Due to the sustained growth of the pharmaceutical industry in the last years, Montecon organized a meeting with different actors of the sector in order to know which are the main challenges that are presented at the present time regarding logistic services.

The activity, called Pharma Puerto, gathered representatives from national, regional and global laboratories, shipping lines operating in Montecon; cargo agents, authorities from the National Port Administration, the National Customs Directorate, Inalog, Uruguay XXI, the British Embassy and the Exporters Union, among others, who shared their experiences and contributions during the ideas breakfast.

"We know it is a thriving sector with a lot of added value, which has grown a lot in the last few years and still has potential to continue developing, which is betting on being a hub of the region, which has very strict requirements in terms of quality and which has a very important social impact because behind every product there is a patient waiting for it. We are convinced that the Port of Montevideo can be a gateway of entry and exit of great complementarity with the Airport for this type of cargo, given the better traceability that the container allows and the great connectivity that today's services offer, but also that we still have much to learn," said Juan Olascoaga, General Manager of Montecon and Director of Nodus.

On his part, Julio Branda, Montecon's Commercial Manager, presented the particularities, competencies and actions of the company, among which several technological innovation projects are being carried out, such as the process of robotization of certain routine tasks, the incorporation of artificial intelligence to reinforce the physical security of the port area, as well as the development of applications that speed up the task of the carriers and platforms that extend the 24-hour customer service.

José Luis Pieroni, a specialist in supply chains, storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals, was invited to convey the concerns, difficulties and needs that exist in a market concentrated in large drug manufacturing plants that must transport them to various points.

The expert pointed out that the problem is centred on the logistics related to the storage and distribution of products. Moving this very sensitive cargo at the right temperatures is key to ensuring the maintenance of its properties and avoiding economic losses in the millions. In this regard, Pieroni said that the great challenge for the maritime pharmaceutical transport industry is the products that need to be at room temperature, from 15 to 25 degrees.

While acknowledging that air transport is faster compared to maritime transport, he mentioned that the latter has several advantages that make it attractive to laboratories, such as the lower cost and the peace of mind of knowing that containers are closed at origin and opened at destination, without their contents being altered.

Finally, and after the working tables that tried to answer which are the needs of the industry for the period 2020-2025 and which are its uncertainties and difficulties to be solved, Montecon committed itself to explore and articulate solutions together with the different actors to achieve a greater competitiveness of the sector.