UPS and DHL on the acquisition trail

Two of the world’s big three integrators have recently made significant acquisitions.

• UPS acquires Marken. UPS bought itself a Christmas present in the form of Marken, a privately-owned, US-based company that specializes in providing clinical trial logistics solutions to the life-sciences industry. The acquisition will provide a significant boost to UPS’ presence in the healthcare field, as Marken manages about 50,000 temperature-controlled drug and biological shipments every month in more than 150 countries, with a focus on direct-to-patient services and biological sample shipments. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

• DP-DHL acquires UK Mail. UPS (above) wasn’t the only big express company to buy itself a Christmas present. Germany-based Deutsche Post-DHL completed its acquisition of UK-based parcel, mail, and logistics services provider UK Mail, which will now become a part of DP-DHL’s European parcel network.