DHL Supply Chain Expands Life Sciences & Healthcare Capabilities With New Center of Excellence

With U.S. pharmaceutical logistics growing at an annual rate of eight percent,¹ DHL Supply Chain is reinforcing its leadership in the life sciences and healthcare market through the completion of a one-million-square-foot distribution center of excellence located in Annville, Pa.

Scheduled to open in 2026, the East Coast facility will operate as a Foreign Trade Zone, addressing the growing demand for tariff mitigation and expedited customs processing. It will also enable MedTech and pharmaceutical companies to leverage pre-certification opportunities and streamline regulatory coordination with agencies such as the FDA and USDA.

“As pharmaceutical companies navigate tariff changes, rising demand for temperature-controlled infrastructure, and strict regulatory compliance, they need logistics partners with proven expertise,” said Mark Kunar, CEO of DHL Supply Chain North America. “The Annville Center of Excellence is a critical next step in delivering scalable, end-to-end solutions for the healthcare industry.”

Strategically located in Central Pennsylvania, within minutes of Interstate Highways 76 and 81, the purpose-built facility provides multimodal connectivity for time-sensitive healthcare distribution and meets the complex demands of pharmaceutical and med tech supply chains.

The new life sciences fulfillment center features FDA and GMP-compliant infrastructure, advanced temperature-controlled environments for biologics and specialty drugs. It also includes energy-efficient systems, solar power integration, and EV charging stations. Additionally, the site also offers extensive capacity with 100 dock doors, 230 trailer parking stalls, and 250 employee parking spaces.

This investment aligns with DHL’s Strategy 2030, which identifies life sciences and healthcare as a global growth pillar. Coupled with the recent acquisitions of SDS Rx and CryoPDP, final-mile healthcare delivery and specialized biopharma transport companies, the new facility will further enable DHL to deliver end-to-end healthcare logistics solutions, including support for hospital networks, handling temperature-sensitive biologics and personalized medicines, inbound-to-manufacturing operations, and FTZ-enabled services.

To learn more about the DHL’s East Coast Center of Excellence and DHL’s life sciences and healthcare solutions, visit www.dhl.com

¹ U.S. Pharmaceutical Logistics Market Size | Report, 2030