Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, joins the Freight Buyers Club at Air Cargo China in Shanghai to talk through the two highest value, fastest growing industries in air freight: semiconductors and pharma.
She walks through why a single chip can involve up to ten separate air freight movements, how semiconductor manufacturing has shifted from the US and Europe to Asia over the last 30 years, and why radioactive cancer treatments are now flight critical logistics, needing to reach a patient within 24 hours. The conversation also covers sustainability pressure from customers, AI and real time tracking, and how Lufthansa Cargo’s network adapts to geopolitical disruption.
This episode is sponsored by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Find out more at https://dimerco.com/
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Pharma and semiconductors: the growth outlook
01:56 How semiconductor demand has shifted to Asia
02:56 Why semiconductors aren’t a one size fits all business
03:57 Building a consistent modular offer across the supply chain
04:41 China plus one and the shift in manufacturing origin
06:04 Lufthansa Cargo’s role across the supply chain
06:41 Pharma: the second largest growing industry
07:38 Blockbuster medicine versus specialised, individualised medicine
08:52 Cold chain, speed and flight critical logistics
09:24 Sustainability and AI driven tracking
10:59 Geopolitics, tariffs and network adaptability
12:14 Compliance, certification and the GDP/CEIV framework
13:37 Where semiconductors and pharma go next