Singapore’s continued development as a biomedical hub has led to signifi cant growth in the area of express and logistics services for the healthcare industry. Riding on the industry’s growth, TNT Express has announced that its healthcare business has grown eight-fold in the past four years.
The company, which currently dominates over 60 per cent of the outsourced R&D logistics for the life science industry, revealed that its healthcare business grew by 68 per cent in 2007, making it the fastest growth sector for the international express integrator in Singapore.
The growth is most pronounced in specialist sectors such as Clinical Express. "Clinical Express saw the largest growth in our healthcare business.
TNT is the market leader in Clinical Express services ¨C a specialist form of express services which provides the right packaging, transportation and customs regulatory requirements to meet the specific needs of clinical trials," said Damien Tan, managing director, TNT Singapore. "TNT was among the pioneers in this sector, and we continually invest in infrastructure, solutions and services for the industry," TNT operates the largest life science- focused regional distribution centre (RDC) in the world in Singapore and the 65,500 square feet facility was opened in 2007 after an investment of more than S$8 million.
"The regional distribution centre model is a key growth trend among the healthcare industry. Increasingly, we see many more customers conducting feasibility studies to have their Distribution Centres in Asia. With the Life Sciences Express Hub and the dedicated network infrastructure for the healthcare industry, we have demonstrated to customers the high level of quality assurance and regulatory compliance we can provide for their specific needs. Th is has been crucial in attracting more industry players to establish their base in Singapore and leverage the country’s well-established infrastructural connectivity with any destination in the world," said Tan.
"The healthcare sector in Singapore and Asia has seen unprecedented growth in recent years," according to Tan. "As businesses start to expand their operations and services throughout the region, it is inevitable that they look for means to streamline their operations and increase their speed to market.
The success of TNT’s Life Sciences Express Hub in Singapore, and the continued growth of the healthcare sector for TNT is a clear indication that Singapore has a key role to play in the evolution of the industry in the region."
