Rising Demand for Climate-Controlled and Refrigerated Logistics; Costs Could Be Up to 200% Higher

Several factors, including a regulation introduced by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in 2020—RDC 430—implemented in March of this year, have driven the increased demand for climate-controlled and refrigerated logistics.

RDC 430, which standardizes the quality of logistics and transportation of medications, has had a significant impact, particularly by including over-the-counter medications—those that can be purchased without a prescription—under the category of products that must be stored, transported, and distributed under temperature control.

“We’re currently in a transition period where this type of medication must be monitored end-to-end. The biggest challenge lies in transportation rather than storage, which is why there’s now a need to climate-control the transport for this entire product chain,” explains Bastos from Luft Healthcare.

In addition to RDC 430, the growing demand is also fueled by the year-on-year increase in medication sales, much of it driven by the booming pharmaceutical e-commerce sector in Brazil.

It's no surprise, then, that companies like Mundial Logistics are investing in expanding their climate-controlled and refrigerated logistics capacity. Earlier this month, Mundial announced a R$30 million investment in a new 40,000-square-meter class A+ distribution center (DC) in Guarulhos.

This new DC includes spaces designed to meet the needs of the healthcare sector, trade marketing, and other markets, offering 50,000 pallet positions and increasing operational capacity by 60%. Additionally, the project will introduce innovations in control towers, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation.

“This is a crucial investment to meet the growing demands and challenges of the logistics market, with a focus on Point of Sale (POS) materials and sectors regulated by Anvisa, such as cosmetics, food, and beverages,” commented Fernando Passos, a member of the Board of Directors at Mundial Logistics Group.

Luft Healthcare is also riding the trend, projecting a 23% increase in demand between August 2023 and August 2024.

Luft Logistics' thermosensitive logistics division currently operates four fully climate-controlled warehouses: one in Itapevi (SP) with 40,000 square meters; one in Itajaí (SC) with 21,000 square meters; one in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) with 6,600 square meters; and one in Aparecida de Goiânia (GO) with 3,500 square meters.