DHL Group will invest S$29 million in two new healthcare logistics facilities in Singapore, expanding temperature-controlled storage and handling capacity for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics, medical devices, and clinical trial materials.
The investment covers a S$22 million Singapore Coldchain Hub near Changi Airport and a S$7 million second pharmaceutical warehouse. DHL Express has also added a dedicated healthcare handling area at its South Asia Hub, although the company did not disclose the cost of that project.
Cold-chain site planned for Changi
DHL Global Forwarding plans to open the Singapore Coldchain Hub in late 2027 at Changi Nexus One, within the airport’s 24-hour free trade zone. The 3,047-square-meter facility is designed for high-value and temperature-sensitive cargo moving through Singapore.
The site will have separate environments maintained at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. DHL said the facility is intended to maintain an unbroken cold chain between aircraft, its own handling operations, and customers’ warehouses, reducing the risk of temperature excursions during transfers.
The hub is also expected to become part of DHL’s Health Logistics Air Freight Network, which connects pharmaceutical and life-sciences markets. DHL Global Forwarding is working with Changi Airport Group on healthcare trade lanes through Singapore, but the companies did not disclose traffic targets or customer commitments for the new facility.
Second pharma hub adds ambient capacity
DHL Supply Chain will invest S$7 million in Pharma Hub 2, an 8,000-square-meter controlled-ambient facility that is expected to begin operating in the first half of 2027. It will maintain temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius and humidity below 60 percent.
The warehouse is designed for about 7,680 pallet positions and will support storage, distribution, kitting, and other value-added healthcare logistics work. DHL said the facility will have Good Distribution Practice-compliant and Good Manufacturing Practice-aligned infrastructure, including dedicated redressing rooms.
Once Pharma Hub 2 is operating, DHL Supply Chain expects its two Singapore pharmaceutical hubs to span about 16,000 square meters and accommodate roughly 12,000 pallet positions. The first hub opened in 2025 near Tuas Biomedical Park. An official DHL announcement described that earlier facility as an 8,200-square-meter site with ambient and cold-room zones.
DHL Express adds dedicated handling space
Separately, DHL Express has installed a 20-square-meter controlled-ambient room at its South Asia Hub at Changi Airport. The area operates at 15 to 25 degrees Celsius and is intended for temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments passing through the regional air gateway.
DHL described the room as the first Good Distribution Practice-compliant healthcare logistics space within a DHL Express facility worldwide. That first-of-its-kind statement is a company claim and has not been independently verified.
Part of a wider regional investment program
The Singapore projects form part of the €500 million that DHL has earmarked for life-sciences and healthcare logistics in Asia Pacific through 2030. That regional allocation sits within a €2 billion global investment program covering specialized infrastructure, technology, storage, fulfillment, transportation, and last-mile delivery.
DHL said it is also training staff in temperature-controlled handling, quality management, and regulatory compliance, while adding healthcare logistics specialists. Its Singapore ecosystem work includes a collaboration with Life Science Incubator to offer logistics support and training to startups, researchers, and small businesses.
The new capacity strengthens Singapore’s role as a regional transit and distribution point for tightly regulated healthcare products. The commercial effect will depend on construction schedules, regulatory qualification, customer uptake, and the volume of shipments routed through the facilities after they open.
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