Lufthansa Cargo's Carolin Gerstenmaier on Semiconductors, Pharma and Ten Flights Per Chip

What this episode covers

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

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