MARKEN’S PACKAGING SOLUTION. YOUR STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE.

1. Marken operates in over 220 countries – what is the key to harmonizing such a vast global network while maintaining precision in healthcare logistics?

While setting global standards may seem straightforward in concept, their execution across a vast international network requires a meticulously layered approach to ensure consistency, quality and precision in healthcare and complex secure logistics. This begins with a comprehensive onboarding process that integrates both regional and global solution deployments, guided by a rigorous evaluation framework. Each proposed solution is reviewed by key stakeholders, including Quality Assurance, Operations, Technical Teams, IT, Legal, and Sustainability, to ensure cross-functional alignment with Marken’s operational benchmarks.

During this evaluation, we design and implement global Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that serve as the operational backbone across our network. When specific regional requirements arise, we develop specialized protocols that uphold our quality standards while allowing for necessary local adaptations. These customized procedures are then supported by targeted training programs, including in-person sessions for large-scale rollouts, ensuring seamless adoption at every location.

At the core of our framework is a robust Quality Management System (QMS), with stringent testing protocols embedded in both annual training cycles and new employee onboarding. We create measurable benchmarks for compliance by supplementing SOPs with performance evaluations assigned to specific team members. This robust, multilayered approach – combining standardized processes with region-specific adaptations, thorough training with ongoing evaluation, and centralized oversight – enables us to deliver harmonized, high-quality service across all 220 countries and territories, ensuring both global consistency and local effectiveness.

2. Your ready-now packaging catalogue sounds revolutionary. Can you share how this mitigates risks for time-and temperature-sensitive shipments?

Our Ready-Now Catalogue represents the culmination of a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation process which is designed to deliver best-in-class shipping solutions. Every product goes through an extensive onboarding review where we solicit cross-functional feedback from all the organizational stakeholders, making sure of optimal selection for our global network. Our technical experts meticulously evaluate supplier qualifications while subjecting each solution to intensive performance testing under real-world conditions. Sustainability remains a core priority, with our dedicated team assessing eco-friendly attributes alongside operational durability throughout the diverse climates and logistics scenarios.

This technical assessment is further enhanced by strategic demand planning, as our Forecasting and Asset Management teams analyze current and projected shipment volumes across all Precision Logistics hubs. This dual focus on performance as well as scalability makes sure that only top-tier, reliable solutions enter our catalogue. Approved products then go through strategic positioning within our expansive distribution network – leveraging UPS’s global infrastructure, exclusive conditioning centers, and also technical expertise to enable same-day roll-out.

More than just packaging, the Ready-Now ecosystem integrates the entire value chain – from sustainable product design and rigorous validation to smart inventory placement and real-time performance tracking. This holistic approach transforms the intricate packaging selection into a seamless and dependable process – delivering advanced therapeutic, pharmaceutical, and biological shipping solutions that are mission-ready anytime, anywhere.

3. What’s the most complex shipment Marken has orchestrated, and what did it teach you?

Though I’ve only been with Marken for four years, one shipment early in my tenure perfectly demonstrated our commitment to mission-critical deliveries. During COVID’s peak, we orchestrated the transport of a singular, temperature-sensitive experimental treatment from the U.S. to Australia within 48 hours for a terminally ill patient. Due to the commercial flights unavailable, borders closed to non-residents, and most of the charter planes lacking landing rights, our team secured the only viable aircraft and engineered an unprecedented solution – training pilots to replenish dry ice mid-flight. In spite of every conceivable obstacle, we delivered the vial eight hours early by not just moving a package, but enabling a life-saving intervention. This experience crystallized Marken’s ethos for me that when patients’ lives depend on our solutions, we don’t accept limitations; we redefine what’s possible through innovation, expertise, and sheer dedication. This first crisis shipment remains my most career-defining moment, embodying why precision logistics matter far beyond mere transportation timelines.

4. Since becoming part of UPS Healthcare, how has Marken’s service ecosystem evolved?

Our integrated logistics solutions blend industry-leading on-time performance with unprecedented global infrastructure, featuring tens of millions of square feet of strategically positioned distribution space. By leveraging the scale of UPS Healthcare’s network and the expanded capabilities gained through acquisitions like MNX, we now deliver precision-driven packaging and transportation solutions across clinical, commercial, and wholesale pharmaceutical sectors. This integration has unlocked a host of competitive advantages: from stronger global supplier partnerships and enhanced buying power in cold chain packaging, to rapid geographic expansion aligned with dynamic client needs, and a continuously growing portfolio of specialized services. With access to the world’s largest parcel network and strategically staged packaging inventory, we offer same-day deployment capabilities around the globe.

Marken’s deep expertise in areas like radiopharmaceuticals and temperature-sensitive therapies – paired with the ability to procure high-quality materials at scale – means we can provide cost-effective solutions without compromising on compliance or quality. This powerful alignment positions us as a single-source logistics partner for even the most complex healthcare shipments, from clinical trial materials to commercial pharmaceuticals. The result is a fully integrated, end-to-end ecosystem that blends Marken’s therapeutic precision with UPS’s global strength, redefining the standards for reliability, speed, and innovation across the healthcare supply chain.

5. Traditional packaging vendors offer transactional solutions – how does Marken’s ‘holistic’ Packaging as a service- PaaS model fundamentally change the game for healthcare clients?

At Marken, we’re grounded in a fundamental belief: every shipment represents a patient’s hope. We don’t move boxes — we’re enabling the timely delivery of life-changing therapies, guided by a purpose-driven culture that puts patients above parcels. This perspective compels us to go far beyond transactional logistics and to fully appreciate the clinical importance and human impact of every delivery.

Our Packaging-as-a-Service (PaaS) model is rooted in this patient-first philosophy and powered by operational excellence. While we do offer standard packaging options, our real differentiation lies in leveraging the strength of UPS’s global network, our strategically located facilities, and our clinical and commercial logistics expertise to simplify even the most complex healthcare supply chains. Every shipment, standard or urgent, is treated with the same degree of precision, care, and accountability because each one plays a critical role in a patient’s care journey.

This integration of empathy and efficiency creates a transformative value proposition: the reliability of the world’s most robust logistics infrastructure paired with the sensitivity of a partner who truly understands what’s at stake. We’re not just delivering packages – we’re delivering possibilities. By removing barriers and complexity, we help healthcare innovations reach the people who need them most, exactly when they need them.

6. You regard yourself ‘packaging agnostic.’ How does this flexibility give clients an edge over competitors with proprietary systems?

At Marken, being truly packaging agnostic means we’re not driven to promote any single proprietary system. Instead, we meticulously understand and respond to each client’s unique supply chain needs. Our consultative process starts by carefully evaluating key factors like required transit durations, temperature stability profiles, and lane-specific risks, allowing us to identify precisely validated solutions that align with your product’s viability window.

We then move deeper, evaluating the operational realities, such as order-to-shipment timelines, analyzing considerations around reusable versus single-use packaging, pack-out capabilities, and tracking visibility, from basic passive monitoring through to advanced analytics. By closely understanding market demands and customer priorities, whether cost efficiency, sustainability, ease-of-use, or just-in-time (JIT) delivery, we provide an extensive portfolio of over 1,500 solutions down to the optimal recommendation tailored specifically for each client’s needs.

To be clear, ours is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our team combines scientific acumen with practical logistics expertise to design customized protocols that bridge gaps in clients’ cold chains, all while advancing their strategic business objectives. The result is a more flexible, efficient, compliant, and patient-centered supply chain solution – one capable of meeting immediate operational demands and supporting long-term growth.

7. With pre-qualified packaging solutions, how do you balance standardization with the need for customized orders in case of urgent scenarios?

Our commitment to excellence begins with the rigorous qualification of every supplier, whether their products are part of our Ready-Now catalogue or designed as customized, on-demand solutions. We uphold uncompromising standards for patient safety and supply chain integrity, thoroughly vetting each offering through meticulous evaluation processes. However, our dedication to quality assurance extends well beyond initial qualification.

Through our Packaging-as-a-Service Innovation Lab – a collaborative center merging technical and commercial expertise – we continuously monitor market developments and proactively address emerging challenges. This future-focused approach, combined with strong partnerships with leading manufacturers, allows us to move beyond standard solutions. We actively co-develop specialized packaging and logistics innovations designed explicitly to overcome specific pharmaceutical transportation barriers.

This dual focus, rigorous qualification for today’s needs and ongoing innovation for tomorrow’s demands, sets us apart. We maintain stringent quality benchmarks across all supplier relationships while consistently pushing boundaries to tackle industry-wide challenges. Whether deploying proven Ready-Now solutions or rapidly engineering custom options for urgent situations, we apply the same meticulous care and attention, ensuring every shipment meets our exacting standards for safety, reliability, and performance.

8. Time-sensitive therapies like CAR-T cells can’t afford packaging delays. How does PaaS literally save lives in these scenarios?

Our rapid-response capability is anchored by a strategically managed fleet of proprietary assets, enabling immediate deployment to meet urgent clinical needs. This dedicated infrastructure is intelligently positioned by our Forecasting and Asset Management teams, who collaborate closely with our Advanced Therapies Division to ensure packaging systems are proactively positioned wherever patient demand arises.

The critical differentiator in our PaaS model is the specialized expertise behind this infrastructure. Our cryogenic logistics team includes pioneers in liquid nitrogen (LN2) shipping, professionals who have developed industry-leading dewars and bring unmatched technical knowledge to every temperature-sensitive shipment. This hands-on experience shapes both our daily operations and our continuous innovation.

By integrating Marken’s proprietary asset network with UPS Healthcare’s expansive global reach, we’ve built an ecosystem designed specifically for moving advanced therapies swiftly and securely. Whether facilitating cell and gene therapies or delivering time-critical pharmaceuticals, our system combines strategically optimized asset placement, specialized cryogenic shipping knowledge, predictive demand modeling, and seamless technological integration.

The outcome is unparalleled reliability for complex logistics scenarios – where every moment matters, margins for error don’t exist, and patient lives depend on flawless execution.

9. Where’s the next frontier for PaaS? Drones? Blockchain? Or is the focus on scaling what already works?

At Marken, we’ve consistently demonstrated our unique ability to both innovate boldly and scale proven solutions, recognizing that focusing exclusively on one approach would limit our overall impact. Our innovation strategy is guided by three core principles: deeply understanding client requirements, listening carefully to patient experiences, and proactively addressing emerging industry challenges. Together, these elements form our “North Star” as we shape next-generation logistics solutions.

Currently, we are preparing exciting new additions to our Ready-Now catalogue, alongside strategic advancements tailored for specialized market segments. Every innovation, whether focused on cryogenic logistics, temperature control, or enhanced supply chain visibility, is backed by uncompromising standards of quality, performance, and scalability.

What truly distinguishes our approach is this dual commitment: pushing boundaries to solve tomorrow’s challenges while maintaining impeccable execution of today’s critical shipments. Our innovation pipeline includes groundbreaking new technologies alongside upgraded strategies of proven methods, all designed to support the reliable delivery of life-changing therapies without compromising operational excellence.

This approach results in consistent, meaningful advancement, not merely technical innovations, but solutions that directly address real-world needs and consistently place patient care at the center of every development.

10. Marken is part of UPS Healthcare. How does the UPS network amplify PaaS’s capabilities?

The collaboration between Marken and UPS Healthcare unlocks unparalleled capabilities by seamlessly combining specialized therapeutic expertise with a globally recognized logistics infrastructure. Our specialized operating plans in key hubs, such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami, drive significant efficiencies, reducing handling touchpoints by 30-50% and extending shipment cutoff windows by 4-6 hours through strategically coordinated airport operations. This ensures same-day shipment capabilities unmatched by competitors, particularly crucial for time-sensitive biologics where optimized routing routinely saves critical hours off transit times.

Our automated reverse logistics solution sets new industry benchmarks, achieving loss rates under 2%, significantly lower than the 15-20% industry average, while simultaneously reducing packaging costs by 25-40%. Additionally, advanced real-time container tracking and AI-driven predictive asset positioning ensure that vital resources are precisely where they’re needed, exactly when they’re needed.

These are not theoretical benefits; they’re proven operational solutions currently trusted by 18 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, especially for critical cell and gene therapies, where every moment of delivery directly impacts patient outcomes. Through this powerful partnership, we’ve redefined the standards in life sciences logistics, ensuring precision, reliability, and speed in scenarios where every minute and every degree truly matter.