COMPANY
SPOTLIGHT
GOING PLACES
Gaining FAA approval for its novel transport solutions has
enabled DoKaSch to expand its network reach, notes the Editor.
The pharma industry
in the US is the most
important market in
the world. Accordingly, the
demand for reliable transport
solutions for temperaturesensitive
cargo is huge, since
some pharmaceutical products
need to be kept within a clearly
defined temperature range.
One supplier of temperaturecontrolled
containers is the
German company DoKaSch
Temperature Solutions,
or DoKaSch as it is more
commonly known. In September
2019, the Federal Aviation
Administration approved the
manufacturer’s Opticooler-RAP
container for operations on US
carriers. It was an important
approval for, in turn, DoKaSch
TS will now be able to extend its
global reach.
A growing network
The German company has been
active in the US through its
subsidiary DoKaSch Americas for
over a year now, during which
time it established an extensive
network which spans Europe,
the US, Asia and the Middle East.
In addition to that, airlines such
as LATAM provide connections
to South America. In the US,
the company operates three
hubs in Newark, Chicago and
Los Angeles. From these, the
company is able to provide the
Opticooler to customers on a
nationwide scale. In many areas,
in fact, delivery is free of charge.
For Andreas Seitz, Managing
Director of DoKaSch, the FAA
approval was still an important
step to be taken.
“Until now, the operations
were conducted on the basis of
EASA certifications. Building on
these, we already had a network
of more than 20 airlines around
the world, with a lot of flights to
and from the US. However, with
the FAA approval, the Opticooler
can now also be used on aircraft
registered in the USA.”
Thanks to this approval, the
three big carriers (United
Airlines, Delta Air Lines and
American Airlines), along with
some wet-lease carriers like Atlas
Air, are now potential clients.
Seitz adds that Air Canada is also
no longer out of reach because
Canada’s national aviation
agency, that of Transport
Canada, has very similar
requirements to the FAA.
Overall, Seitz is satisfied with
the effort put into acquiring the
certification.
“Obtaining the certificate is a
very complex process. The
applying company does not
only have to fulfil a set of
different requirements, it also
needs to develop the testing
process and have it approved by
the FAA. However, the results
justify the extra work and we are
already continuing our efforts to
receive the approval for our
Opticooler-RKN during 2020.”
Next steps
After receiving the FAA approval,
DoKaSch TS is now able to rent
out the Opticooler to all the
airlines mentioned earlier in this
feature. But before a master
rental agreement is signed, the
participating airline has to give
an operational approval as well.
The company has already
initiated this phase.
“Talks with the three big
carriers and Air Canada have
already commenced in order
to reach agreements. We are
working in parallel on the
approval process and rental
agreements to speed up the
process,” explains Seitz.
With the rising demand
for biotech pharmaceutical
products, pharma producers
need a reliable and consolidated
network of transport solutions
to deliver their products both
quickly and safely. This is where
the Opticooler becomes relevant.
“DoKaSch Temperature
Solutions is able to provide
the highest reliability on the
market due to the design of
our containers and extensive
maintenance routines after
each trip,” claims Seitz. For
highly sensitive pharmaceutical
products, that aspect is, of
course, essential. For the
future, US airlines now have
access to a reliable, made in
Germany product which ought
to increase their flexibility
significantly. Seitz adds that
the Opticoolers have nearly a
hundred percent availability,
which is another important
aspect of the initiative.
And ahead…
Predictably, for the future, Seitz
plans to extend the company’s
operational network even
further.
“There will be new bases
within the US. Their locations
will be oriented on the needs
of the clients and on important
pharmaceutical centres. The
approval by the FAA was only
one step on the way to further
customer-oriented expansion,”
he concludes.
48 December 2019 www.airlogisticsinternational.com
/www.airlogisticsinternational.com