Logistician in Brandenburg: "We are a kind of savior"

Saturday 30th January 2021

Logistician in Brandenburg
"We are a kind of savior"

Vaccinations have been taking place in Germany for four weeks. In Brandenburg, a medium-sized company ensures that the cans arrive at the vaccination centers on time. In an interview with ntv.de, Unitax boss Reich tells how his company guarantees the cold chains and that the order does not make him rich.

ntv.de: Many federal states rely on DHL for vaccine distribution. Why did they choose Unitax in Brandenburg?

André Reich: As a family company, we can look back on 30 years of experience in temperature-monitored storage and transport of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. We deliver everything from raw materials to finished pharmaceuticals and also have our own manufacturing license, so we can also manufacture our own products. As a medium-sized company, we certainly have the advantage over a listed company like DHL that we can react more flexibly to special inquiries.

How many vehicles do you use every day and how many cans can be transported?

We separated vaccine logistics from the rest of our business. We can use up to twelve transporters. We are currently working with six of them. The vans usually have six pallet spaces, but the cans are very small anyway. A range of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine has 1000 vials of six vaccinations each.

How many stations are served every day?

In Brandenburg, in addition to around 50 hospitals and senior citizens' homes, up to 15 vaccination centers will soon be supplied. We have to do a few kilometers for this. At the moment we can serve all incoming orders until the next day. It usually takes no more than eight hours from order to delivery to the recipient who is furthest away.

Have you hired more staff?

No. But we have already rescheduled a bit. Another order has also expired, so that we have enough staff who are also appropriately experienced and trained.

The Biontech / Pfizer vaccine is very temperature sensitive. How do you ensure that the cold chain is adhered to?

Each vehicle is equipped with four measuring devices that are checked regularly. The data collected is displayed to the driver in the cab on a monitor. If the delivery reaches a critical point of four degrees plus or minus, an alarm is triggered. A limit of action is reached if the temperature deviates by two degrees. Then a workshop must be approached immediately. At the same time, we also receive emails in the event of deviations. In addition, the temperature is also monitored online via a cloud solution.

Has there ever been a dangerous temperature difference in the past four weeks?

No, we bring too much know-how with us for that. We no longer suffer from teething problems.

How do employees in hospitals or retirement homes react when they deliver the vaccines?

You have to say: We are a kind of "savior". We are pleased to be able to deliver the liquid gold, so to speak. I perceive a joyful atmosphere of optimism. Unlike perhaps with other recipients, where we leave the goods somewhere unnoticed, our drivers are eagerly awaited on these transports. Together with my son, I even went on the first tour to the senior citizens' home in Großräschen on December 27th. I don't see the vaccine delivery as just an order. We are proud to be able to do that.

How hard has the corona pandemic hit your company?

In the first few months of the pandemic, a lot has changed for us. Nevertheless, as pharmaceutical logistics specialists, we are particularly important in the pandemic. For fear of no longer getting the products from Asia, the demand has increased in some areas. Our customers stock up and buy more – retirement homes and hospitals have bought up to 60 percent more gloves and protective masks in the past few months. The order to deliver vaccines doesn't make us rich – the quantities are rather small, but the effort is quite high.

Juliane Kipper spoke to André Reich