UPS to acquire Poltraf from ORTIE

UPS has agreed to terms with Polish investment fund ORTIE to purchase healthcare logistics company Poltraf.    UPS will acquire Polish healthcare logistics company Poltraf from ORTIE.
   Although terms of the sale have not been disclosed, the company expects the deal to be completed in the first half of 2015, strengthening UPS’ healthcare and pharmaceutical supply chain market in Europe.
   In its press release, UPS said that Blonie-based Poltraf “has offered customers top-rate healthcare logistics solutions for the past nine years.” The company added that Poltraf “is recognized for its temperature-sensitive warehousing and transportation solutions that help healthcare and life sciences companies maximize supply chain efficiencies, meet regulatory requirements, and deliver products reliably and securely.”
   With this acquisition, UPS will add three facilities with advanced warehousing management systems and full quality assurance services to the company’s 11 existing European healthcare facilities, including dedicated healthcare distribution centers in the Benelux area, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and the United Kingdom. In addition, the company will gain 10 field stocking locations, which help support Poltraf’s fleet of approximately 170 temperature-controlled and GPS-monitored vehicles for the transportation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
   The announcement follows UPS’ acquisitions of U.K.-based healthcare logistics innovator Polar Speed in February 2014; Hungary-based pharmaceutical logistics company CEMELOG in 2013; and Italy-based Pieffe in 2011.
   Cindy Miller, president of UPS Europe, said the purchase “brings greater capability to our global healthcare network. Poltraf complements our mainland Europe expansion plan, and we are now able to provide healthcare companies access to a single source for logistics solutions across the continent, helping to achieve greater supply-chain efficiencies and compliance with relevant guidelines.”
   Piotr Krol, chief executive officer of Poltraf, said, “This is a very positive development for our company, our employees and our customers. Joining forces with UPS will allow us to continue to provide high-quality logistics services to our customers and broaden our reach by leveraging UPS’s global distribution network. We look forward to creating even greater value for our customers.”