Marken and BDI Pharma add to US cold-chain capacity

Two companies involved with shipping and distribution of temperature-controlled life sciences products—clinical trial logistics provider Marken (Research Triangle Park, NC) and specialty distributor BDI Pharma (Columbia, SC)—have announced capacity expansions. BDI’s is close to the Dallas Fort Worth airport; for both, ready access to air freight is a driver.

In Marken’s case, an existing depot in the vicinity of JFK Airport, New York, has been complemented with a new, 10,000-sq. ft warehouse and operations center, closer to the airport. The company says that is equipped with the latest cold-chain equipment, and can handle the unit-load devices (ULDs) often used by life sciences shippers. “As customer demand increases for temperature controlled shipments, it made sense for our facilities to be in closer proximity to all major airlines and in a larger space to accommodate the growth we are experiencing in larger scale shipments,” said Kathy Gerson, a Marken VP, in a statement.

BDI Pharma, which has also expanded capacity at its Columbia HQ, is now licensed for national distribution from its DFW center, which it says doubles the company’s cold chain capacity. The second location also serves as a business-continuity backup for potential logistics upsets. BDI characterizes itself as a “niche distributor” of such specialty products as IVIG, chemotherapeutics, blood factors and others.