This week, Germany-based logistics company DB Schenker has received Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification at its Narita Airport (NRT) facility, near Tokyo, following the successful completion of an audit by SGS Japan, an international testing and certification company.
The investment speaks to the growing pharmaceuticals market in Japan, which is the third largest in the world (just behind the United States and China), largely due to the island nation’s aging population.
Manabu Tanaka, head of the company’s airfreight division in Japan, said the certification is “good news for our healthcare customers, many of whom require stringent temperature and quality control measures to preserve the integrity of their products at every point in the supply chain.”
DB Schenker’s CEO for Japan, Jonathon Kottegoda-Breden, stated that the company is “committed to enhancing GDP for our other branches to meet the increasing demand of the healthcare market.”
The NRT facility is DB Schenker’s 27th to become GDP-certified. The certificate will be valid for three years, with audits to be conducted periodically by SGS.