Aspen Logistics, Inc. Joins American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) Effort

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Aspen Logistics, Inc. joins American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) effort to find space for the state of California's emergency supplies. Due to budget constraints the state no longer has the means to store them.

Temecula, California United States of America May 5, 2011 PressReleasePoint – Aspen Logistics Inc. joins American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) in finding a home for California’s disaster relief supplies. Aspen who is a third party logistics company (3PL) has joined, ALAN an organization of logistics professionals who have made it their mission to engage the supply chain community to support humanitarian relief efforts. ALAN was notified by the California Department of Public Health that due to current budget constraints the state no longer has the funds to support the warehousing and storage requirements for their disaster relief supplies. The State is looking to the private sector for help. The supplies will require an estimated 200,000 sq.ft. of storage space. The products consist of antiviral medication, 420 alternative care-site caches, thousands of m95 respirators, and about 2,400 ventilators that are grouped in hundreds of pallets. California’s leases on their various storage facilities begin to expire April 30th, so there is an immediate need for a solution. All of the products must reside within the state, creating a bigger challenge from a smaller pool of potential donors. With recent disasters, like the Japanese earthquake, it has never been more apparent that access to a readily available supply of disaster relief items, like these, are a necessity. Unfortunately the recent economic downturn has damaged the government’s ability to implement such logistical strategies. This is where the ALAN network fills-in the gaps. Aspen recognized the importance of the work ALAN is doing and wanted to become involved wherever they could.

Under Governor Schwarzenegger the state of California purchased a large surplus of disaster relief supplies to better prepare itself in the event of a catastrophe. This supply increased when disasters such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic hit. The Center for Disease Control made its recommendation to the state concerning what it considered as a level of preparedness in the quantity of flu preventative medicine. California received a huge stock pile of the antiviral medications Tamiflu and Relenza. Unfortunately, because of restrictions the product can only be used when an influenza pandemic is issued. The courses can not be resold or redistributed to a non-government third party. With limitations like this, the challenges for the disaster relief supplies increase while the solutions become limited.

The ALAN network confronts problems like this, where a significant piece of the puzzle involves logistics and supply chain needs. The network, of which Aspen is a member, is comprised of logistics professionals who put together the sometimes unsung solutions of getting products into the hands of those who need them. The need in California is just one example of the complicated tasks they are willing to confront.

For additional information please contact Christopher Ticknor Aspen’s Director of Marketing, or call Aspen Logistics at (800) 741-7360.
Aspen Logistics, Inc. is a top 100 third party logistics firm who has been in business for over 30 years and operates approximately 3 million square feet of modern refrigerated and ambient warehouse facilities along with their own fleet of trucks. Aspen specializes in a variety of value-added services, including co-packing, pick pack, just-in-time inventory management and time sensitive custom deliveries. Aspen is a specialist in the retail and healthcare supply chain and understanding the details involved with shipping to major retailers and grocery chains has been a key to its successes.
The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) engages the supply chain community to support humanitarian relief efforts. ALAN makes supply chain related donation needs visible to the logistics industry and establishes an efficient process for providing the necessary goods and services through its web portal, www.ALANaid.org.