Rhenus & Ocean UK opens new life sciences and healthcare hub in Ashford

Rhenus Air & Ocean UK has opened a life sciences and healthcare hub in Ashford, Middlesex near Heathrow Airport.

The freight forwarder – the UK arm of the German-owned Rhenus Group – said the warehouse is the first facility of its kind in Europe for Rhenus Group and will offer import and export logistics and a “white glove” service for temperature-controlled storage and distribution.

The new department will be led by head of life sciences and healthcare for North-West Europe, Marie-Louise Watkins, and UK life sciences and healthcare manager, Jayne Fox.

Watkins said: “This is a brand-new venture for Rhenus in the UK. With the patient at the forefront of our minds, our focus is on quality and compliance, providing our customers with industry expertise and solutions to ensure the safe and secure handling of pharmaceutical and medical products.”

She added: “As we are a global company with more than 920 offices worldwide, including our wholly owned charter service company, we can assist our customers to de-risk their supply chains and unlock the potential of new markets globally.”

North-West Europe chief executive, Frank Roderkerk, added: “Rhenus has a well-established track record in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, and the opening of this new department marks the next stage. Led by a stellar team, with the appointments of Marie-Louise and Jayne, we can say with confidence we have fast-tracked a world-leading offer for our customers in this complex, rapidly evolving sector.”