IDA Foundation has celebrated the official opening of its cutting-edge regional logistics hub, located in the state-of-the-art facility of Kuehne+Nagel in Dubai South, UAE.
The opening event brought together the IDA Foundation and Kuehne+Nagel leadership and was attended by esteemed guests from the UAE region. Notable attendees included representatives from the International Humanitarian City, Dubai South, and the World Health Organization.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the warehouse symbolised the collective efforts of local and international organisations that contributed significantly to the success of this venture and the advancement of healthcare logistics in the UAE.
The newly established IDA hub in Dubai is strategically located between IDA’s Asian manufacturers and most of its healthcare customers in Africa and the Middle East. The location next to International Humanitarian City and close to air- and seaport makes it an ideal centralised kitting- and distribution warehouse for the region and beyond. Kuehne+Nagel will support IDA with comprehensive product handling, kitting, temperature and access-controlled storage, aggregation, and local- and international distribution. An IDA team, including a dedicated pharmacist, works closely with Kuehne+Nagel to oversee operations to ensure compliance with stringent regulations and effective risk mitigation.
By awarding Kuehne+Nagel as the strategic logistics partner in Dubai, this collaboration between IDA and Kuehne+Nagel builds upon a decade-long partnership between the two organisations. As one of IDA’s preferred freight forwarding partners, Kuehne+Nagel’s Emergency and Relief Logistics team distributes essential health products to customers in over 130 global low- and middle-income countries.
At the ceremony, Wendy Eggen, CEO of IDA Foundation, expressed her enthusiasm about the hub and strengthened partnership, stating, “Expanding our regional hub in the UAE strategically places IDA to provide fast and reliable supply of health goods to those in need, with a focus on the Middle East and Africa. We chose Kuehne+Nagel because of the trust and confidence in their unwavering reliability, best-in-class warehousing services, commitment to sustainability, and a wide range of supplementing services that allow agile response.”
Lee I’Ons, President of the Middle East and Africa at Kuehne+Nagel, added to that and highlighted the significance of the collaboration, stating, “This alliance is a testament to our shared vision of providing every patient with the healthcare product in the condition and in the time they deserve, but also delivering sustainable logistics solutions. Our expertise in handling healthcare products, our persistent reliability, and the exemplary dedication of our teams were fundamental to this success.”