Leading PostNL uses SenseAnywhere data loggers to monitor their cold chain

Since 2013, PostNL Pharma & Care is monitored by SenseAnywhere data loggers. Pharmaceutical goods are transported in large trucks from pharma manufacturers to PostNL’s Central Distribution Centre, from where the medical material is transported in vans to doctors and pharmacies. 70 AccessPoints and 300 AiroSensors help to ensure that these operations are performed at the correct (ambient or cooled) temperature. We took the opportunity to ask Mr. Mitch van Gool (Planning & Distribution Manager PostNL Pharma & Care) a couple of questions.

PostNL Pharma & Care was founded in 1968 as a family business. Since 1990 the company has started distributing medicines to various medical sectors such as wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacists and doctors. PostNL currently has 30 years of experience and has earned the trust of many large pharma companies. The company is part of PostNL Group since 2012.

Mitch van Gool is Planning & Distribution Manager at the division PostNL Pharma & Care. He has over 10 years of experience in the field of temperature controlled last mile distribution of pharmaceutical products and medical devices in Belgium. “I am responsible for the daily management of, among others, the planners, drivers, claims, returns department, vehicle fleet and temperature control. It involves 80 FTEs and 40 Enterprise divisions”, he says.

In 2013, the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) came into force. GDP describes the minimum standards that a wholesale distributor must meet to ensure that the quality and integrity of medicines is maintained throughout the whole supply chain. “Following the GDP directive, PostNL was looking for a solid and simple solution for temperature management. At that time, many sensors still had to be ‘fixed’, but we were just looking for a ‘mobile’ solution”.

How did you get in touch with SenseAnywhere?
“Our Operations Director was looking for a company that could help us with a quick solution regarding the registration of temperatures. Tom Heijnen (Managing Director SenseAnywhere) came by to introduce his AiroSensors, and there was mutual confidence right away. The entire temperature chain in logistics is quite complex, and SenseAnywhere came up with a simple and effective Enterprise solution”.

“PostNL Pharma & Care Belgium is the only division within PostNL that uses SenseAnywhere. The SenseAnywhere products are used by our colleagues at PostNL Pharma & Care in the Netherlands as well. We started using the SenseAnywhere loggers and AccessPoints for our ‘small’ fleet (vans). Meanwhile, we have extended this to the entire fleet. Pharma & Care has a total of approximately 70 AccessPoints and over 300 data loggers in use. The SenseAnywhere products are used both for vehicles and for warehouse monitoring & mapping”.

What is your experience with our products?
“I am very satisfied with the SenseAnywhere products. Calibration of the loggers takes little time and our Mobile AccessPoints have a GPS receiver module which enables us to locate our loggers real-time. That’s convenient. In the event that we experience any problems with the instruments, replacement is taken care of. The software is user-friendly and works well. The strength of SenseAnywhere is its simplicity of use. Especially now that we use the ‘AssetTags’ it has become even easier.”

Have you ever had any problems with our system?
“We used to have some difficulties creating complex curves in the system. We informed SenseAnywhere about this at the time, and now they have built effective customization into the software. We’re very happy with this personal approach”.

What do you think of the cooperation?
“We are satisfied with the products, but an excellent service completes the total experience. We always get quick answers, so we are absolutely satisfied with this fruitful cooperation. Depending on the requirements, I would definitely recommend SenseAnywhere to similar companies. In 2013, PostNL Pharma & Care was the first transport company in Belgium to focus entirely on transport under GDP conditions. This was a serious challenge, but in the meantime, we learned a lot and gained a strong market position. SenseAnywhere has contributed positively to this success”, Mitch ends his story.

If you want to find out if the SenseAnywhere Monitoring System can help your business, please visit www.senseanywhere.com or contact us via info@senseanywhere.com.

PostNL Pharma & Care is your logistics partner and the specialist in medical transport for the healthcare & pharmaceutical industry, please visit www.postnl.be/pharmacare or contact us via pharmacare@postnl.be.