In the time-sensitive world of global logistics, there are few areas more technically demanding or more time-critical than the transportation of stem cells, an area in which Life Couriers (through our subsidiary company, Ontime Courier GmbH) specializes.
These cells can be life-changing in the treatment of conditions like Leukaemia, but once they’ve been sourced from a donor, the cells are only viable for 48-72 hours, meaning that time is of the essence for those arranging the transportation of these precious transplants.
For over 20 years, Life Couriers have completed upwards of 50,000 deliveries of life-saving treatments to patients all over the world. We spoke with Sebastian Schimpf, Head of Operations at Ontime Courier, to discuss his role in the company, the importance of resilience in global logistics and some of the challenges that he and his team faces on a daily basis.
Rigorous training for life-saving missions
The first and perhaps most important process Sebastian and his team must go through is selecting individuals to complete the rigorous training programme required to become an onboard courier. So what qualities make a person a good candidate for an onboard courier? “We look for reliable people who are confident and comfortable with the fact that a life-saving transport is in their hands.” Schimpf tells us. “International travel history is a big plus, language skills are a big plus, really anything that shows that this is a person who will do anything in their power to accomplish the mission to deliver the transplant to the clinic and to the patient.”
Life Couriers works with a pool of around 500 onboard couriers globally, all of whom work on a voluntary basis, providing their time to transport life-saving donations from the transplant centre to its destination, which could be anywhere in the world.
Couriers range in age between 25-60, and come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from retirees to students, self-employed people to those with experience within the freight or travel industry. Once within the system, each individual can specify the dates they are able to travel, and Sebastian and his team will contact them if a transport is required.
However, the selection process for the team of dependable couriers is only the start of the journey of getting the life-saving package to its destination: next Sebastian and his team must navigate the demands of international travel and essentially prepare for the unexpected.
“Our couriers might be faced with flight delays, cancelled connections, missed connections, or adverse weather conditions like snow, ice, or even hurricanes which may necessitate a flight to be re-routed. While we are used to these situations, as we deal with these sorts of things on a daily basis, in these cases a courier has to remain calm, collected and focussed on their mission. On top of that, our logistics infrastructure has to be resilient to make it all work.”
For good reason, these couriers are known within the company as the ‘Daily Heroes’ and they are each committed to travelling wherever the mission requires them to go to ensure that their delivery reaches the patient safely and on time.
Unbreakable communication network and unparalleled knowledge base
Sebastian and his team oversee around 400 transplant deliveries per month and have overcome innumerable issues relating to the logistics of international travel, yet they never allow themselves to fall into the trap of feeling like they’ve ‘seen it all before’. Rather, they rely on their unbreakable communication network and unparallelled knowledge base.
“We have a 24-hour support team who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of routes and transport systems, and who have the contacts to be able to make last-minute travel arrangements to solve problems. In the event of an emergency, our support teams have virtually no budgetary restrictions to get the courier to their destination. Whatever problem may arise, we have to deal with it when it comes up; we have to adapt.”
When asked if there was a time where he and his team had to overcome a particularly difficult logistical obstacle, Schimpf recounts:
“We had a situation where San Antonio was hit by a blizzard, meaning flights out of the city were grounded for two days. We were prepared to rent a helicopter to get the courier out of the city, however a last-minute transport alternative became available, and our courier was able to reach their destination city via another airport. There have even been instances where couriers have fallen ill and have needed to be hospitalised, necessitating that another courier take their place. In these cases, we do everything in our power to secure another courier within one to two hours to ensure that we complete the transport on time. Communication is key, especially in moments like these – our team of 15 people in Munich are available 24/7 and even they have a back-up team for travel management.”
Innovating and adapting to change
It is essential that Life Couriers continue to build systems to be resilient against potential failures: “If the landline breaks down, we can be reached via cell phones, and in the unlikely event of that network going down as well, we have another one; we excel not only in creating the travel schedule but also in providing solutions when things go wrong.”
In the 20+ years that Life Couriers has been facilitating stem cell transport, we have implemented some major technological improvements which have greatly improved the reliability of the transport of time-critical transports like the delivery of stem cells. “Before we upgraded our equipment in 2015, on longer journeys couriers may have had to re-cool the packaging in hotel freezers, or with ice cubes, which of course presented additional logistical challenges. Now, thanks to advances in technology, a courier no longer has to be concerned with the temperature of the package, provided the box is properly transported.”
The magnitude of the mission of organising life-saving deliveries on a global scale means that Life Couriers must always be looking to the future, innovating and remaining adaptable to change. What are some challenges that Sebastian foresees within the industry or changes in the treatment of Leukaemia and related conditions?
“The biggest challenge is to adapt to changes in the medical field – there have been approaches to only utilising transplants from family members, however the success rate for this is not as dependable as it needs to be. At the end of the day, our success is linked to the success of donor registries who are doing the work of registering potential donors around the world.
One of the changes we’ve noticed globally is that more and more countries are building clinics or upgrading hospital infrastructure where people can undergo stem cell treatment. This of course presents the chance for us to be able to serve patients who may not have previously been able to receive that care.”
We thank Sebastian for his insight and for the incredible work that he and the team does year-round. For more information on our Stem Cell Onboard service, visit: https://lifecouriers.com/en/services/stem-cell-onboard/