TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the occasion of DKSH’s Annual Logistics and Quality Seminar in Taipei, Business Unit Healthcare organized a Certification Award Ceremony to acknowledge the great success of the certification program. It was presided by Charles Toomey, Executive Vice President Business Unit Healthcare, and Dr. Eize de Boer from SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance).

„An integral part of the strategy for growth of Business Unit Healthcare is that of establishing the highest level of technical quality in the area of GMP/GDP and also ISO for our distribution platform. The industry segment is highly regulated both by local authorities and by the standards set by our clients. Compliance to the highest level of quality is a must for multinational companies, and our clients and suppliers expect us to provide a consistent approach operating at the same levels as they would expect in their home markets",says Charles Toomey, Executive Vice President Business Unit Healthcare at DKSH. „In addition to achieving the standards set by our clients, we decided to raise the bar higher and achieve certification from a renowned international company, a certifying body with global reach and excellent reputation”, Toomey further commented.

„The GMP/GDP certification process demonstrates that DKSH is dedicated to quality in every aspect of their service to their customers. Complying with the GMP/GDP requirements is a proof that the DKSH organization is able to deliver now and in the future good quality products as intended by the pharmaceutical manufacturers thereby serving the healthcare sector as a vital partner of the healthcare supply chain. We are proud to be a part of the continuous pursuits of DKSH towards quality and service excellence”, says Dr. Eize de Boer, International Business Development Manager for Life Science Audit Services at SGS.

Two years after initiating the collaboration with SGS, DKSH Healthcare has achieved a significant number of certifications. In a first phase of the certification process across the Asian operations the distribution centers were granted GMP/GDP and ISO 9001:2008 certificates, which are general quality certifications for the pharmaceutical industry and well recognized by all healthcare suppliers. Later on in the process, the ISO 13485 certificate was identified as essential to meet specific quality requirements for medical devices. Today, three centers have achieved ISO 13485 certification and another five are in the preparation process.

DKSH’s Business Unit Healthcare is the leading partner for healthcare companies seeking to grow their business in Asia, offering a wide range of Market Expansion Services from product registration, marketing, sales to physical distribution to clinics, pharmacies, drugstores, dentists, optical outlets, for pharmaceuticals, OTC, Consumer health, and Medical Devices. Its deep industry knowledge allows for tailor-made solutions for its over 260 clients and 150,000 purchasing and decision-making customers who have chosen DKSH Healthcare as their business partner of choice.

„For our business partners the certification of our distribution centers is a warranty that we fulfill or exceed highest quality standards and that we have appropriate documentation in place for each and every process along the entire distribution chain,” says Per-Otto Kiesler, Regional Head of Quality Assurance DKSH Healthcare. The certifications confirm DKSH’s commitment to provide business partners with excellent quality services.

About DKSH

DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services Group with a focus on Asia. As the term „Market Expansion Services" suggests, DKSH helps other companies and brands to grow their business in new or existing markets.

With 560 business locations in 35 countries – 20 of them in Europe and the Americas – and 22,000 specialized staff it is one of the top 20 Swiss companies ranked by sales and employees. In 2009, DKSH generated annual gross revenues of CHF 8,600 million.

DKSH’s Business Unit Healthcare is the leading Market Expansion Services provider for healthcare companies seeking to grow their business in Asia, offering a wide range of solutions that extend from product registration, marketing and sales, to physical distribution. Products available through DKSH Healthcare include ethical pharmaceuticals, consumer health, over-the-counter (OTC), as well as medical devices.

With 108 business locations in 11 countries and 7,000 specialized staff, Business Unit Healthcare generated annual gross revenues of CHF 3,135 million in 2009.

About SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance)

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 59,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world. SGS is the world’s leading independent body in management systems certification. SGS has a worldwide network of qualified auditors to conduct pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and GDP inspections. Following these inspections SGS presents its partners an unbiased overview of their quality management systems and adherence to GMP/GDP. To learn more, please visit www.sgs.com.