Porsche leads effort to airlift PPE from Shanghai to hospitals in Germany
STUTTGART-HEADQUARTERED sports car maker Porsche has been partnering with logistics firms DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo to ensure that medical equipment reaches hospitals, emergency service units, and other institutions in Germany.
Since April 9, Porsche has been “organizing the supply chain and looking after the airlifting of protective masks, goggles and suits from Shanghai, China, to Germany,” the company said in a release. “To date, at least six aircraft a week have been transporting the cargo to Frankfurt and Munich, where the materials are then trucked to a warehouse at Stuttgart airport. From there, authorities from the German states of Saxony and Baden-Wurttemberg take over the distribution of the protective equipment to concerned agencies.”
According to Porsche, since the flights started, “several million masks” of various protection classes, plus protective suits and goggles have made their way to Stuttgart. It is projected that by the end of May, materials reaching Germany will have amounted to over €100 million — and a collective volume that requires up to 50 passenger planes to transport.
Said Uwe-Karsten Stadter, a member of the executive board for procurement at Porsche AG, “Everyone is contributing their strengths in this joint effort, and it is working extremely well. At the moment it is more than ever about getting involved, showing consideration for others, and taking on responsibility — central values of our Porsche culture.”
For its part, DB Schenker said it is pleased that it is able to keep supply chains for the medical products, citing its network in almost 140 countries is guaranteeing the supplies reach the people who need them. Meanwhile, Lufthansa Cargo explained using passenger aircraft as freight planes further ensure that the medical equipment arrive safely in Germany.
