A spokesperson told us the Ahmedabad site will be its 47th branch globally, and will offer support for its client base.
“Because Marken already offers a five-branch presence in the region (six when Ahmedabad opens), clients who are based in India – plus other global clients who are conducting clinical trials within India – continue to rely on Marken for the time and temperature sensitive shipments of clinical drug products and trial materials,” the spokesperson said.
According to the firm, the expansions respond to increased client demand, and will enable further expansion of its transportation network in the country.
“Marken will continue to invest to provide a strong logistics network throughout the country as growth continues,” the spokesperson said.
The expansion – costs of which were not disclosed – will create new jobs, we were told.
“The new branch will of course offer additional head count opportunities in order to be fully staffed upon opening, and the expansion of the other two locations may result in more positions in both, as client demand increases in response to the increased capacity,” the spokesperson told us.
The Ahmedabad branch is expected to be operational within the first half of 2018, and expansions of existing branches plan to be completed by the end of Q1, 2018.
Earlier this year, the supply chain organization – which was bought by UPS in 2016 – launched a new hybrid logistics services that leverages UPS’ airport, pilot, and aeroplane global transportation network as an alternative to the classic courier shipping model using by commercial airlines.