The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Medical devices are expensive to manufacture, but they are also difficult to ship globally.
Therefore, when ordering medical devices, hospitals and healthcare providers need to know about logistics so they can make sure their shipments arrive on time with zero damages or losses.
This post seeks to provide an overview of the role medical devices ship shipment companies play in the healthcare system and various global logistic services.
Read on for a comprehensive guide to medical devices logistics.
Role of Medical Devices Shipping Companies
The global logistic shipping companies dealing in medical devices logistics play various roles. Here are a few of them:
1. Providing Medical Devices Storage Services
The first step in the supply chain management process is to ensure adequate supplies of medical devices.
One way of doing this is to use global logistic companies that provide storage facilities.
Depending on demand and space availability, these storage units can either be at one site or across multiple locations.
The companies act as warehouses, ensuring that medical devices for hospitals, clinics, or pharmacies are secure until needed.
2. Providing Shipment Services for Medical Devices
The next step is to get the equipment from the storage facility to its destination.
Here, logistics companies come into play by packing and organizing for ship shipment of the medical devices following guidelines established for this purpose.
Infrastructure considerations are also important, i.e., whether ground or freight transport will be ideal.
Logistics firms provide options in both and determine the mode of transport most suited to your needs.
3. Medical Device Returns Handling
There are often returns of medical device supplies from the clinics or hospitals to the manufacturers.
When this happens, logistics companies can provide return storage facilities.
This may necessitate the transport of goods back to the manufacturing sites. So medical devices transportation services must also be available for these purposes.
4. Providing Medical Devices Packaging Services
Another important role that global logistic companies play is the initial treatment of these supplies. As such, they might provide protective covers for shipping purposes.
In addition, medical devices need secure packing so as not to suffer any damage during transit, and logistics firms offer the service.
Proper packaging is crucial because it prevents exposure of medical supplies to contamination or other damage during transport.
The risk of accidents increases, for example, if products are not packed correctly before being transported via air.
5. Tracking Medical Devices Shipping
Logistics companies also track shipments to ensure they arrive on time and intact.
Dependable logistics firms should provide you with real-time information about where supplies are at any given time.
That will ensure that unforeseen delays don’t result in the interruption of critical services.
You should also determine the exact nature of these notifications before working with a logistics company.
6. Providing Transportation Insurance
Medical devices transportation is expensive, so it’s important to have the appropriate cover for this transport.
However, that does not just mean having trucks and drivers who are adequately insured for these purposes.
You should have the capacity to provide compensation should accidents occur during transit that results in loss or damage to medical devices.
Logistics firms should provide such insurance and track the status of these shipments at all times via GPS technology.
7. Handling Customs Declarations
Some medical device supplies may need importation or export to another location after use.
Logistics companies can play an essential role in helping to determine the most efficient way of achieving this – whether via air, sea, or ground transport.
They also prepare and file customs paperwork for these purposes so that you don’t have to deal with the matter yourself.
8. Security & Surveillance
Logistics companies have experience dealing with valuable products that may need special security during transport.
This can include security guards who accompany these supplies or the use of locations that provide adequate protection for them while they are being held at their interim locations.
That way, companies that work with medical devices transportation services will trust their logistics provider.
They’ll be confident that their supplies will arrive on time and intact, freeing them up to focus on the other aspects of their business.
Wrap Up
These are some of the roles that logistics companies roles in medical devices transportation. When seeking out a new provider, check whether they offer all the services outlined here.
If one company cannot provide everything you need from a single source, look for providers who can work together to meet your requirements.
