SkyCell temperature-controlled hybrid containers get the full works – maintenance, cleaning, repair, and cooling – at DHL Freight in Mechelen, Belgium. Once serviced, they’re ready to ship medicines safely, even under extreme conditions.
It's a winter day like any other at DHL’s Freight terminal in Mechelen, Belgium. The February sky is grey, and the temperature is just above freezing. In the warehouse, however, subzero conditions prevail – something the colleagues here are long since used to. Here, temperature-controlled hybrid containers are being cooled to -20 degrees Celsius for the Swiss container manufacturer SkyCell, ensuring that the medical cargos they carry arrive in perfect condition.
The shift starts at 7:00 a.m. The six DHL colleagues look tiny against the backdrop of a huge building stacked to the roof with SkyCell containers. The latest in cutting-edge temperature-controlled technology, each of these 1500X model requires extra care due to their significant value. Inspecting, cleaning, maintaining, and preparing tasks are reassigned within the team every morning. As a rule, the colleagues prep 15 containers a day for their temperature-controlled trips around the world.
Mechelen is strategically located between the major cities of Brussels with its airport, and Antwerp with its sea freight capabilities. The DHL Freight terminal also operates as a normal cross-dock but most of its warehouse capacity is dedicated to SkyCell.
Keeping track
Janice Paesmans knows when and which containers are arriving by truck at the Mechelen terminal. Once they have arrived, Amadou Hamadou takes charge, logging containers and capturing key data with his SkyCell hand scanner. This information is immediately transferred to the SkyCell system, SkyMind, so that the customer can keep track of their shipments, check temperatures and identify when the next shipment is due.
Various companies manufacture temperature-controlled containers for pharmaceutical products. The best known are Envirotainer, CSafe and Dokash. But these all have the drawback that they require dry ice or electricity to keep their contents cool. But not SkyCell, whose containers maintain a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius for 270 hours (extendable indefinitely through its self-charging capabilities) without the need for additional inputs.
Squeaky clean
On arrival in Mechelen some 1500X containers - the newest model - are quite dirty. That's when Fouad Sabbahi gets to work. It takes him on average 38 minutes to clean a container. After steaming off the stickers, he washes the exterior using good old-fashioned soap, water and disinfectant. Turning his attention to the inside, Sabbahi tells us: “It’s important that the container is clean and streak-free. Bacteria or dirt can collect in streaks left by wiping.”
The team is not only small, but respects and helps each other out. Together, they have been prepping SkyCell containers successfully for five years. At the end of 2024, SkyCell extended its contract with DHL Freight by an additional three years. Although value-added services of this kind are not generally part and parcel of the freight business, Freight and SkyCell are currently discussing other locations – for example in France. “The model lends itself well to expansion,” says Christophe Pintelon, head of the Mechelen terminal. “We are also talking to other divisions. Locating SkyCell service centers at DHL Global Forwarding sites that already have cold storage facilities would make sense, for example, allowing us to create synergies and grow together.”
A quick fix
Meanwhile, Ouail Sellami reattaches one of the rubber feet to a container. He does this quickly using a cordless screwdriver. He can also renew the blue seals on the container doors or even replace an entire outer skin if required. In Frankfurt, SkyCell carries out major repairs in-house. The primary concern being protecting the patented refrigerating system.
This is how the containers are structured
The containers comprise a replaceable outer skin on an aluminum frame with a plastic liner. They are also equipped with two inner doors and one outer one. Key to the container technology is the temperature-controlling phase change material (PCM) behind the plastic liner.
Guaranteed temperature controlled
When shipping pharmaceutical products such as vaccines, it is extremely important to maintain a precise temperature range. To ensure this, two sensors monitor the container’s internal and external temperature. This needs to stay within a range of 2-8 degrees Celsius. Zaid Aghallay, who liaises between the customer and the terminal colleagues, explains that “the container’s internal temperature should be 3 degrees Celsius on opening, even in Australia. To date the system has never failed,” he adds.
To work, the containers need to spend time in the terminal’s icy core as well as a slightly less chilly cold storage unit. Protected by large doors, the first freezer space operates at -20 degrees, and the cold unit within a range of 2 to 8 degrees.
Dressed to chill
Wearing insulated clothing, mouth and nose protection for his airways not to mention heated gloves, Eric Daelemans looks like he's on an Arctic expedition. Today, he is placing the containers in the deep freeze, where they will remain for 24 hours. However, due to the potential health risks of the cold, Eric can only remain in the freezer for a maximum of 45 minutes.
Next day, the containers are moved to the nominally warmer refrigerated warehouse. To prevent mold from forming, the doors need to be open. The SkyCell units remain here until needed. DHL always has an adequate supply of refrigerated containers available, even for ad hoc deliveries. “Fridays are always the busiest days. It’s not uncommon for 40 boxes to leave the terminal for the airport. Once there, pharmaceutical companies load and send them all over the world as air freight,” explains Sellami.
Close collaboration
DHL collaborates with SkyCell very closely. “We have already provided our customer with some valuable feedback. As a result, the material has been modified to make it less susceptible to cracking should the containers be left in the freezer for more than 24 hours,” explains Aghallay.
In a few months’ time, the Mechelen team's well-rehearsed routine will be put to the test. It’s then, in April and May, that DHL Freight will be prepping the containers for the “pharmaceutical industry's peak season. In the summer, vaccines, like the flu jab for instance, are being produced nonstop,” explains Christophe Pintelon. “That’s because doctors need them in the fall. To make sure they reach doctor’s offices on time, the vaccines are flown all over the world in SkyCell containers. In 2024, the number of containers we process here doubled. We needed more staff to meet the demand.”
On route, SkyCell containers can be exposed to sweltering heat – on the apron of Dubai airport for instance. But they keep their cool – after all they were prepped for the trip by six Freight colleagues in Mechelen.
Info box
SkyCell
- Founded: 2012
- Headquarters: Zug, Switzerland
- Production facilities: Basel, Switzerland
- Company founders: Nico Ros and Richard Ettl
- Employees: more than 250
- Projected revenue for 2025: CHF 100 million (approx. €105 million)
Three questions to Marco Taschetta, Suppliers & Procurement Manager, SkyCell
What are the needs of your customers?
SkyCell’s customers need efficiency, global coverage, and reliable support for seamless pharmaceutical supply chains. They require secure, temperature-controlled containers to ensure product integrity and mitigate risks. Additionally, they seek sustainable, cost-effective solutions to reduce risks and environmental impact. SkyCell meets these needs with hybrid smart containers, AI-driven insights, and a global network that optimizes supply chain performance.
How will these needs and the Life Sciences & Healthcare market change in the upcoming years?
In the coming years, the need for secure, temperature-controlled distribution will intensify, driven by the increasing development of advanced therapies like cell and gene treatments, biologics, and personalized medicine. These therapies will demand the highest standards in transportation and storage, including real-time monitoring and transparency, to ensure zero tolerance for failure.
Sustainability will also become a key priority, with customers seeking solutions that reduce environmental impact while maintaining product integrity.
The Life Sciences & Healthcare market will shift towards more specialized, efficient, and faster distribution networks. As the industry continues to digitize, AI, automation, and data-sharing will become essential for optimizing supply chains, meeting stricter compliance regulations, and ensuring the safe delivery of life-saving treatments globally.
Why did you choose DHL Freight as a partner? We chose DHL as a partner for their extensive experience, strong global network, and commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability. Above all, it’s their dedicated team that consistently supports us in navigating complex operations. DHL Freight Mechelen, in particular, stands out as our largest service center, handling high volumes and ensuring exceptional performance every time.
