Polar Speed, the distributor of temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals, has taken delivery of a dozen Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans with Thermo King dual-temperature refrigeration units and designed to carry product in separate compartments at 5°C and 20°C.
The company, which is based at Leighton Buzzard, operates 40,000 sq ft of chilled and temperate warehousing and runs a fleet of more than 130 temperature-controlled vehicles, including over 100 refrigerated and insulated vans which, for strategic reasons, is split evenly between Mercedes-Benz and another manufacturer. The vans were supplied by Hughes of Aylesbury.
“The distribution requirements of the pharmaceuticals market can be especially demanding, and are often well beyond the capabilities of traditional transport and logistics organisations,” said Richard Holmes, director of supply chain at Polar Speed.
“This is because the integrity of many products can be compromised or even undermined completely, thus rendering them ineffective, if they are not kept within strict temperature parameters during transit and do not reach their destination within the appropriate timeframe. Ensuring patient safety through rigid adherence to ‘Good Distribution Practice’ is at the heart of our business.
Polar Speed delivers anything from full pallet consignments to individual packages to hospitals, pharmaceutical wholesalers, GPs and community pharmacies. The company also conducts a home delivery service for thousands of patients nationwide.
Hughes supplied Polar Speed late last year with seven 313 CDIs and three 5.0-tonne Sprinter 516 CDIs with box bodies, also by Solomon Commercials. These bigger vehicles carry product on pallets, as well as in boxes and cartons, and are used to deliver to larger hospitals such as Addenbrookes, in Cambridge, and London’s Royal Free.
