DHL Global Forwarding to Build Coldchain Hub at Singapore Changi Airport, Completion in 2027
en.Wedoany.com Reported - Changi Airport Group (CAG) and DHL Global Forwarding have announced that DHL Global Forwarding Singapore will build a dedicated healthcare logistics facility—the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub—at Changi Nexus One in the Changi Airfreight Centre. Equipped with temperature-controlled capabilities and direct airside access, the facility is designed to enhance capacity for high-value, time- and temperature-sensitive healthcare and life sciences shipments handled via Changi Airport.
The facility investment aligns with DHL Group's broader growth objectives in the life sciences and healthcare sector, forming part of a EUR 2 billion strategic investment in DHL Health Logistics under the Strategy 2030 framework. DHL stated that through targeted investments in infrastructure, capabilities, and specialized solutions, the company is strengthening its position as a leading logistics partner for the global healthcare industry.
From a regional demand perspective, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be a key driver of growth in the global pharmaceutical market, supported by an aging population, improved healthcare access, and rising adoption rates of innovative therapies. According to IQVIA's outlook, pharmaceutical sales across 12 major Asian markets—including China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Singapore—are projected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 3.7% between 2024 and 2029. This trend will drive demand for specialized healthcare logistics and reliable cold chain infrastructure.
Praveen Gregory, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, noted that the rapid growth in demand for biologics, specialty drugs, and other temperature-sensitive products is placing higher demands on Asia-Pacific healthcare supply chains in terms of precision, resilience, and speed. Singapore, as one of DHL's strategic healthcare logistics hubs in its global network, offers world-class air connectivity, specialized logistics infrastructure, and a trusted regulatory environment to support this. He projects that Singapore's pharmaceutical cold chain volumes will grow from 14 million kg in 2028 to 17 million kg by 2031, representing an annualized growth rate of approximately 7%. In his view, the investment in the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub is precisely aimed at enhancing cold chain capabilities to help customers build more resilient supply chains and deliver critical healthcare products with greater reliability.
Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub and Cargo Development at Changi Airport Group, expressed delight in further deepening the long-standing partnership through DHL Group's new facility at Changi Nexus One. He noted that this investment reflects the growing importance of healthcare and life sciences logistics, and that Changi Airport will leverage its strengths in air connectivity, airside infrastructure, and specialized cargo handling—combined with DHL's airfreight forwarding operations in Singapore—to support the safe, efficient, and reliable transportation of time- and temperature-sensitive shipments across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
The DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. Located within Changi Nexus One, the 3,047-square-meter facility is designed to Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards and can handle healthcare shipments requiring transport under controlled temperature conditions of 2°C to 8°C and 15°C to 25°C. The facility will integrate GDP-compliant cold storage, direct airside connectivity, and real-time temperature monitoring capabilities, complemented by dedicated temperature-controlled transfer solutions from aircraft to DHL facilities and onward to customer warehouses, ensuring an uninterrupted cold chain for healthcare and life sciences shipments transiting through Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.
Changi Airport's existing facilities already provide temperature-controlled environments across the airport ecosystem, supported by airside thermal protection solutions (such as refrigerated dollies, or cool dollies) and over 9,000 square meters of airside front-line temperature-controlled handling space (with an annual handling capacity exceeding 375,000 tonnes). The new cold chain hub is expected to build on this to further enhance the airport's handling capabilities.
Located within the Changi Airfreight Centre, Changi Nexus One offers nearly 8,000 square meters of warehousing space, with cargo able to connect directly to the apron for rapid processing. The building is the first facility at Changi Airport to achieve dual certification under both the BCA Green Mark Platinum and the Green Mark Platinum Positive Energy Building schemes.
