GAC Dubai has been awarded the ISO 13485:2016 Medical Devices Management System certification, demonstrating its ability to provide quality warehousing, distribution and value-added services of medical devices that meet the high standards of the sector and the regulations that govern it. Certification comes after a stringent independent audit which confirmed the company’s compliance with the internationally recognized standard.

The company has also been awarded the ‘Certificate of Good Pharmaceutical Storage and Distribution Practices for Medical Stores’ by Dubai Ministry of Health (MOH) after a statutory audit. Only companies who have passed the audit and received such certification are permitted to conduct pharma warehousing operations in the Emirate.

These latest certifications add to GAC Dubai’s impressive collection which includes: ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System implemented across the company since 1996; ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management System obtained last year; ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System and OHSAS 18001:2007 Health and Safety Management System, underlining the company’s commitment to compliance, quality and excellence.

Along with the recent significant facility and quality improvements in support of pharma logistics operations, the new certifications play a key role in GAC Dubai’s contract logistics business strategy to move into specialised storage and handling operations.

Facility upgrades include construction of airlock loading chambers, temperature and humidity controlled storage from +4 deg to +18 deg, and remote temperature alarms and biometric access control. Quality work streams, starting with the recruitment of an MOH-registered pharmacist in 2017, have progressed to include independent temperature mapping and an extensive suite of pharmaceutical-specific operating procedures focusing on cold chain integrity and stock control.

“These latest certifications and improvements to our facility and quality processes represent our commitment to providing consistently high quality and compliant services to our customers,” said Distribution Centre Manager Richard Potts. “Our facilities not only meet MOH and WHO (World Health Organization) standards for warehousing and distribution of pharmaceutical goods, they also meet our customers’ highest standards.”

GAC Dubai Contract Logistics operates 18,000 pallet storage locations for pharmaceutical products offshore in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ), plus a further 150,000 pallet storage locations dedicated to food and beverage, retail and FMCG clients in JAFZ, Dubai South and onshore at Dubai Industrial Park. — SG