AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND- Media OutReach - 24 February 2021 - To support the New Zealand government's inoculation program, DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, will deliver additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines on a weekly basis into the country. DHL Global Forwarding arranged for the collection of the vaccines from the manufacturing site in Europe and upon the vaccines' arrival at Auckland Airport, handled the customs clearance and final delivery to designated locations in New Zealand.

"Globally we have worked across many markets to deliver the vaccines successfully in markets we've been engaged in, and we will continue to do so. Logistics plays a critical role in getting vaccines to where it is urgently needed. Our cold-chain network and pharmaceutical logistics expertise have meticulously planned every last detail to manage an extremely complex operation seamlessly," said Charles Kaufmann, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding North Asia & South Pacific.

"The deliveries were smooth as can be expected, thanks to the significant effort and rigorous planning by the teams involved. Working in close coordination with our partners on the ground and New Zealand's regulatory authorities, all measures have been taken to ensure not just the speed of deliveries, but also ensuring the quality and safety of these critical shipments," said Zane Morton, Managing Director, DHL Global Forwarding New Zealand.

Across DHL's dedicated global network, more than 9,000 specialists work to connect pharmaceutical and research organizations, wholesalers and distributors, as well as hospitals and healthcare providers across the value chain. With this contract, the logistics expert for air, ocean and road freight expands its global presence in vaccine distribution.

DHL's portfolio for the healthcare industry includes 150+ pharmacists, 20+ clinical trials depots, 100+ certified stations, 160+ GDP-qualified warehouses, 15+ GMP-certified sites, 135+ medical express sites, and an international network covering 220 countries and territories.

On a global scale, logistics providers are challenged to establish medical supply chains rapidly to deliver vaccines of unprecedented amount of more than 10 billion doses worldwide -- also in regions with less developed logistics infrastructure, where approximately 3 billion people live. To provide global coverage of the next two years, DHL estimated in its vaccine whitepaper report that up to 200,000 pallet shippers and 15 million cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be required across the various supply chain setup.