Bangalore: LifeCell International, India's largest and most accredited stem cell storage company announced its partnership with Sequel Logistics, India, a specialist in critical logistics, to offer "Personalized Shipment Service" of the umbilical cord blood & tissue samples.

Personalized shipment is an innovative change in international critical logistics. LifeCell would be offering 'personalised shipment' to its customers with immediate effect. This service will now be available throughout the countrywide network of LifeCell with presence in over 100 cities and towns.

Citing the advantages of the partnership Mr Mayur Abhaya, MD and CEO, LifeCell International, said, "LifeCell endeavors to provide the industry, with leading and innovative offerings to improve the service excellence and this partnership with Sequel is yet another step in that direction. In Sequel we have found an ideal partner who can help shrink the turnaround time of stem cell preservation drastically. We can now use Sequel's partnerships with airlines to ensure the immediate shipment of the stored stem cells from the nearest airport, thereby improving the yield and viability of stem cells".

"We are proud to engage with LifeCell International, in extending our expertise and experience in creating this unique offering which will create a positive impact on the quality of these life-saving stem cells. Focusing only on such critical logistics requirements, Sequel ensures a consistent 24-to-36 hours turn around time, for any shipment, picked up from anywhere in the country, at any time of the day. Through this unique and close partnership, we strive to provide LifeCell and its valued customers, a service that they can truly benefit for a lifetime", says Mr Rajkumar, founder director and COO, Sequel Logistics.

This unique industry initiative is critical in healthcare logistics whereby stem cells of the new born will be shipped through Sequel's partner airlines via the next available flight to LifeCell's processing and storage facility in Chennai. This system is an important aspect to stem cell preservation since the sample will reach the laboratory for testing and processing within 24 hours from metro cities and 36 hours from non-metro cities. This first of a kind initiative by LifeCell offers the fastest time by any company in the industry in reaching the collected samples to the laboratory for processing.

Currently the industry is serviced with dedicated cargo handlers who operate on an overnight hub-and-spoke model. The cargo consignments are collected during the day and then sent to the nearest hub airport where they are kept and then dispatched by overnight shipment. This causes significant wait periods before the sample actually reach the lab.

Sequel logistics are specialists in high value and critical logistics and have been handling movement of products such as diamonds and jewellery. Their logistics expertise in handling such critical products/services ensures that the umbilical cord samples are transported and handled with utmost care and logistics security from the hospital to the laboratory.