The group’s goal is to position itself as a key player in the Italian market and
continue to strengthen the offer of logistics solutions for its customers throughout Europe
Milan, 27 February 2024 – Walden Group, one of the main players in the area of healthcare logistics in Europe, officially enters the Italian market after the acquisition of the two Italian companies XCM Healthcare, a healthcare logistics company, and Unitex, a temperature-controlled last-mile network dedicated to the healthcare sector, belonging to the Marzano family, founder of the Farmacia
S. Caterina group, and CEO Gaetano Colella.
With a 2.4% share of the global market in terms of drug consumption, Italy has always been a focus of Walden; the high level of expertise in the field of R&D, especially in the biotech sector, are among the main reasons that convinced the group in this decision. As a major player in the pharmaceutical supply chain and a provider of distribution solutions, the acquisitions have proven to be essential to enter the Italian market.
In addition, Italy is the third European country where the group will expand its operations within a year, following the recent extensions of transport activities in Romania and Germany. The group has significant ambitions for the future, with further projects already in the planning stages.
“I am thrilled to announce what we have achieved together; we share the same values and entrepreneurial mindset with the Marzano family and the CEO Gaetano Colella. This was certainly a key element in the decision to merge our companies,” says Stéphane Baudry, President of the Walden Group.
In recent years, the Marzano family and the CEO Gaetano Colella have developed Unitex, a robust transportation network organized around two main hubs strategically located in the north (Milan) and south (Naples) Italy, to offer comprehensive national coverage through a consolidated network of twenty-four regional depots.
The network will be incorporated into Eurotranspharma, Walden’s subsidiary specializing in last-mile pharmaceutical solutions, which makes daily deliveries to pharmacies, hospitals, wholesalers and other healthcare providers in nine countries. Thanks to the new acquisition, Eurotranspharma will extend its presence to ten European countries to provide an extensive and reliable service to all its customers.
Eurotranspharma will introduce its services to the Italian market while maintaining high quality standards and impeccable distribution practices. This will be supported by Walden Digital’s sophisticated IT systems, specifically dedicated to the healthcare sector, which enable the complete traceability of crucial healthcare products at every stage of the supply chain.
In parallel, XCM Healthcare has developed a promising healthcare logistics business that will be enhanced by integration within Movianto, Walden’s core healthcare logistics solution, which is already present in twelve European countries.
Movianto provides complete solutions for supply chain management, ensuring a reliable transfer of products from the manufacturer to the patient. Its expertise extends particularly to sensitive healthcare products such as biotechnology, vaccines and in vitro diagnostics. In addition to logistics management, the company offers high value-added services, such as order and collection management and laboratories dedicated to quality control. These services cover the entire supply chain, allowing manufacturers to focus solely on their core business.
“The recently completed acquisition marks the first step in our development in Italy. We are excited to collaborate with the Unitex and XCM teams to start the implementation of Eurotranspharma and Movianto solutions in Italy. I’m confident that we will achieve outstanding results, considering the expertise of the Unitex and XCM teams, combined with our international presence in Europe, which contributes to a deep understanding of the global market and experience in different business management models.”
“Of course, continuing to expand our presence in Europe is a priority, but we are a flexible organization and always ready to seize opportunities. Therefore, we are ready to grow wherever we can bring value to our customers and new healthcare markets, expanding beyond Europe,” concludes Baudry.
About XCM Healthcare and Unitex
XCM Healthcare and Unitex are two Italian companies specialized in the provision of logistics and temperature-controlled transport services for pharmaceutical products. The companies offer an integrated platform structured on 2 business units that operate synergistically and are distributed between Lombardy and Campania. The mission, carried out by the CEO and General Manager, Gaetano Colella, and the Marzano Family, is to create a specialized player in the temperature-controlled logistics and transport market, becoming a national reference in terms of service quality, innovation and supply model.
About Walden Group
Founded in 1951 in the center of France, Walden Group is a family-owned company, Europe’s leader in healthcare supply chain solutions. The group offers end-to-end services for every stage of the pharmaceutical supply chain: from classic logistics to innovative value-added services (order to cash, secondary packaging, serialization, etc.). Within the group, each business unit specialises in key areas of the supply chain: Transpharma International in first-mile transport and shipping, Movianto in logistics and value-added services, and Eurotranspharma in last-mile solutions.
The group’s growth, with a turnover of €2.6 billion in 2022, is driven by a strong ability to adapt to the market in which it operates, especially by investing in new infrastructure, automation and digital tools. Thanks to an ambitious external growth strategy, the group is now present in 15 countries (France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Morocco, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and India). Walden Group employs more than 6,000 people at more than 250 sites and nearly one million m² of warehouses.
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Laure Murat