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Indian pharma’s logistics sector is getting major boost from emerging policy support. The National Logistics Policy and the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan emphasise multimodal connectivity, digital integration, and temperature-controlled logistics as national priorities, said Neeraj Balani, chief customer officer, Welspun One, an integrated warehouse solution provider.
Investment momentum is also building. Institutional investors are eyeing temperature-controlled logistics as a high-growth, defensive asset class. The intersection of healthcare reliability, urban consumption, and sustainability makes it particularly attractive, he added.
New-age warehouses rely on renewable energy, solar rooftops, and phase-change materials (PCMs) for efficient temperature control. These reduce operational costs and carbon footprint. Logistics, the backbone of pharma industry, is undergoing a profound transformation. What was once a linear, manufacturer-to-distributor supply chain is now being re-engineered into a multi-nodal, technology-driven network designed to keep medicines safe, compliant, and close to the end-consumer. At the centre of this shift, lies a critical enabler, the cold-chain-ready, in-city warehousing, he said.
Noting that pharma logistics is at an inflection point, Balani said that this is because vaccines, biologics, insulin, and other temperature-sensitive products now form a large share of the pharmaceutical basket, making end-to-end temperature control indispensable.
Nearly 60% of pharmaceuticals require some form of temperature-regulated storage. Even a brief ‘thermal excursion’, outside the recommended range can compromise efficacy. This operational challenge is amplified by the boom in e-pharmacy and home-based healthcare. Consumers now expect medicines to reach them within hours. While adhering to Good Distribution Practice (GDP) norms, the industry is moving from large, regional hubs to smaller, tech-enabled warehouses within or at the periphery of cities, Balani told Pharmabiz in an email.
This shift is visible in high-density markets like the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where warehousing demand from e-pharmacies alone is projected to reach 2 million sq. ft. by FY28. Micro-markets like Thane have emerged as preferred destinations, recording almost 15% CAGR on the back of robust connectivity, proximity to consumers, and the availability of Grade-A industrial space, he said.
Advanced cooling systems, backup power, insulated racking, and validated storage zones that meet GDP standards are commanding rental premiums of 20–30%. Higher cost is justified by reduced spoilage, regulatory confidence, and the ability to handle sensitive products. Cold-chain-ready, in-city warehouses are engineered to eliminate this risk. Modern facilities integrate multi-temperature zones for ambient, chilled (2–8 °C) and frozen (–20 °C) products. They deploy IoT-enabled sensors and cloud-based dashboards that provide real-time alerts, ensuring continuous monitoring. Insulated loading docks, backup power systems, and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) maintain operational continuity and traceability. The outcome is a network of micro-fulfilment hubs where every pallet movement and temperature fluctuation is recorded, audited, and acted upon. Increasingly, these facilities are also being leveraged by leading hospitals for the direct delivery of essential surgical equipment and other critical supplies through specialised pharma 3PL providers. For pharma, this means faster fulfilment, reduced wastage, and higher compliance confidence, essential factors in building trust with regulators and consumers, said Balani.
Globally, US, Germany, Japan, and South Korea have long recognized pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics as specialised infrastructure. Micro-fulfilment cold hubs near hospitals and pharmacies enable two-hour delivery windows for critical medicines, demonstrating proximity-based, temperature-controlled nodes enhance resilience and efficiency. India is now taking decisive steps as logistics providers, and technology firms are collaborating to design cold-chain-ready facilities integrating real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and automation. The future lies in developing ‘pharma-ready urban hubs’ which is smart, scalable, and compliant facilities. Going forward, temperature-controlled proximity will define competitive advantage in pharmaceutical logistics, said Balani.
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