CONTENT PARTNERS
SOLVED Supply Chain Challenge?
A Sustainable Partnership Provides a Custom Solution: Reusable Packaging For 30 years, MD Logistics has served the pharmaceutical industry. The third-party logistics provider builds customized solutions to fit their clients’ unique supply chain needs.
Upon being awarded the business, the 3PL client, their vendor, and MD Logistics worked together to onboard the reusable shippers within the MD Logistics warehouse—making adaptations to conveyors and warehouse processes to accommodate the added weight and different dimensions of the shippers. The ability and willingness to make these changes to their operational footprint without disruptions to existing business is a competitive advantage for MDL and a strategic bene t for the client. MD Logistics also needed to work closely with the client’s vendor to make the preparations to accommodate the technology which accompanies the reusable shippers. This process highlighted the critical interdependencies between advanced packaging, cold chain logistics, and warehouse operations. Building a relationship on mutual support, respect, and open communication was the cornerstone to this successful partnership, ensuring the technology and physical logistics were perfectly synced.
THE CHALLENGE As temperature sensitive biologics and medicines have increased in popularity, so too has the need for compliant ways to ship products within their temperature requirements to allow for safe consumption by the patient. In order to keep product within temperature range, vast amounts of packaging materials were needed to keep product compliant and safe for patient consumption. However, as the industry evolved to place a greater emphasis on sustainability and lowering carbon emissions, one glaring threat to this strategy became increasingly obvious. The packaging materials that were being utilized were often single-use materials, meaning they were unable to be refurbished or reused. The need for a solution with a lower carbon footprint and the ability to keep product in temperature range throughout the shipping process was paramount—and especially felt by MD Logistics’ clients. As clients uncovered reusable shipping solutions, they needed the exibility and understanding of MD Logistics in order to incorporate these nuanced packaging solutions into warehouse operations. THE SOLUTION The bene ts of utilizing a reusable shipper for MD Logistics’ clients were clear—reductions in carbon emissions and product loss and enhanced shipment visibility. But, as the 3PL provider, what
stood out to MD Logistics was the ease of onboarding a new solution and the ongoing relationship that developed with their clients’ vendor. With the onboarding of reusable shippers into the MD Logistics warehouse, operations at MDL realized reduced pack-out errors due to the ease of assembly with fewer components, which has also made inventory management easier and lessens stock-out issues. Often packaging decisions are driven by the manufacturer, with the 3PL being made aware of what is happening, but removed from the procurement process. In order to bring this reusable solution online for clients, MD Logistics had to reengineer warehouse ows to ensure that the operation could absorb and accommodate the new technology. MD Logistics has created a reputation within the 3PL industry for providing customized supply chain solutions for their clients’ problems. If they don’t have a solution currently in place, through cross-functional, highly collaborative teams, they gure out a way to meet their clients’ unique supply chain needs.
To learn more: info@mdlogistics.com www.mdlogistics.com 317-838-8900
50 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
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