Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) has announced a strategic partnership with Jointown, China’s largest non-state-owned pharmaceutical distribution company, to accelerate its footprint in pharma and healthcare logistics in China.
The partnership with Jointown comes shortly after K+N announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the Chinese company Apex International Corporation, one of Asia’s leading freight forwarders.
K+N has focused on developing pharma & healthcare expertise for the past decade. The partnership with Jointown now affords access to their fully GDP-compliant, in-country storage and distribution network, enabling K+N to comply with the highly-regulated Chinese pharma & healthcare sector.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Jointown. Our cooperation perfectly meets the demands of our global clientele by enabling seamless supply chain coverage connecting China. This will enable us to accelerate our growth in the pharma and healthcare sector in China,” says Siewloong Wong, President of K+N Asia Pacific.
Zhang Qingsong, General Manager of the logistics business unit of Jointown Pharmaceutical Group, adds: “Partnering with K+N will provide Jointown’s customers access to the international market through their global GDP certified air, sea and overseas contract logistics operations. We will now be able to expand our business in overseas markets at a much faster pace and benefit from the partnership in a sustainable way.”
With Covid-19 vaccines becoming widely approved for use in more countries, Jointown and K+N will collaborate to manage vaccine distribution in a safe and timely manner, leveraging their respective strengths in vaccine storage and distribution both in China and other parts of the world.
Gianfranco Sgro, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, responsible for Contract Logistics, says: “Pharma & Healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in Contract Logistics. K+N and Jointown share a common vision of service excellence for patients and customers in China and abroad.”
