Kuala Lumpur International Airport, 22 May 2018 – MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd (MABkargo) today announced its initiative to obtain the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certificate via a signing ceremony with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The IATA CEIV Pharma is a standardized global certification programme that guides companies to comply with existing global pharmaceutical guidelines. Under the programme, companies will have to undergo training, as well as an assessment of their facilities and processes by independent, IATA-certified auditors to satisfy the strict requirements on pharmaceutical handling before receiving the certification.

At the signing ceremony, Mohd Zulkefly Ujang, Chief Operation Officer signed for MABkargo while Conrad Clifford Asia Pacific Regional Vice President signed for IATA. The signing was witnessed by Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) Chief Executive Officer, Izham Ismail.

 

This signing makes MABkargo the first airline and cargo terminal operator in Malaysia to embark on this certification process which will take about six months to complete.

Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd, quoted, “We see great potential in pursuing the certification. Moving temperature-sensitive, high-value pharmaceutical cargo can be challenging due to the multiple requirements and processes needed to cater for such shipment. Moving forward, with MAB Kargo’s dedicated cold chain handling service which is MH Centigrade that is supplemented by a cargo partner, Envirotainer, MAB Kargo will be well-positioned to be the leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology cargo hub in South-East Asia. Through the IATA CEIV Pharma certification programme, MAB Kargo and its partners will go one step further by focusing on high quality service with an emphasis on excellence and safety.”

“The shipping of pharmaceutical products is the fastest growing segment in the air freight industry. Given the sensitive nature of the products, it is necessary to establish global time and temperature standards and best practices to ensure the integrity of pharmaceutical products are not compromised when they are shipped by air. Today’s signing is a step in the right direction to ensure MAB Kargo is well placed to serve this important segment of the air cargo industry, and to give pharmaceutical companies the confidence that the cold-chain integrity of their products will be maintained,” said Clifford.