Healthcare goes green

When it comes to healthcare, green is the way to go. What more could you want, say logistics specialist Eurotranspharma and forwarder Transports Dufour.

Even refrigerated medicines can be transported from A to B without much impact on the climate – a truck powered by CNG makes it possible. Source: Scania

Eurotranspharma is one of Europe’s leading logistics companies for medical and healthcare products: the production lines at its distribution centre run to capacity – not just during the coronavirus pandemic. The hub in Moussy-le-Neuf in the greater Paris region collects and sorts thousands of products and packages – 3,000 parcels per hour, 20,000 to 25,000 parcels per day, to be exact. These are then delivered to wholesalers and distributors as well as to hospitals, pharmacies, retirement homes, medical practices, etc. On driver Didier Lamour’s runs, all this now happens virtually carbon-free: forwarder Transports Dufour – the company he works for that specialises in the transport of medicines under controlled temperature – has now opted to use a Scania P 280 with CNG drive. With biogas in the fuel tank, this vehicle is particularly environment-friendly.

A picker has just handed Lamour the papers for his next load: after a careful check and with everything securely stowed in the Thermo King refrigerated trailer, he’s ready to go. Lamour climbs into the cockpit of the Scania P 280 – he much appreciates the vehicle’s road holding, interior comfort and compact exterior dimensions: “This is a CNG Scania that’s designed for urban use, with a gross permitted weight of 19 tonnes. It’s great to drive,” he says with a smile. The range is perfect for him: “I can cover 400 to 450 kilometres on a single tank of fuel, though in fact I only drive 250 kilometres a day on average.”

Combining their expertise, Pascal Dufour (left) and Samuel Alouin of Eurotranspharma have made their mark in the temperature-controlled transport of medicines – now even with a CNG truck. Source Scania

Looking to the future and staying one step ahead of legal requirements, his boss Pascal Dufour, head of Transports Dufour, took the decision to do more in terms of transport decarbonisation: “After considering the various alternatives, CNG seemed to us to be the most sensible option.” Dufour firmly believes he’s made the perfect choice in terms of load weight, height, body size and environmental criteria: “I’m already planning to keep the new CNG vehicles for nine years rather than the usual six.” A clear sign of confidence in the reliability and robustness of CNG drive technology. It’s great news for the environment: after all, gas-fuelled trucks emit up to 35 % less CO2 than comparable diesel trucks – and up to 85% less if they run on Swiss biogas. Pascal Dufour adds: “In future CNG vehicles we’ll install a generator system for the two-temperature refrigerated trailers that will be powered by the engine so as to be even more environment-friendly.”

As well as being great news for the environment, this is a welcome development for Dufour’s driver, too, who has become very attached to his CNG-powered Scania P 280. In addition to the fact that it’s 50 % quieter than a diesel, Didier Lamour is also a fan of its full-air suspension. Combined with the vehicle’s compact exterior dimensions, the height adjustment function is frequently very helpful, he says, because “the CNG vehicle is perfectly suited to tackling hospital entrances, which are sometimes difficult to access.” (jas, 17 February 2022)