DHL to set up healthcare logistics facility at Changi Airport
The 3,047-sqm facility will handle temperature-sensitive healthcare cargo at 2°C-8°C and 15°C-25°C, with completion targeted by end-2027.
DHL Global Forwarding Singapore will establish a dedicated healthcare logistics facility at Changi Airport, strengthening its capabilities to handle high-value, time- and temperature-sensitive healthcare and life sciences cargo in the Asia-Pacific region.
The DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub will be located at Changi Nexus One in the Changi Airfreight Centre. The facility will have temperature-control capabilities and direct airside access to support the safe and reliable movement of specialised cargo through Changi Airport.
Targeted for completion by the end of 2027, the 3,047-sqm facility will be designed in accordance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards. It will handle healthcare shipments requiring controlled temperatures of 2°C-8°C and 15°C-25°C.
The facility will include GDP-qualified cold rooms, direct airside connectivity and real-time temperature monitoring. It will also have dedicated temperature-controlled transfer solutions for moving cargo from aircraft to the DHL facility and onwards to customers’ warehouses.
The investment is part of DHL Group’s broader growth plans in the life sciences and healthcare sector and its €2 billion investment in DHL Health Logistics under Strategy 2030. The investment will focus on infrastructure, capabilities and specialised solutions for the healthcare industry.
Praveen Gregory, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said healthcare supply chains across Asia-Pacific are evolving as demand increases for biologics, specialty medicines and other temperature-sensitive products.
He said Singapore’s connectivity, specialised logistics infrastructure and regulatory environment position it to support this growth, while the new facility will help DHL meet future demand for cold-chain services and support more resilient healthcare supply chains.
According to the release, Singapore’s pharmaceutical cold chain market is expected to grow at an annualised rate of about 7%, with projected volumes increasing from 14 million kilograms in 2028 to 17 million kilograms by 2031.
Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub & Cargo Development, Changi Airport Group, said the facility builds on Changi Airport’s air connectivity, airside infrastructure and specialised cargo handling capabilities.
The facility will add to Changi Airport’s existing temperature-controlled infrastructure. This includes 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, where the new facility will be located, is an air logistics facility in the Changi Airfreight Centre with close to 8,000 sqm of warehousing space and direct apron connectivity.
