The Community was officially launched at an event in Munich today, reporting that its first meeting was supported by all sectors of the supply chain and a Board has been voted in

Munich, Germany, Tuesday 9th May 2023: Companies from across the supply chain have joined the new Puerto Rico Life Sciences Air Cargo Community, which aims to drive quality at the number one bioscience manufacturing hub in the U.S. by export volume.

Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers joined the first meeting of the Community last week and will sit on the new Board, along with representatives from airlines, airports, ground handlers, haulers, forwarders, and integrators.

Launching the Community at the Air Cargo Europe event today (9th May), David Perez-Larson, Business Development Officer, the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC), said the group aims to improve the overall quality of airfreight-related operations on the island.

“We will be adopting best practices and striving towards a standardized way of operating, as well as representing and lobbying for the airfreight community with legislators and authorities,” said Perez-Larson

“This is an important collaboration in which we will be working together on tangible projects to ensure a high quality service for the life sciences community.

“Amongst our plans will be gathering data to support our message to the logistics industry that Puerto Rico is a ‘hidden gem’ in the sector, and we plan to present the first data set this summer.

“We will also be holding training meetings about the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) certification over coming months as part of ongoing education programs for the workforce and community at large.”

The Community is free-of-charge to join and open to any Puerto Rico-based company operating in the Life Science and, or, airfreight industry.

Board members, which include representatives from the DDEC and Invest Puerto Rico, as well as the Industry University Research Center (INDUNIV), Aerostar Airport Holdings, and the Port Authority of Puerto Rico, are elected for a one-year tenure and will meet every two months to agree on projects and topics to communicate to the logistics industry, as well as legislators and authorities.

The Community will convene twice a year for collective community meetings organized by the board.

“This is not only about content, bonds in general need to be developed and networking is as important as working on projects,” said Jonas van Stekelenburg, advisor to the Community.

“The more Community members trust each other and the more members that trust the community, the more we can achieve.”

A number of members have already started the IATA CEIV certification process as part of the initiative.

Twelve of the world’s 20 top-grossing pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and AbbVie, operate on the island, with eight of the 15 globally top-selling biopharmaceutical products manufactured on Puerto Rico.

Twelve out of the top 20 medical device companies have manufacturing sites on the island, including Medtronic, CooperVision, and Boston Scientific, manufacturing products such as pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, surgical instruments, lab devices, dental equipment, and vision correction goods.

Puerto Rico has a U.S. Department of Transportation designation as an international air trans-shipment hub, a waiver that allows for unencumbered trans-shipment at the island’s three international airports.