DIAKINISIS
Revamping Logistics in the Modern Era

From the times of the great Mediterranean empires to the era of post-industrialisation, local and global trade has been considered as one of the pillars of the Greek economy. Nevertheless, the logistics space in the region has always been challenging. While the isolated and breath-taking islands and outlets of Greece are a dream destination for a vacation, they turn out to be a nightmare for logistics companies. The lack of efficient routes makes it difficult to facilitate the movement of cargo. Contract logistics organisations, not only have to deal with evolving customer demands and cost effective operations but also have to cope with the legislation and statutory barriers imposed to ensure compliance. Especially in the pharmaceutical sector, the rigorous standards and the logistics strategies implemented by organisations determine their success in the marketplace.

To augment the reach and capability of such enterprises in the competitive landscape, DIAKINISIS, a logistics service provider in Greece, promises enhanced speed, safety, and reliability. The company empowers its clients to keep pace with the evolving logistics landscape with robust adaptability and flexibility. As Greece’s largest 3PL company, it is empowering large enterprises to revamp their logistics capabilities within the country and beyond. Besides, DIAKINISIS is outperforming its best competitors in the market by enabling clients to achieve unbeatably cost-effective product distribution.

“We are among the first companies to have introduced third-party logistics services in Greece,” says Anthony Cornoutos, the managing director of DIAKINISIS. Since its inception in 1977, the company has achieved significant milestones in the sector. Currently, DIAKINISIS is the largest company with the highest market share in Greece. It manages over 160,000 square meters of warehouse space and eight regional hubs across the country, distributing products for multinational companies using daily over 250 routes. DIAKINISIS’ repackaging centre handles over 45 million units annually, apart from the labelling of 60 million pharma units. The company complies with GMP and GDP regulations for pharmaceutical product distribution. Apart from pharma, DIAKINISIS also provides logistics services for the food, tobacco, household, electronics, textiles, and home furnishing sectors.

According to Lykourgos Manoliadis, the deputy general manager of DIAKINISIS, business process optimisation and continuous improvement of information technology are the primary aspects that make an outstanding logistics company.

To make such an impact on the logistics industry, organisations must go beyond storing and delivering

To this end, DIAKINISIS has based its processes on LEAN philosophy, not only to reduce waste but also to optimise value for clients. The company targets to do more with less while doing it better. The differentiating factor that gives DIAKINISIS a competitive edge over its competitors is its ability to provide warehousing services at any temperature zone, storing conditions, or handling specifications and to reach more than 25,000 distinct delivery points throughout the country. Especially in the Pharma sector, DIAKINISIS is the trusted logistics partner for global organisations in Greece.

Over the last few years, the pharma industry has been facing significant challenges pertaining to the increasing market competition, growing product portfolio due to generics, new quality regulations, and pricing rules imposed by the government. This pressure is propagating to the supply chain sector and forcing companies to operate on a demanding cost-effective model. Taking this into consideration, DIAKINISIS lends its robust technological capabilities to the pharma industry. The company operates as a seamless extension of its clients, providing up-to-date, end-to-end visibility. The cold chain vehicles utilised by the company are equipped with real-time telemetric systems for temperature monitoring and recording, as well as proof of delivery systems for final delivery tracking. These functionalities are further augmented by DIAKINISIS’ back-office offerings, which comprise versatile ERP connectivity through native SAP to SAP electronic data interchange (EDI), quality and productivity index visibility within warehouses, and real-time distribution of information.

Elaborating on DIAKINISIS’ service capabilities in the logistics sector, Cornoutos cites an instance when China ocean shipping company (COSCO) reached an agreement with the Greek government to operate two piers at the Piraeus port in Athens, Greece. COSCO chose DIAKINISIS as the subcontractor for multiple services, including machinery handling, container check-in/out, gate checking, mooring/unmooring and stevedoring services. Backed by its efficient logistics technology and highly-skilled staff, DIAKINISIS bolstered the capabilities of the piers within the agreed contract period. As a result of its efforts, the Piraeus port stands as the fourth-largest port in Europe based on container traffic.

“To make such an impact on the logistics industry, organisations must go beyond storing and delivering,” says Cornoutos. With this in mind, DIAKINISIS is also ever-growing with the industry requirements to scale the peak of the logistics sector. Simultaneously, the company is expanding its logistics services to new industries, especially in the pharmaceutical space. “We added the pharma sector into our service portfolio with a crystal-clear vision—to become the largest pharmaceutical contract logistics company in Greece by 2024,” concludes Cornoutos.