Outsourcing pharmaceutical cold storage: A cost-optimising and growth strategy for pharmaceutical businesses

The “double” pressure of costs and compliance risks

The rapid growth of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals is creating new opportunities for Vietnam’s pharmaceutical sector, while simultaneously increasing management and operational pressures. Industry surveys indicate that around 76.9% of pharmaceutical companies currently keep logistics and cold storage costs below 15% of total production costs. Nevertheless, logistics remains a critical cost component that requires strict control.

Investment in a pharmaceutical storage system compliant with GSP–GDP standards poses significant challenges in terms of capital expenditure and operational capacity. However, such compliance is mandatory and cannot be overlooked, as any temperature deviation along the supply chain can directly compromise product quality and reduce the therapeutic effectiveness of medicines.

GSP – GDP- compliant pharmaceutical cold storage

Outsourcing trend: from ownership to utilisation

In response to these challenges, the use of third-party pharmaceutical cold storage services is becoming increasingly inevitable. Rather than making large-scale in-house investments, many companies are choosing to partner with professional logistics providers to access standardised, internationally compliant infrastructure.

With a market size of approximately USD 211 million, a network of more than 100 enterprises, and a growing development focus in southern Vietnam, the domestic cold chain market is laying a solid foundation for this shift towards outsourced solutions.

One key advantage of this model is its flexibility. Pharmaceutical businesses can readily scale storage capacity up or down in line with market demand without tying up substantial capital. According to the Vietnam Logistics Report 2023, published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam Logistics Association (VLA), outsourcing logistics services-including pharmaceutical warehousing and cold storage-can help companies reduce logistics costs by an average of 15-20% compared with in-house operations, while significantly improving supply chain efficiency and responsiveness.

GONSA: An example of an integrated pharmaceutical logistics solution

Within this broader trend, GONSA, ranked among the Top 5 largest pharmaceutical and medical equipment distribution companies in the 2025 list of the 500 largest enterprises, has developed a large-scale pharmaceutical cold-storage network covering northern, central, and southern Vietnam.

GONSA pharmaceutical cold storage centre.

GONSA’s distinguishing feature lies in its integrated logistics ecosystem, which operates on a multi-layered, modern technology platform. The system is built around SAP S/4HANA ERP software and synchronised with warehouse management (WMS), transportation management (TMS) and a multi-channel order processing system (OCS). This technological infrastructure enables real-time data monitoring, processing more than 10,000 orders per day, and connectivity with a nationwide distribution network of over 49,000 pharmacies, 9,300 clinics and medical practices, and thousands of hospitals and convenience stores.

GONSA’s temperature-controlled pharmaceutical transportation.

In practice, partners using GONSA’s services have significantly reduced spoilage and loss rates while improving the speed of product delivery to the market. These operational gains strengthen trust among patients and healthcare providers.

Building momentum for sustainable growth

Cooperation with professional logistics partners such as GONSA is increasingly viewed not as a short-term solution, but as a long-term strategic choice. Instead of spending years and substantial capital on building in-house systems, pharmaceutical companies can leverage existing infrastructure and operational capabilities to shorten time-to-market and respond more quickly to emerging business opportunities.

This collaborative model also facilitates a shift from fixed capital expenditure (CAPEX) to more flexible operating expenditure (OPEX), thereby freeing up resources for R&D and marketing - key drivers of sustainable growth. By alleviating the burden of infrastructure investment, outsourcing pharmaceutical cold storage allows businesses to focus more fully on innovation and market development, while ensuring regulatory compliance in an increasingly quality-driven competitive environment.

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