Bracco Imaging SpA and BDP International achieve pharma transportation ‘first’

Bracco Imaging SpA (Bracco), an international leader in all modalities of diagnostic imaging solutions, and BDP International (BDP, a member of the PSA Group), a leading provider of globally integrated supply chain, transportation and logistics solutions, have successfully completed a first-of-its-kind move for the Bracco Group. On behalf of Bracco, BDP arranged the transportation of two refrigerated forty-foot reefer containers via the Trans-Asia railway from Italy to China, marking the inaugural journey of this unique method of temperature-controlled transportation.

Bracco places the concept of sustainability at the heart of its operations, and therefore seeks to reduce environmental impacts particularly within its supply chain. To accelerate their sustainability initiatives, Bracco approached BDP on the feasibility of designing a transport solution that would route freight entirely over land to reduce carbon emissions. BDP implemented a solution that bridged a sustainable routing with innovative new technologies by utilizing IoT sensors within the container to measure temperature, humidity and light levels, product movement traceability, as well as real-time quality updates to ensure impeccable product integrity while in transit. 

As a result of the project’s success, Bracco saw a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by utilizing rail transport as compared to ocean transport, solidifying an important foundation for furthering its commitment as an industry leader in sustainable operations.

“For Bracco, sustainability is an integral component of our mission and day-to-day operations,” noted Maurizio Zanetti, Logistics Manager – Bracco SpA. “With highly sensitive products that demand zero deviation in temperature, it was critical to deploy a solution that maintained the highest degree of quality while simultaneously minimizing our carbon footprint; this “first” is quite an impressive feat that we are most proud of. Bracco looks forward to advancing our sustainability targets through continued collaboration with BDP.”

“BDP is honored to partner with Bracco on this initiative that highlights the critical importance of more environmentally friendly modes of transportation,” said Gerry Fama, Vice President of Sales – Europe, BDP International. “With new market dynamics and expanded capabilities from PSA’s global network of rail and inland terminals, the use of train services will be an arena for continued growth in the reduction of CO2 emissions and acceleration of the distribution chain.”