Marken acquires three European logistics companies to advance the clinical trial supply chain layout

July 16, 2019, Marken, a supply chain company, announced the acquisition of three European logistics companies: HRTL in Italy, HETO in Austria and Der Kurier in Hungary. The acquisition strengthens Marken's logistics position in the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences industries in Europe, not only taking over the Italian, Austrian and Hungarian markets, but also bringing Marken's total logistics network to 51, including 10 GMP-compliant clinical storage warehouses.
Marken is a wholly owned subsidiary of UPS, founded in 1980 as a supply chain company in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Marken is committed to providing home health care to patients and provides state-of-the-art GMP-compliant warehouse networks and logistics centers in 51 locations in 26 countries for the storage and distribution of clinical trial materials. Marken's 1,000 employees manage 70,000 drugs a month that are transported under any temperature in more than 150 countries.
The acquisition is significant for Marken. Founded in 1979, Der Kurier delivers couriers across the country overnight and delivers them directly to the surgical room; HETO has standard cooling storage and 5-S office space. HRTL, founded in the 1970s, is licensed to operate in multiple countries and has strong relationships with local suppliers, airlines and customs brokers, and the company's main logistics stations are located near the airport, which facilitates the transport of goods with short storage times and temperature sensitivity.
The acquisition will expand Marken's core clinical trial logistics opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe. Italy, Hungary and Austria are important sources of drug manufacture, especially in sterile forms. Aseptic pharmaceutical products are particularly sensitive and require specific temperature conditions during transport to ensure stability. Eastern and Central Europe are also important locations for recruiting clinical trial patients, and the acquisition further strengthens Marken's bios sample service in the region. Marken's hybrid service will use UPS's network and airlines.
(arterial network)