Changi Airport Group (CAG) and DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of DHL Group, announced today that DHL Global Forwarding Singapore will establish a dedicated healthcare logistics facility, the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub, at Changi Nexus One in the Changi Airfreight Centre. Equipped with temperature-control capabilities and direct airside access, the facility will strengthen the handling of high-value, time- and temperature-sensitive healthcare and life sciences cargo through Changi Airport.
The investment in the new facility supports DHL Group’s broader growth ambitions in the life sciences and healthcare sector, and forms part of its strategic EUR 2 billion investment in DHL Health Logistics under Strategy 2030. Through targeted investments in infrastructure, capabilities and specialised solutions, DHL is strengthening its position as a leading logistics partner for the healthcare industry worldwide.
Asia-Pacific is projected to be a major driver of global pharmaceutical market growth, driven by factors such as ageing populations, improving healthcare access, and the growing adoption of innovative therapies. According to IQVIA’s outlook, pharmaceutical sales across 12 key Asian markets, including China, Japan, India, South Korea and Singapore, are forecasted to grow at a 3.7% compound annual growth rate from 2024 to 2029. This is expected to amplify demand for specialised healthcare logistics and reliable cold-chain infrastructure across the region.
Praveen Gregory, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia said, “Healthcare supply chains across Asia-Pacific are evolving rapidly as demand grows for biologics, specialty medicines and other temperature-sensitive products that require greater precision, resilience and speed. As one of DHL’s strategic healthcare logistics hubs globally, Singapore is uniquely positioned to support this growth through its world-class connectivity, specialised logistics infrastructure and trusted regulatory environment. The country’s pharmaceutical cold chain market is gearing up for steady growth, with projected volumes set to increase at approximately 7% annualised growth rate from 14 million kilograms in 2028 to 17 million kilograms by 2031. Our investment in the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub is thus critical to meet future demand, as we enhance our cold-chain capabilities and help customers build more resilient supply chains to move critical healthcare products with greater confidence, reliability and control.”
Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub & Cargo Development, Changi Airport Group said, “We are pleased to deepen our longstanding partnership with DHL Group through its new facility at Changi Nexus One. This investment reflects the growing importance of healthcare and life sciences logistics, and builds on Changi’s strengths in air connectivity, airside infrastructure and specialised cargo handling. Leveraging Changi Airport’s extensive connectivity and DHL’s established air freight forwarding footprint in Singapore, we look forward to supporting the safe, efficient and reliable movement of time- and temperature-sensitive shipments across Asia-Pacific and beyond.”
Targeted for completion by end-2027, the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub will be a 3,047-sqm facility in Changi Nexus One designed in accordance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards. It will support healthcare shipments requiring controlled temperatures of 2°C-8°C and 15°C-25°C, well-incorporated with specialised cold-chain infrastructure including GDP-qualified cold rooms, direct airside connectivity and real-time temperature monitoring capabilities. Together with dedicated temperature-controlled transfer solutions from aircraft to the DHL facility, and onward to its customers’ warehouses, these capabilities will help safeguard product integrity and provide a seamless, unbroken cold chain for healthcare and life sciences shipments moving through Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region.
The facility augments Changi Airport’s existing facilities, which provide a temperature-controlled environment across the airport ecosystem, currently supported by airside thermal protection solutions such as cool dollies and more than 9,000 sqm of airside-fronting temperature-controlled handling capacity of over 375,000 tonnes per annum.
Changi Nexus One is an air logistics facility in the Changi Airfreight Centre, offering close to 8,000 sqm of warehousing space and direct apron connectivity for expeditious cargo handling. It is the first building at Changi Airport to achieve both BCA Green Mark Platinum and Green Mark Platinum Positive Energy Building certifications.
