Kuehne+Nagel is stepping on the gas to expand its contract logistics business in China’s pharma and healthcare sector, as it announced a strategic partnership with Chinese distributor Jointown Pharmaceutical Group.

The moves comes after the Swiss logistics provider said it will buy Chinese freight forwarder Apex International Corporation earlier this week, which the company considers its largest acquisition to date.

The partnership with Jointown allows Kuehne+Nagel access to the company’s pharma-grade storage and distribution network, which will enable it to comply with the highly regulated Chinese drug and health care sectors. The cooperation will cover warehousing, domestic distribution, international transport and logistics.

“Partnering with Kuehne+Nagel will provide Jointown’s customers access to the international market through their global GxP certified air, sea and overseas contract logistics operations,” said Zhang Qingsong, general manager of the logistics business unit at Jointown.

Both parties said the collaboration will allow them to manage the safe and efficient handling of larger volumes of Covid-19 vaccines, leveraging their respective cold storage and distribution networks in China and across the globe.

Early in January the leading logistics provider struck a deal with Moderna to support the supply chain and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines through its cold storage warehouse in Europe and its road and air network. K+N said it will handle the distribution from the US-based biotech firm’s Europe facility to markets in Asia, Middle East and Africa, and parts of the Americas.