Critical deliveries to the operating theatre: last-mile deliveries in Singapore

The office phone rings. It’s the hotline of the dedicated service desk for one of Kuehne+Nagel’s MedTech customers in Singapore. The call will set a chain of logistics events in motion under the pressure of time. After all, the team handles urgent deliveries of top-notch surgical equipment, like pacemakers, vessel sealers and spinal implants, to hospitals and clinics around Singapore.

Orders can easily be booked online.  For critical request, however, the team finds that phone calls remain the preferred communications means. A reassuring voice trumps an auto-generated confirmation email. Kuehne+Nagel’s dedicated service desk is happy to accommodate that preference, especially if it promotes trust. 

Regardless of how the order comes in, the team feels a strong sense of responsibility. They want to deliver the best service for the clinics, but even more so for the patients. 

Read on for more insights about this specialised solution.

HealthChain-certified MedTech logistics 

The medical device sector requires strict regulations to ensure devices arrive safely and can provide benefit to patients immediately. This is where industry knowledge is critical. Understanding and adhering to industry regulations isn’t optional – it’s paramount. For both the safety of patients and for a manufacturer’s compliance, regulations are vital. 

Read more here. 

Fast when it matters: from order to clinic in two hours

Non-urgent shipments that are ordered before noon are delivered same day in the afternoon. Orders placed between noon and 5pm are delivered the next morning. These non-urgent shipments account for most jobs.

Around 27% of orders, however, are urgent. High-value MedTech products cannot always be kept in store in clinic facilities as reserves. A late delivery could mean that a surgery needs to be postponed. To avoid this, an urgent shipment needs to be delivered in a very tight time frame between two to four hours – as per the service level agreement. The countdown starts immediately!

Value added service: delivery (almost) to the operating theatre

The delivery locations are hospitals and hundreds of clinics across Singapore. They can be smaller practices, or massive hospital complexes. And delivery is expected inside of the building at the right department—interpreting the definition of last-mile very strictly! 
This is a value-added service which Kuehne+Nagel offers based on the customer’s needs to further assure a timely delivery, immediately into the right hands. Cross-functional drivers know not only how to navigate the roads, but also the buildings. They and the dedicated transport planners are trained in products, customer service and individual clinic needs.

Full visibility 

The solution also includes full visibility on the real-time whereabouts of the shipments. This is important for the peace of mind, knowing that the delivery is on its way.