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The pharmaceutical market is one of the most profitable industries in the UK, generating a staggering £1.1 billion per year. Almost half of adults in Britain regularly take prescription drugs, highlighting our national reliance on pharmaceuticals. Picking the right vehicles and the right refrigerated van hire provider is therefore critical for hospitals, clinics and pharmaceutical courier services to ensure the on-time delivery of pharmaceuticals and the safety of the end consumer.
Read the rest of our blog to find out what to look for:
Efficient temperature control and monitoring
When transporting fragile pharmaceutical products, the most important feature you should be looking for is efficient temperature control. Most pharmaceuticals need to be maintained within a specific temperature range (usually between 2°C and 8°C). Any deviation from this temperature range, even by 0.5°C, can irreversibly damage pharmaceuticals, placing the end user’s health in jeopardy.
Fleet operators should therefore source refrigerated vehicles which come equipped with sophisticated temperature recording devices. All of our refrigerated vans are installed with the latest Transcan temperature recording systems. With this technology, cold fleets can accurately record conditions throughout a journey and can identify instances where temperature conditions have been compromised, minimising the risk to consumers. Furthermore, if temperature ranges are exceeded, an alarm system will alert drivers so they can react before cargo is irreversibly damaged.
Look for dual chill/frozen compartments
While most pharmaceuticals need to be stored between 2°C and 8°C, as discussed by leaders in power and automation technologies ABB, a growing number of pharmaceuticals (mostly those containing blood) need to be stored frozen at temperatures as low as -20°C.
However, transporting pharmaceuticals with different temperature requirements separately isn’t a cost-effective transport solution. Therefore, it’s recommended to source refrigerated vans that come equipped with dual chill/frozen storage. This is why all our pharma specification refrigerated vans come with dual temperature facilities, helping to keep transportation costs down.
Minimise cargo damage with stand-by facilities
In instances where your fleet vans break down and power to refrigerated systems is lost, pharmaceuticals can be irreversibly damaged in a short period of time. To minimise the risk of damage, we offer a standby facility for refrigerated units. Furthermore, in the rare event that your vehicles break down, all of our refrigerated van hire solutions are supplied with the manufacturers’ prepaid repair and maintenance packages as standard. This ensures that downtime is kept to a minimum.
Explore flexible van hire options
As you will most likely be aware, demand for pharmaceuticals is rarely consistent throughout the year. This year’s flu season will likely result in a spike in demand, as the elderly and people with weakened immune systems require vaccinations. However, purchasing refrigerated vehicles outright can be a cost-deductive solution, as after the flu season has ended these vehicles may go unused.
This is why flexible refrigerated van hire is often a sensible solution. With Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, you can temporarily increase the volume of your fleet in times of high demand and then return vehicles once demand has died down. Simply hire vans for as long or as little as you need, without unnecessary contract agreements or penalties.
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