Supply chain solutions provider AIT Worldwide Logistics has acquired the British pharmaceutical freight forwarder Mach II Shipping Ltd., the company said today.
The acquired company—commonly known as Mach 2 or Pharmafreight—has earned a reputation for extremely high-quality shipping solutions in the demanding life sciences industry, including transportation programs for clinical trials, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), pharmaceutical machinery, and finished products, according to AIT’s Executive Vice President, Life Sciences, Chris Amberg.
“In addition to temperature-controlled air freight, Mach 2 provides outstanding dedicated road service for high-value life sciences moves throughout Europe with a managed fleet of temperature-controlled vehicles operated by Good Distribution Practices-trained independent contractors,” Amberg said in a release. “Additionally, their value-added services include in-house customs clearance and a temperature-controlled warehouse in Ashford, Middlesex, near London Heathrow Airport.”
Terms of the purchase were not disclosed, but the deal also includes a subsidiary in the Netherlands, in addition to a global network of life sciences partners.
Services at the Ashford location are mirrored by a second office in the Netherlands, opened in 2019 as a response to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. Customers requiring a post-Brexit alternative to working in the U.K. receive the same top-quality standard of service from the Nieuw-Vennep office, located just minutes away from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, while avoiding Brexit-related customs or regulatory challenges. The Netherlands facility features an ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer farm, safely and securely storing oncology products at below -60°C.
Mach 2’s global Pharmafreight partner network is also included as part of the acquisition. Formed in 2000, the network has grown over the past two decades through careful recruitment and vetting. Pharmafreight is now a collective of audited, approved independent freight forwarders operating under Good Distribution Practices in 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
In addition to being Authorized Economic Operator and Good Distribution Practices certified, the Mach 2 United Kingdom office is one of just 20 forwarders with Wholesale Distribution Authorization (WDA) granted from the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Likewise, the Netherlands location is one of only 15 forwarders to earn API storage registration; it has also obtained Japanese Foreign Manufacturer Accreditation, and the facility will soon hold its own Dutch WDA and Manufacturers Import Authorization (MIA) license.
