The agreement provides pharmaceutical freight forwarders access to Pegasus ULD containers directly from LATAM Cargo at the lowest cost
Pegasus ULD in Cargo Hold. (Credit: Sonoco Products Company)
Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco and a temperature assurance packaging provider, has signed a global lease agreement with international cargo airline LATAM Cargo for the new Pegasus ULD temperature-controlled bulk shipping container.
The agreement is intended to provide a new temperature-controlled bulk shipping container to transport pharmaceutical goods via air.
It provides pharmaceutical freight forwarders access to Pegasus ULD containers directly from LATAM Cargo at the lowest cost.
The Pegasus ULD is said to be the first passive bulk temperature-controlled ULD container for pharmaceutical use to receive FAA and EASA approval.
The containers allow moving quickly and at low cost through customs and handling procedures for international air freight.
Sonoco ThermoSafe Bulk Rental Group Logistics and Partner Management head Bourji Mourad said: “We are delighted LATAM Cargo will fly the Pegasus ULD and make the unique containers available to our mutual customers for worldwide routes in their Pharma services programmes.”
Sonoco said that the Pegasus ULD is made of composite materials and was designed with sustainability in mind. It provides a lighter alternative that is more damage-resistant than conventional metal containers.
Additionally, the Pegasus ULD is equipped with a fully integrated, FAA-approved telemetry system. It provides real-time, cloud-based data on payload and ambient temperature and key environmental factors using GPS location.
LATAM Cargo is continuously expanding the temperature control operations for pharmaceutical products, including PHARMA PASSIVE and PHARMA ACTIVE services.
LATAM Cargo product development director Daniela Vial said: “LATAM Cargo continues to expand its offering for its CEIV Pharma speciality products.
“We believe the Pegasus ULD will be a great addition, so our clients have more options from which to choose the perfect packaging solution for the transportation of their high-value shipments.”
Recently, Sonoco announced a new protective packaging production plant in Bursa, Turkey to expand Sonopost cornerpost production in Europe.