DHL Group strengthens its Life Sciences and Healthcare capabilities in Singapore, reinforcing the nation’s position as Asia Pacific’s premier life sciences hub

The investments focus on three pillars: infrastructure, specialist expertise, and strategic partnerships. Together, they help maintain product integrity throughout the healthcare supply chain.

Asia Pacific's pharmaceutical logistics market is projected to grow from US$163 billion in 2025 to nearly US$239 billion by 2031, driven by rising demand for biologics, vaccines and other temperature-sensitive products that require specialized storage and transportation. As healthcare supply chains become increasingly complex, manufacturers are looking for logistics partners, who can protect product integrity and meet stringent regulatory requirements.

To accede to that demand, DHL is putting new infrastructure across its Express, Global Forwarding and Supply Chain businesses, while continuing to grow its healthcare expertise and build closer ties across the broader logistics ecosystem.

The investments also build on DHL Group's broader commitment to LSHC and the continued expansion of DHL Health Logistics including the €500 million earmarked for Asia Pacific as part of €2 billion global investment in the sector announced in 2025. The program covers infrastructure and technology across storage, order fulfilment, distribution, global transportation and last-mile delivery.

Infrastructure: Singapore Coldchain Hub, Pharma Hub 2, and dedicated GDP-compliant space at South Asia Hub

DHL Global Forwarding is strengthening Singapore's role in regional healthcare trade through the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub, a dedicated healthcare logistics facility that will form part of DHL's broader Health Logistics Air Freight Network connecting key pharmaceutical and life sciences markets worldwide. By combining global air connectivity with specialized healthcare handling capabilities, the network helps customers move sensitive pharmaceutical and life sciences shipments with greater reliability, visibility and temperature integrity across critical healthcare trade lanes. Together with a pharmaceutical corridor initiative being developed with ecosystem partners, the investment will help create more seamless, compliant and resilient healthcare supply chains across Asia Pacific and key healthcare trade lanes.

Located within Changi's 24/7 Free Trade Zone at Changi Nexus One, the S$22 million (€15 million) facility will provide 3,047 sqm of GDP-aligned temperature-controlled infrastructure for high-value, time- and temperature-sensitive healthcare cargo, including pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and biologics. With dedicated 2°C to 8°C and 15°C to 25°C handling environments, the facility is designed to support an unbroken cold chain from aircraft to a DHL facility and onward to customers' warehouses, minimizing temperature excursions and reducing the need for supplementary temperature-control measures and packaging while preserving product integrity throughout transit. The facility is slated for launch in late 2027.

"In healthcare logistics, precision is non-negotiable. A temperature excursion of just a few degrees can compromise the integrity of high-value medicines, biologics and other critical healthcare products. That is why building an end-to-end, unbroken cold chain is essential. Beyond protecting products, it gives healthcare companies the confidence that life-saving therapies can move safely, compliantly, and reliably across increasingly complex global supply chains. By combining specialized infrastructure, direct airside connectivity and dedicated temperature-controlled handling solutions, our new Singapore Coldchain Hub will help minimize product exposure throughout the shipment journey and give customers greater assurance that their products will arrive in the right condition, at the right time, to the patients who depend on them," added Praveen Gregory, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

DHL Supply Chain is building on the success of the Pharma Hub first launched in Singapore last year with a second pharma hub to further expand its healthcare logistics footprint in the country. The new $S7 million (€5 million) facility will provide additional controlled ambient storage capacity for pharmaceutical and medical device customers, supporting services such as warehousing, distribution, kitting and value-added healthcare logistics operations.

Spanning over 8,000 sqm, the facility is designed as a 100 percent temperature-controlled ambient facility operating at temperatures between 15°C and 25°C with humidity control below 60 percent. The facility will accommodate approximately 7,680 pallet positions and incorporate GDP-compliant and GMP-aligned (Good Manufacturing Practice-aligned) infrastructure, including dedicated redressing rooms to support specialized healthcare logistics requirements. With both pharma hubs, DHL Supply Chain's total pharmaceutical logistics footprint in Singapore will amount to approximately 16,000 sqm and accommodate around 12,000 pallet positions. It is expected to begin operations by the first half of 2027.

"Capacity on its own isn't the goal. It's what that capacity allows our customers to do," said Eunis Hew, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain Singapore. "Pharma Hub 2 builds on the strong foundation we have established with Pharma Hub, giving our customers additional room to grow while maintaining the quality and compliance standards their products require. As healthcare supply chains become more sophisticated, purpose-built infrastructure becomes increasingly important."

DHL Express has installed a GDP-compliant handling and storage space of around 20 sqm at its South Asia Hub at Changi Airport. The controlled ambient room with a temperature range of 15°C to 25 °C allows temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments to move securely through one of the region's most important air logistics gateways. This also marks the first GDP-compliant healthcare logistics space within a DHL Express facility globally.

GDP-compliant processes help ensure that medicines are handled under appropriate conditions, remain traceable and maintain their quality throughout the distribution journey.

"When it comes to healthcare shipments, every handoff matters," said Christopher Ong, Managing Director, DHL Express Singapore. "By expanding GDP-compliant handling and storage capabilities within our South Asia Hub, we're helping customers reduce risk during transit and maintain the integrity of temperature-sensitive products throughout their journey. That reliability is critical especially when those shipments support clinical trials, hospital treatments and patient care."

People: Building expertise in teams

Infrastructure is only one part of healthcare logistics. DHL is also investing in specialized healthcare logistics expertise across its operations to help ensure temperature-sensitive and regulated products are handled consistently at every stage of the journey. Teams across Express, Global Forwarding and Supply Chain receive ongoing training in areas such as temperature-controlled handling, GDP requirements, quality management and regulatory compliance, supported by DHL's Certified Life Sciences Specialist program. These programs keep employees up to date with evolving industry standards and equip them with the knowledge needed to support increasingly complex healthcare supply chains.

The company is also growing its pool of healthcare logistics specialists, such as pharmacists, combining operational expertise and industry knowledge to support increasingly stringent supply chain requirements.

Ecosystem and partners: Building stronger healthcare supply chains

DHL is working closely with airlines, airport partners, healthcare manufacturers and logistics providers to strengthen the broader healthcare logistics ecosystem.

One example is DHL Express' latest partnership with Life Science Incubator (LSI), a life sciences innovation ecosystem partner. Through the collaboration, DHL will give start-ups, SMEs, researchers and healthcare innovators access to specialized logistics capabilities at LSI's incubator and conduct workshops and training programs covering international trade, supply chain management and cross-border regulatory requirements. By bringing logistics expertise closer to where innovation takes place, DHL aims to help emerging healthcare businesses scale more effectively and navigate global supply chains.

Together with Changi Airport Group (CAG), DHL Global Forwarding is enhancing healthcare trade lanes across Asia Pacific to support the safe and reliable movement of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and other temperature-sensitive products through Singapore. By combining Changi Airport's extensive global connectivity and airside access with DHL's global healthcare logistics expertise, dedicated cold-chain capabilities, and expanding Health Logistics network, the Singapore Coldchain Hub collaboration aims to give customers greater consistency, visibility, and confidence across their supply chains.

Collectively, these investments position Singapore as an increasingly important gateway for healthcare and life sciences supply chains in Asia Pacific. Leveraging its specialized infrastructure, skilled teams and strong industry partnerships, DHL is helping customers navigate growing supply chain complexity while maintaining the integrity of critical healthcare products.

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