Among the ever-expanding portfolio of specialized services offered by Prime Fresh Handling (PFH) are the worldwide shipment, handling, and expert monitoring of pharmaceuticals and biologics.
With state-of-the-art facilities in Europe, South American, and across North America, as well as a 24-7 team of agents at its operations center in Miami, PFH is uniquely qualified to meet – and exceed – customer demand in this highly specialized industry.
Customer agents from around the world, working with the major pharmaceutical suppliers of the World Health Organization (WHO), often turn to the PFH due to its long-term history of managing time-critical shipments like vaccines, biologics, and medical supplies.
Transporting Pharmaceutical Products Safely & Reliably
Although PFH customers have historically been based in Indonesia, India, the Philippines, due to the widespread demand for medical supplies and vital pharmaceuticals such as the multiple vaccines for COVID-19, the market for shipping handling has expanded exponentially.
According to Operations Agent Bryan Rivas, “Freight forwarders and manufacturers worldwide know our name and our global reputation for fast, reliable, and direct transportation of pharmaceuticals.”
Stationed at the company’s base of operations in Miami, Rivas is one of few people in air cargo logistics who know more about time-sensitive products and the strict and ever-changing rules that govern their movement.
“My role is to find the best way to beat the clock, safely and reliably, of course. Because in many cases, door-to-door service from one corner of the world to the other needs to take place within 48 hours, when possible,” he stresses.
But it’s not just time, it’s also about temperature consistency. Vaccines and biologics in particular must stay within specific temperature ranges every step of the way – during transit, while in storage, and right up to the point of arrival. Such attention to detail ensures these products maintain their efficacy. Otherwise, they are unusable.
Efficient Vaccine Shipping
And it’s not all about COVID-19 vaccines. The PFH team of highly is also expert at fast and careful transportation of multiple other much-needed vaccines. For instance, the company was recently called into action to ship 200 vials of highly sensitive Diphtheria and Tetanus Vaccines; and 3,000 vials of live oral polio vaccine from Jakarta all the way to the Ministry of Health in Belize City. Mission accomplished – just in time for the next shipment of a similar set of vaccines to Asuncion, Paraguay.
Certified & Ready
Rivas also makes it his job to stay on top of all of the industry’s complex domestic and international shipping regulations and standards for the proper transport of pharmaceuticals. In fact, serving as the PFH’s certified go-to agent for pharmaceutical shipments, he is required to regularly brush-up on his skill set.
One example is recertification training is Temperature Controlled Cargo Operations, given by IATA in Miami. Cargo airline representatives, forwarders, and other cargo agents regularly attend these important training from all across the Southeast U.S., which is especially important in the pandemic era.
Global Services
Whether it’s a box, a pallet, or a companywide logistics operation, PFH is highly skilled in achieving safe on-time delivery of temperature-sensitive material and products between any point of origin and destination around the globe.
In fact, PFH is also known as a global leader in perishables transportation for such commodities as fresh produce, fish, cut flowers, and plants. At company warehouses and handling facilities worldwide, PFH leverages industry-leading technologies such as vacuum cooling, sorting, re-packing, bar coding, labeling, and temperature monitoring to guarantee a consistent, safe, and fresh delivery. Technology also makes tracking and tracing of the deliveries more efficient.
Contact Information
For information, contact PFH General Manager-West Coast Cristina Moscoso at 323-328-8650, via email at cristina.moscoso@primeair.aero, or visit www.prime-fresh.com.
