Ali Raif İlaç, one of the most established companies of the Turkish Pharmaceutical Industry, produces 50 million boxes and exports 6 million boxes annually. “Investments to improve supply chain and logistics processes are of critical importance to increase the competitiveness of our business and maximize operational efficiency,” said Ali Raif İlaç Supply Operations Director Ali Sinan Çelebi, adding that they have taken new steps in this field, especially in the last 2 years.

The company, which has a product range of 245 different pharmaceutical forms, annually produces products for human use in therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular, diabetes, gastrointestinal system, analgesic anti-inflammatory, anti-flu, antiviral, antihistamine, central nervous system and transplantation, as well as sweeteners, food supplements and medical device products. It produces 50 million boxes. Ali Raf İlaç, which exports approximately 6 million boxes annually, is the market leader in countries such as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Georgia.

What is your annual shipping amount? How do you select your logistics business partners?
We organize shipments of over 300 40HC containers annually. We carry out our transportation with refrigerated trucks. We move forward together with solution partners in logistics operations. We prefer accessible companies with whom we can cooperate for many years, who are experienced in pharmaceutical logistics operations, who follow business processes 24/7, and who have strong partners in every country.

What role do supply chain and logistics management play in your competitive edge? What steps are you taking in this area?
In our logistics processes, we follow the 15-25 degree end-to-end traceable Good Distribution Practices for Medicinal Products (GDP) quality system required for drug distribution. It is essential for us that our supply chain operates smoothly to ensure uninterrupted access to medicines. Investments to improve supply chain and logistics processes are critical to increase the competitiveness of our business and maximize operational efficiency. We have taken important steps, especially in the last 2 years, to maintain and further increase our competitiveness:
We have prioritized advanced logistics management software and digital platforms to improve our supply chain and logistics processes. We regularly review our current logistics network and look for innovative solutions to improve it.
We aim to provide effective and efficient supply chain management and logistic operations. With every improvement we make and ensuring the efficiency of our quality systems, we increase customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs and gain a competitive advantage.

PHARMA LOGISTICS GAINED MOMENTUM
What potential does Türkiye have in the field of pharmaceutical production and pharma logistics?
The pharma logistics sector in Turkiye has grown significantly in recent years, especially due to our geopolitical location. Turkiye’s population and rapid developments in the health sector, quality production and the desire of foreign manufacturers to enter our country due to its geopolitical advantage have led to an increase in the demand for pharmaceutical production. The pharma logistics sector plays an important role thanks to Turkiye’s strategic location and solid infrastructure. However, in order to fully evaluate the service quality in this area, some problems need to be solved:
– Problems may occur in the pharmaceutical supply chain, especially in rural areas. We aim to ensure that our medicines are distributed in a timely and effective manner to all our provinces at the same time.
– On the other hand, some drugs should be stored under cold chain conditions. However, Turkiye’s wide geographical structure can make cold chain management difficult. The cold chain must be fully protected and monitored.
Turkiye’s continued infrastructure investments to develop its logistics system will help improve the transportation and storage infrastructure in the pharmaceutical logistics sector. It will also ensure that the pharma logistics industry becomes stronger, more reliable and more effective, and that our quality level in healthcare services is maintained and increased.