[Report] "Responding to Healthcare Demand"... FedEx Gimpo Life Science Center Grows Threefold

Sixth Hub Following the US and Japan
Operating Five Temperature Zones... Strengthening Cold Chain Capabilities

Park Won-bin, Head of FedEx Korea, is introducing the healthcare logistics business at a press conference held on the 26th at the FedEx Life Sciences Center in Gimpo.

"We will be able to respond even if another pandemic occurs."

On the 26th, Wonbin Park, Branch Manager of FedEx Korea, expressed this confidence at a press briefing held at the FedEx Life Sciences Center in Gimpo. This facility, which has been expanded to three times its original size to prepare for the increasing demand for healthcare logistics, is fully equipped to store and transport various pharmaceuticals.

Branch Manager Park emphasized, "The domestic healthcare cold chain logistics market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.3% from last year through 2028. We will target the market leveraging FedEx’s unique network advantage, which can reach 220 countries worldwide by our own aircraft, as well as infrastructure such as the Life Sciences Center."

The Gimpo Life Sciences Center is the sixth FedEx Life Sciences Center established after those in Memphis, USA; Mumbai, India; Singapore; Tokyo, Japan; and Veldhoven, Netherlands. It spans 2,288㎡, tripling the size of the previous facility. The center was completed in August and has been operational since the 21st of last month.

First, the temperature in all zones is maintained consistently because pharmaceuticals must be stored within appropriate temperature ranges. The facility operates five zones: an ultra-low temperature tank below -150°C, an ultra-low temperature freezer below -70°C, a freezer room between -15°C and -25°C, a refrigerator room between 2°C and 8°C, and a room temperature zone between 15°C and 25°C.

Gimpo FedEx Korea Life Science Center

Upon entering the storage warehouse, the first thing visible is a large monitor displaying the temperature of each zone. Managers inspect the temperature 24 hours a day and check for any abnormalities. Rakgyu Choi, Ground Operations Manager at FedEx Korea, explained, "All zones are monitored 24/7 to comply with the cold chain standards required by the pharmaceutical industry. We have obtained the KGSP (Korean Good Storage Practice) certification by meeting the quality, regulatory, and requirement standards for the healthcare industry in each market."

The temperature in each storage area is kept constant. Pharmaceuticals moved here are stored in cabinets, shelves, and pallets. The freezer storage area, which maintains temperatures between -25°C and -15°C, also monitors oxygen saturation to check indoor conditions. This is to precisely meet the conditions requested by customers. This area mainly accommodates biopharmaceuticals.

A FedEx Korea employee is placing cooling materials into a logistics box at the Gimpo Life Science Center. Provided by FedEx Korea

The CRT room, which stores items at room temperature, is the largest in scale. It has the internal structure of a cold room maintaining 2°C to 8°C but is 1.5 times larger in size. Manager Choi explained, "The ratio of room temperature to refrigerated storage is about 7 to 3."

Items to be transported undergo packaging, where temperature control is also necessary. Cooling materials cover all six inner sides of the boxes. These cooling materials undergo a 72-hour stabilization process to maintain their cooling performance.

Manager Choi said, "The core of the cold chain is maintaining a consistent temperature even in cold or hot conditions. We have temperature control functions for stored items and backup power to maintain temperature in case of emergencies such as power outages."