suite and key AAH personnel are able to track the vehicle’s every movement as the driver is on the road.

Temperatures can automatically be logged with real temperature recording, which is visible to the AAH branch and distribution network, and an audible alarm will be triggered, and group email alert generated, if there is any deviation of temperature.

An alert notification has also been added which will signal when the doors to the cargo area are open.

The vehicle has additional security features comprising of six CCTV cameras which provide a safe and secure environment for the products, the drivers and the public, live GPS vehicle positioning and GSM connectivity.

“Our fleet will be the most technologically advanced pharmaceutical vans on the road, having been built exclusively for AAH by CoolKit to ensure product is delivered within GDP 2013 guidelines.

 

Steve Anderson, Operations Director at Celesio UK, AAH Pharmaceuticals’ parent company

Steve continued: “Our fleet will have the most technologically advanced pharmaceutical vans on the road, having been built exclusively for AAH by CoolKit to ensure product is delivered within GDP 2013 guidelines.

“The temperature controlled vans are born out of AAH’s commitment and determination to excel in delivering an exceptional first class, reliable service, providing customers with the best in pharmaceutical distribution so that they can meet the needs of their own communities.”

The result 

The conversion, named the PharmaVan II, won the Technical Excellence Award at the Motor Transport Awards 2016.

Steve said: “At AAH we strive to innovate and provide the best service we can to our customers. Our state-of-the-art fleet of pharma vans do just that; enabling us to deliver an enhanced pharmaceutical distribution service without compromise.”