TNT has opened a healthcare hub in the Netherlands that allows next day deliveries of medical devices to 96 per cent of Europe’s 16,000 hospitals.
The 2,000 sq m transport hub in Heerlen is located near the European distribution centres of 80 major medical device manufacturers.
In service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, TNT's hub will consolidate medtech shipments from multinationals and SMEs. The majority of the shipped devices are used in surgery.
Medtech customers in the south of the Netherlands and nearby areas of Belgium and Germany will benefit from later collection times and more flexibility to fulfil orders from hospitals.
The Heerlen site is connected to TNT’s European road and air networks via the company’s hubs in Duiven, the Netherlands, and Liege, Belgium.
TNT will also operate direct road connections between Heerlen and several European countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UK.
TNT says that other estimated benefits include an average 3.5 per cent decrease in consignment stock, lower likelihood of stock-out in hospitals and a reduced cost of emergency shipping.
“The new facility will help meet growing demand from medical device and equipment manufacturers, large and small, that need a reliable transport solution to serve hospitals in Europe," said Erik Uljee, managing director, TNT Benelux.
