UPS is to build a new healthcare distribution centre in Roermond, the Netherlands, to accommodate growing pharma demand.

The announcement comes a month after the US logistics giant opened a healthcare-dedicated airfreight forwarding facility at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

The 28,000 sq m facility at Roermond, located close to UPS’s European air hub at Cologne/Bonn airport in Germany, will provide 41,000 pallet places and is scheduled to be completed in January 2016.

Harld Peters, UPS West Europe president, said: “This third dedicated healthcare facility in the logistics-and transportation-centric area of Limburg significantly strengthens the capacity of UPS’s European distribution campus.

“It allows shippers to comply with international healthcare quality standards and serve a broad customer base, either directly through UPS’ global express transportation network or via UPS satellite healthcare facilities in other European countries, such as Spain, Italy, Poland or Hungary.”

The new building will be compliant with European Union Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines and licensed by the Dutch Ministry of Health.

It will provide inventory management, temperature-sensitive storage and quality assurance services with a direct feeder connection to Cologne/Bonn airport.

It also broadens UPS' global healthcare distribution network, which now has more than 50 locations throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America.

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