Cencora, which is often termed as being one of the Big Three wholesalers, is continuing to go ahead and invest in its third-party logistics – 3PL services in both the United States as well as Europe, as a way to grow the specialty logistics offerings that it can provide pharma companies with.
This comes at a time when there is not only a growth in specialty pharmaceuticals, but there is also a need for drug supply management.
Enhancing the 3PL capacities across major European markets
The company is getting assisted by NextPharma Logistics, which is a healthcare logistics provider that offers services across Austria, Germany as well as Switzerland.
The aforementioned provider also offers end-to-end supply chain services, which include storage, distribution, and serialization, along with quality and compliance management, and its temperature-controlled capabilities get the backing of the good distribution practice – GDP compliant facilities. The company is also widening its specialty as well as cold chain infrastructure, with the addition of cryogenic tech in the Netherlands, in addition to an increase of the refrigerated as well as frozen storage capacity located in France so as to deliver a much broader, pan-European support.
According to the SVP and president of Alloga Europe & ICS, Chris Williams, their customers trust them to serve as an extension of their function. They continue to strengthen their pharmaceutical logistics capabilities by way of investments throughout their 3PL network in order to deliver upgraded support that’s customized to their needs. Whether it is a large-scale global program or supporting the launch of an advanced therapy in fresh markets, they are indeed able to offer the integrated support that their customers require in order to navigate the supply chain intricacies, maximize the commercial success, and also make sure of efficient as well as dependable access to their products.
And in 2026, Cencora is expected to unveil a 3PL plant, having already made commitments so as to increase the recent investments in order to expand the storage services throughout France, Spain, and the UK.
Major US investments strengthen the domestic cold chain services
When it comes to the domestic front, a 500,000 square-foot 3PL facility located in Texas is anticipated to get completed by 2028. This will mark its fifth third-party logistics plant and would be the one that will be able to continue with the storage of products at controlled room temperature, refrigerated, and also at frozen levels, therefore featuring ultra-low and cryogenic.
Alina Chesnokova, who is the VP of global 3PL commercialization at Cencora, says that the pharmaceutical companies increasingly look forward to partnering with those that offer comprehensive support throughout multiple markets. Through their internationally scaled 3PL service along with the suite of commercialization solutions, Cencora is quite comfortably positioned so as to support their requirements, delivering integrated support to help with a seamless expansion into new markets and at the same time make sure that the products get delivered on time and also in the right condition.
Part of a much larger $1 billion US distribution network modernization
These latest developments go on to follow the November announcement by Cencora, which revealed the plans of the company to go ahead and invest upwards of $1 billion when it comes to expanding, strengthening as well as modernizing its US-based distribution network all through 2030. These investment plans are indeed headlined by the expected opening of a second national distribution center, which is located in Ohio – a 530,000-square-foot facility.
Plans for the center go on to include advanced automation tech, which includes robotic handling systems, artificial intelligence – AI and autonomous mobile robots that are aimed at increasing the efficiency as well as dependability of supply chain processes, with a complete operational date of spring 2027.
Bob Mauch, the president & CEO of Cencora, says that the healthcare providers depend on them to offer efficient access to the medications that their patients require, and they are able to deliver on that promise due to the fact that they have a robust distribution infrastructure and also operations that they have built through decades of investment, and this investment goes on to highlight their commitment to and also their role when it comes to building a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain and in making sure that the patients throughout the United States get timely and dependable access to prescribed medications when and where they require them.
