The Distribution Logistics of COVID-19 Vaccines in Germany

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Peik Bremer
Technical University of Applied Sciences Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany

The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines stands as one of the most ambitious public health operations in modern history. Central to its success were the logistics systems that enabled vaccination campaigns to function effectively and efficiently. This study investigates the logistical framework conditions of the German COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with particular attention to the ultra-cold supply chains required for mRNA vaccines. By examining these structures, the study aims to enhance the understanding of how complex logistics systems can be designed when public and private actors must collaborate under intense time pressure and uncertainty.

The analysis focuses on Germany’s 16 federal states, each holding authority over health-related decisions and therefore developing its own logistics approach for the campaign. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews and complemented with secondary sources such as news reports and official documents. Using the collaborative governance framework and concepts from emergency logistics, the study compares these cases to reveal how federal structures, decision-making processes, crisis dynamics, and the demanding technology required to maintain ultra-cold vaccine conditions shaped one of the most critical logistics operations of the pandemic.

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Dr.-Ing. Peik Bremer studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Hanover, Germany, where he earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering in 1999. He served as logistics manager at a German automotive electronics supplier and as Director of Supply Chain EMEA at a U.S. telecommunications equipment supplier before being appointed professor at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt in 2001. His teaching focuses on intracompany business processes and logistics technology. His research interests include smart logistics and the efficiency drivers of robot-controlled cube storage systems such as AutoStore®. He is a member of the advisory board of the International Symposium on Logistics. Since 2005, Dr.-Ing. Bremer has been a non-executive director for two German companies.