The Berlin Senate had commissioned Vivantes to support the central procurement of protective equipment. By the end of June, a total of around 3 million FFP protective masks, 30 million mouth and nose protectors, 137 million examination gloves and around 8 million protective gowns will be brought to Berlin. In order to ensure a continuous and reliable supply to the hospitals, Hellmann has developed a flexible logistics concept in which different transport carriers are used. The international logistics service provider is thus making an important contribution to supplying Berlin's hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

In view of the fact that scheduled flights between China and Europe are very limited during the coronavirus crisis, Hellmann initially chartered several aircraft to ensure the short-term supply of critical medical materials to hospitals. The aircraft are Boeing 777 passenger planes, whose passenger seats have also been released for loading in order to increase cargo capacity. A total of around 1000^m3 of freight will be flown to Europe for Vivantes in this way. In a second step, the logistics concept envisages transporting the medical products directly from China to Germany by train via the so-called "Iron Silk Road" in the medium term. With a transit time of around 15 days, rail transportation is slower than air freight, but at the same time more cost-effective and ecologically sustainable.

"The coronavirus pandemic also poses new challenges for logistics. This applies in particular to securing the supply chains of medical materials, most of which are produced in China and have to be brought to Europe. We have developed a tailor-made logistics concept for Vivantes that ensures that the materials arrive in Berlin quickly and punctually in times of crisis, but also cost-effectively in the medium and long term," says Jochen Freese, Chief Commercial Officer, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. "By using charter aircraft, we are compensating for the capacity bottlenecks in air freight and can guarantee Vivantes robust supply chains even in the current situation."

"During the current coronavirus pandemic, the demand for medical supplies from China has risen sharply. The flexible transport concept that Hellmann has developed for us is a decisive factor in securing the supply of protective materials that Vivantes, as a municipal company, procures on behalf of the state," says Kristina Tschenett, press spokeswoman for Vivantes.