Covid 19 : Healthcare logistics specialist Movianto prepares to expand vaccine storage and distribution

Movianto, the service provider specialising in logistics for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, is preparing to increase capacity for the storage and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines across Europe, to further develop the logistics solutions already implemented in the UK and the Netherlands, and to tailor them to the needs of other countries. “We have to learn to live with the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide and that also means optimising vaccination logistics and being prepared for all eventualities,” says Thomas Creuzberger, CEO of Movianto. The company, which operates in twelve European countries, won the first government contracts in the UK and the Netherlands a year ago to develop and implement national logistics solutions for the storage and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. “These solutions were and continue to be demonstrably very successful, but now it is a matter of not standing still, but rather preparing for a wide variety of scenarios in other countries as well,” says Creuzberger. “As healthcare specialists, we aim for 100 % reliability, and we will be prepared.” The Movianto CEO expects that more vaccines will be licensed for market, and that more countries will need to rely on centralised vaccine logistics to reduce costs and establish uniform quality and safety standards. 

One-stop-shop solution: pharmaceutical logistics under one roof

To make this happen, the healthcare logistics company, which is part of the French Walden Group, is developing a one-stop shop service. “Together with our five sister companies in the Walden family, which also specialise in different aspects of pharmaceutical logistics, we are building a full-service logistics model that takes into account not only the needs of pharmaceutical manufacturers, but also of governments.” In the Netherlands, for example, Movianto has taken over the central storage and order picking of Covid-19 vaccines in different temperature ranges: from 2-8 degrees Celsius to -20 degrees, and even -75 degrees. At the same time, sister Walden subsidiary Eurotranspharma has implemented active temperature-controlled fine distribution of the vaccines throughout the country, which meets the high requirements of European Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and thus ensures the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.

“The key takeaway from our mobilisation for the Covid-19 vaccine is: although key logistical requirements such as temperature, safety, speed, and quantities were completely uncertain at the beginning, our teams managed to set up 100% functioning logistics solutions within a short time,” Creuzberger continues. “Not only are we very proud of this, but we can now make the expertise we have gained available in other countries.” In the view of the 70-year-old pharmaceutical logistics company, this ranges from special training for the operational teams to reliable IT solutions and procedures to ensure, for example, the necessary security against theft of the vaccines and to protect the employees.

Walden Group invests more than 100 million euros in network expansion

In order to be able to offer the necessary storage and transport capacity, Walden Group has invested more than 100 million euros in their network. Walden Group Chairman Stéphane Baudry explains: “This year we have new construction and expansion projects at around 20 locations all at the same time. The focus is on new logistics centres, whose equipment, sorting systems, and IT innovations ensure the highest possible processing efficiency. At the same time, all necessary safety and sustainability standards are taken into account. We are ready and able to support the health policies of further governments with customised end-to-end solutions.”

For more information, please contact

Laure Murat ­| Marketing and Communication

Walden Group

Mobile +33 (0)7 60 94 88 01

laure.murat@walden-group.com