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Over one million shipments of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals delivered safely

Success story of va-Q-tec and Swiss Post

In Germany, an increasing number of temperature-sensitive medicines are being delivered by parcel service – often without consistent monitoring of the legally required temperature conditions. As a result, medicines can lose their effectiveness or even become harmful to health if stored at the wrong temperatures. Reliable temperature control is often lacking, especially in the “last mile” to the patient.

Swiss Post recognized early on that action was needed in this area and has been cooperating with va-Q-tec since 2017. Swiss Post uses reusable, vacuum-insulated transport boxes from va-Q-tec to transport sensitive medicines. These passive thermoboxes reliably keep medicines within the required temperature ranges (+2 °C to +8 °C or +15 °C to +25 °C) for several days without external energy input and in compliance with GDP.

Core technologies:

  • Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) with up to ten times better insulation performance than conventional materials.
  • Precise temperature control through cold and heat storage elements (phase change materials—PCMs).
  • Sustainable reusable system with cleaning, maintenance, and reuse.

Results

  • Over 1 million deliveries with around 8,000 ThermoCare boxes since 2017.
  • Up to 40% CO₂ reduction compared to actively cooled vehicles.
  • Significant cost reduction through the elimination of energy-intensive refrigerated vehicles.
  • Packaging waste minimized through the use of durable, repairable boxes.

“Swiss Post demonstrates every day how easy and efficient secure drug transport can be—with our robust, passive thermoboxes that work reliably in every season.”
Felix Rau, Vice President Business Unit TempChain, va-Q-tec

The process begins at the va-Q-tec TempChain Service Center in the canton of Aargau, where the thermoboxes are preconditioned as required and checked to ensure they are in perfect working order. Swiss Post then delivers the empty boxes to the respective pharmaceutical shippers. There, they are filled with temperature-sensitive medicines and delivered directly to the recipients. After delivery, the empty boxes are returned to the Service Center, where they are cleaned, subjected to another quality check using the patented va-Q-check® system, and repaired if necessary.

The location in the canton of Aargau offers a decisive advantage: its proximity to Swiss Post’s logistics routes enables fast processes, short transport routes, and maximum efficiency—a plus for quality, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.

This process reflects va-Q-tec’s brand values in practice: quality comes first and is ensured by precise temperature control and comprehensive monitoring of each individual box. Reliability is demonstrated by consistent performance, even under extreme climatic conditions. With its reusable system and repairable boxes, va-Q-tec takes responsibility for the environment and resources. Over one million successful deliveries prove the high performance of this solution, which is based on the expertise of a team that has been helping to shape passive TempChain standards in the industry for years.