
Zuellig Pharma Expands Thai Distribution Centre with THB 130m
The upgraded distribution hub features high-precision temperature control systems that comply with global Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards, ensuring the integrity of life-saving medicines and vaccines during storage and delivery. With a storage capacity of 1,800 pallets and a dedicated low-temperature freezer room (-20°C to -30°C), the facility will support the growing demand for biologics, vaccines, and specialty medicines across the country.
'This investment marks a significant milestone in our journey as an integrated healthcare solutions company,' said John Graham, CEO of Zuellig Pharma. 'It allows us to meet rising healthcare needs in Thailand while reinforcing our regional distribution network.'
Smart systems within the facility include automated temperature monitoring, emergency power backups, a certified NFPA 13 fire suppression system, and a fire-resistant structure built to FM 4800 and FM 4881 standards. These upgrades aim to deliver consistent quality, safety, and reliability throughout the supply chain.
Zuellig Pharma Thailand also integrates sustainable practices with eZCooler reusable cold chain packaging, energy-efficient air conditioning, and smart LED lighting to reduce carbon emissions.
'The expansion reaffirms our commitment to making healthcare accessible,' said Pucknalin Bulakul, Managing Director of Zuellig Pharma Thailand. 'By ensuring timely delivery and uncompromised product quality, we are supporting better patient outcomes across the country.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Bangkok Post
3 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Zuellig Pharma Strengthens Healthcare Access in Thailand
As Thailand navigates a shifting healthcare landscape marked by ageing populations and rising rates of chronic illnesses, Zuellig Pharma—a leading healthcare solutions provider in Asia—is doubling down on its commitment to the Kingdom. With over 75 years of local presence and more than a century of experience across Asia, the company's recent THB 130 million investment in expanding its distribution centre in Samut Prakan is more than an infrastructure upgrade—it's a bold signal of long-term partnership with Thailand's health system. Zuellig Pharma's purpose is clear: to make healthcare more accessible. From digital innovations and cold chain logistics to local partnerships with institutions such as Thammasat University Hospital, the company is working to bridge the healthcare access gap, particularly in areas such as weight-related conditions and chronic disease management. These efforts are central to its wider mission in the region. Investing in Innovation for a Healthier Thailand Thailand is moving quickly to approve innovative treatments and therapies, creating a fertile ground for strategic alliances. Zuellig Pharma has responded by forging partnerships with global biopharmaceutical companies to bring cutting-edge treatments to Thai patients faster. These include solutions supporting chronic disease management and advanced treatments for complex conditions. Through its commercial and distribution services, Zuellig Pharma plays a key role in connecting life-changing therapies with local healthcare providers, accelerating patient access and supporting healthcare professionals with essential tools and knowledge. Building Infrastructure to Reach the Hardest-to-Reach The expanded Samut Prakan distribution centre now boasts a storage capacity of 1,800 pallets, a dedicated ultra-low temperature freezer room (-20°C to -30°C) for specialty medicines, and advanced temperature control systems. This upgrade reflects Zuellig Pharma's readiness to support a new generation of temperature-sensitive, high-value medicines and vaccines. Sustainability and safety are also at the heart of the investment. Fire protection systems, sustainable packaging such as the proprietary eZCooler, and automated defrost systems contribute to efficient, secure, and environmentally conscious operations—ensuring safe last-mile deliveries to even the most remote communities. Supporting Thai People through Public–Private Partnerships Central to Zuellig Pharma's approach is collaboration. The company has formed long-term partnerships with Thai universities and healthcare institutions to promote innovation and workforce development. A standout example is its alliance with Action4Diabetes (A4D), a non-profit working across seven Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, to close care gaps for children with Type 1 diabetes. Since 2017, Zuellig Pharma has supported A4D with logistics, supply chain expertise, and regional distribution capabilities—most recently delivering life-saving care packs to families affected by the March 2025 Myanmar earthquake, in collaboration with local charity City Love & Hope Foundation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuellig Pharma provided essential logistics services by helping to distribute millions of vaccine doses nationwide. This reflects its agility and deep-rooted commitment to supporting Thailand in times of need. Thailand's Role in Zuellig Pharma's ASEAN Growth Strategy With its dynamic healthcare system, forward-looking regulations, and strategic location, Thailand plays a vital role in Zuellig Pharma's regional vision. 'Thailand has always been a cornerstone of Zuellig Pharma's presence in Asia,' said John Graham, Group CEO of Zuellig Pharma. 'With its dynamic healthcare landscape, progressive regulatory environment, and deep talent pool, the country plays a pivotal role in shaping our regional growth strategy. Our continued investment here reflects not only our confidence in Thailand's long-term potential, but also our commitment to ensuring that innovative, life-changing medicines are accessible to every community — no matter how remote.' A Long-Term Vision for Healthcare Access Zuellig Pharma's presence in Thailand is more than a business strategy—it's a commitment to sustainable healthcare progress. From pioneering supply chain innovation to supporting local healthcare partners, the company remains a trusted ally in the country's journey toward health equity. As the region prepares for a future shaped by ageing populations and increasing demand for complex therapies, Zuellig Pharma stands ready to meet the challenge—ensuring that no patient is left behind.

Bangkok Post
3 days ago
- Bangkok Post
SCB opts to scale down operations
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) plans to scale down its business operations over the next 12–18 months in response to a weaker outlook for the Thai economy. SCB chief executive Kris Chantanotoke said the bank expects both the Thai economy and business sector to face increased challenges during this period. Key headwinds include US-imposed tariffs and the persistently high level of household debt, both of which are expected to dampen Thailand's economic growth, he said. "The uncertainty surrounding US tariffs on Thai exports is likely to impact export performance in the second half of the year. Thailand's direct exports to the US account for a significant portion -- around 20% -- of the country's total export value, reflecting its long-standing reliance on the US market," he said. According to Mr Kris, if Thailand faces tariffs 10% higher than other regional peers, the country's economy could be significantly affected, undermining its competitiveness. For 2025, SCB forecasts GDP growth at around 1.5%, with the pace expected to slow to around 1% in the second half of the year, raising concerns of a potential technical recession. Additionally, the country's persistent household debt burden will continue to weigh on economic expansion and limit loan growth within the banking sector. "In light of these headwinds, SCB will adopt a more cautious approach to its business operations over the next 12–18 months," Mr Kris said. As part of this strategy, the bank will accelerate its digital banking efforts and remains committed to its goal of generating 25% of total revenue from digital banking by 2025. If it meets this year's target, SCB will set higher digital income goals for the coming years to help control operational costs. SCB is also aiming to reduce its cost-to-income ratio, which dropped to 36.8% in the first quarter of this year. Mr Kris noted that an increased focus on digital banking will continue to reduce the need for physical branches, aligning with the overall decline in in-person transactions. He said the increased focus on digital banking would lead to a further reduction in the number of physical branches, in line with the decline in business transactions. SCB has already scaled down its branch network to around 800 outlets, reflecting the shift away from traditional banking channels. Ultimately, Mr Kris said the number of remaining brick-and-mortar branches will depend on the adoption rate of digital banking, although physical branches will still play a necessary role for SCB. According to Mr Kris, the bank will also prioritise corporate banking, given the high growth potential in this segment. At the same time, SCB will continue to expand its SME and retail lending businesses selectively, with a primary focus on mortgage loans.

Bangkok Post
4 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Taking stock of nation's climate finance
If the ravages of extreme weather worldwide were not enough to convince anyone of the need to urgently address and adapt to climate change, consider a sobering fact delivered by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In its "State of the Global Climate 2024" report, it said last year was "likely the first calendar year to be more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial era, with a global mean near-surface temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13C above the 1850-1900 average". This makes 2024 the warmest year in the 175 years that have been observed, according to this seminal report which was released in March. The record-breaking year "underlined the massive economic and social upheavals from extreme weather and the long-term impacts of record ocean heat and sea-level rise". Leading concerns Thailand serves as a microcosm of this urgent need. The country has already ranked 30th in this year's list of countries that are most vulnerable to climate change, according to human rights organisation Germanwatch. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap) estimates that Thailand's average annual damage from climate change will amount to almost 1 trillion baht, or 6.6% of the country's GDP per year, under the 2-degree scenario. The cumulative damage of climate change on Thailand's agriculture sector alone is estimated to be between 17.5–83.8 billion baht per year between 2021-2045. Naturally, Thailand needs significant investments in climate mitigation to keep up its commitment on the global stage. In 2024, the Department of Climate Change and Environment estimated that a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 would require a 5 trillion baht investment in climate finance, while a 40% reduction would require an investment of 7 trillion baht. Tracking finance flows One major drawback for Thailand is the lack of any sense of urgency as well as the financial resources for both climate mitigation (to lower greenhouse gas emissions) and climate adaptation to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Thailand still lacks a clear picture of the current climate finance flows in the country. As Climate Finance Network Thailand (CFNT) was founded in 2024 with the aim of catalysing more meaningful climate finance in Thailand, we took it upon ourselves to compile as much data from publicly available sources to construct a public "Climate Finance Tracker" (henceforth referred to as the "Tracker") for Thailand -- akin to the Global Landscape of Climate Finance report produced annually by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), the US-based organisation that focuses on climate finance and policy. We focus on two main activities: climate mitigation and climate adaptation. We found sources of climate finance come from various areas such as government bodies, multilateral development banks, national and multilateral climate funds, state-owned enterprises, specialised financial institutions, domestic public funds, and international financial institutions. These funds are typically directed through official development assistance (ODA), concessional loans, grants, or public investment programmes. On the other hand, private climate finance also comes from the private sector, for example, commercial financial institutions, corporations, impact investors (including philanthropy), institutional investors, and other non-state actors. It includes investments aligned with clear climate-related objectives through mechanisms such as green bonds, green loans, and blended finance. One key principle used by the CPI that we adopted for our Tracker is the focus on direct investment aligned with climate mitigation and adaptation efforts within the country. In line with the CPI's methodology, the Tracker also excludes any financial flows that do not represent new investments targeting climate-related outcomes. Investments we excluded from our calculation are secondary markets, refinancing, the transfer of ownership of existing assets, and public subsidies that are primarily designed to reimburse initial investment costs, such as those supporting private research and the development of new technologies. Like the CPI, we exclude "carbon emissions lock-in" projects. This refers to cases where investment clings to fossil-fuel based infrastructure despite the low-emission alternatives available that could be deployed. One example of a carbon lock-in project would be an upgrade to improve the efficiency of coal-fired power plants. Financing challenges Climate adaptation is a much more complicated affair to track. Each activity has its own context and characteristics, and a lot of time, effort and resources are needed to monitor adaptation activities to judge whether they are "successful" or not. CFNT attempts to address this challenge by using the Tailwind Taxonomy, a publicly available model to audit the performance of climate adaptation and resilience projects. The model was developed by Tailwind Futures, a strategic venture fund. We chose climate adaptation projects that address the specific vulnerabilities to climate change and climate-related risk, and make assessments from the evidence-based outcomes of these activities. What have we found? From tallying over 2,800 project-level and organisation-level data carried out from year 2018 to May of this year, we conclude that at least 1.7 trillion baht has been invested in climate mitigation projects. Some 82% of this sum derives from corporations, commercial banks, and state-owned enterprises. In terms of contributions by sector, 64% of total investment comes from energy and transport. Zooming into sub-sectors, the most popular climate mitigation activities are rooftop solar installations (17% of the total), electric vehicles (10%), and mass transit and mass railway projects (8%). We also look into climate adaptation activities and projects. Based on data from 670 projects, we estimate that during 2020-2024, Thailand spent 148 billion baht on climate adaptation projects. Some 95% of the money came from Thailand's central government, followed by multilateral climate funds (1.8%). Zooming into sectors, sustainable water management, urban resilience, and sustainable agriculture are key focal areas for climate adaptation. Those who are interested in perusing our Tracker -- reading our detailed methodology and downloading slides featuring our key highlights -- can do so by visiting our website at By making the Tracker publicly accessible and updating the database annually, we hope to assist policymakers in identifying the gap between existing climate finance flows and demands. We seek to jumpstart conversations on climate finance, as well as enabling better allocation of funds into the most urgently needed sectors and sub-sectors in Thailand, especially to those that are the most vulnerable to the worsening impacts of climate change.