SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines (UAL) and DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post DHL Group, today announced several significant growth and expansion initiatives in Puerto Rico. The two companies are working together to continue developing Puerto Rico's life sciences and pharmaceutical industries by increasing widebody flights, and offering customers expanded cold chain storage solutions with three new temperature-controlled chambers operating at 15 to 25° C (59 to 77° F) in San Juan. The additional United flights will also offer additional opportunities for tourism to Puerto Rico, further boosting the local economy.
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DHL Puerto Rico cold room
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DHL will expand its San Juan warehouse to offer increased capacity for handling shipments that require strict temperature controls.
United Airlines, in part to serve the increased demand for moving temperature-controlled shipments by air, will add widebody aircraft flights between San Juan and the airline's New York/Newark hub.
DHL Expansion
The DHL facility expansion will take place by dividing DHL's current 5,616 square foot warehouse in San Juan into three independently operated cold chambers with a combined capacity of 324 pallets using single pallet racks or 486 pallets on double deep racks. Each of the three chambers will operate at 15 to 25° C (59 to 77° F) and have 100 percent redundant refrigeration systems. The chambers will also have a hot gas injection system to maintain required relative humidity levels during operation.
"Pharmaceutical companies have increasingly invested in Puerto Rico over the years, and they need a strong global network and cold chain infrastructure to handle their delicate medicines and pharmaceutical products," said Frank Cascante, head of sales & marketing for DHL Temperature Management Solutions, DHL Global Forwarding. "DHL Global Forwarding is investing in Puerto Rico by expanding to meet the growing needs of this important market by offering it our cutting-edge temperature-controlled services."
DHL has been present in Puerto Rico since 1958 and has operations in San Juan with 35 professionals dedicated to servicing the island's life sciences and health care industry.
According to the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO), the island has 49 FDA-approved pharmaceutical plants and 12 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies have a presence there. It also is the fifth largest pharmaceutical manufacturing territory in the world. DHL Global Forwarding offers life sciences and health care customers a portfolio of services that includes transportation sourcing and management, shipment tracking, specialty cold chain packaging, RFID label application and temperature-controlled storage and fulfillment, among other services. The company also adheres to strict processes, quality standards and services that comply with government agencies' requirements.
United Airlines Expansion
Beginning December 18, 2016, United will increase widebody service between San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport from one to six flights weekly. The route will operate with Boeing 777 aircraft offering customers 344 seats.
"Building strong, collaborative relationships with United Cargo customers allows us to share innovative ideas and opportunities to ensure we meet the needs of the global health care community," said Jim Bellinder, United Cargo's vice president of Sales Americas. "By expanding our TempControl service for temperature-sensitive patient care products into San Juan, United is improving the lives and health of people in Puerto Rico and around the world."
"For the last 25 years, United Airlines has been a proud member of the San Juan business community and has played a vital role in connecting Puerto Rico to the world," said Millie Uriarte, United's regional director of Sales for Puerto Rico. "Today's announcement is just the beginning and we look forward to continuing to do business with customers throughout the island."
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports across five continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 720 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737 NGs, 787s and 777s. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.
About DHL
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 340,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and health care, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as "The logistics company for the world." DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 59 billion euros in 2015.
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