Yusen Acquires Movianto: Healthcare Logistics Gets a New Giant
On 10 December 2025, NYK Group subsidiary Yusen Logistics completed its acquisition of Movianto International from the Walden Group for approximately EUR 1.25 billion. It’s one of the largest healthcare logistics deals in European history, and it signals a broader trend: the big Asian shipping conglomerates are buying their way into specialised European logistics.
If you ship pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or temperature-sensitive goods in Europe — or if you compete with companies that do — this deal matters.
What you’ll learn:
- What happened
- Who are the players?
- Why this deal happened now
- What this means for the logistics market
- What shippers should do
What happened
In July 2025, Yusen Logistics (Europe) B.V. — the European arm of Japan’s NYK Group — signed a put option agreement to acquire the entire share capital of Movianto International from Walden Group International Holding. After mandatory works council consultations and regulatory approvals, the deal closed on 10 December 2025.
The acquisition covers not just Movianto but the full healthcare logistics portfolio of the Walden Group:
- Movianto — temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution for pharmaceuticals
- Eurotranspharma — specialised healthcare transportation
- Transpharma International — cross-border pharmaceutical logistics
- Walden Digital — supply chain visibility and technology platform
Combined, these businesses operate 138 sites across 12 European countries with approximately 5,400 employees and generated roughly EUR 790 million in revenue in 2024.
Who are the players?
Yusen Logistics is the logistics subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), one of Japan’s largest shipping conglomerates. NYK is a traditional maritime company that has been aggressively pivoting toward higher-margin logistics services. In its 2023 medium-term management plan, NYK designated logistics as a core business segment and a priority investment area.
This isn’t their first European acquisition spree. In 2024 alone, NYK acquired:
- A UK e-commerce logistics platform company (February 2024)
- A Dutch automotive parts distribution company (April 2024)
Movianto has been the flagship of the Walden Group’s healthcare logistics business. Founded as a specialist in pharmaceutical warehousing and cold-chain distribution, Movianto built one of Europe’s most comprehensive temperature-controlled logistics networks. If you’ve ever received a medication that needed to be stored between 2-8 degrees or, in some cases, as low as -80 degrees, there’s a fair chance Movianto handled part of that journey.
Hiroki Harada, CEO of Yusen Logistics Global Management: “By combining Walden Health’s expertise with Yusen Logistics’ global network, we will be able to deliver a healthcare logistics platform that is second to none.”
Why this deal happened now
Three forces converged:
Healthcare logistics is booming. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how critical — and how fragile — pharmaceutical cold-chain infrastructure really is. Since then, demand for specialised healthcare logistics has surged. Biologics, gene therapies, and personalised medicines all require sophisticated temperature-controlled distribution that general-purpose logistics providers can’t easily replicate.
Asian shipping companies are diversifying. The container shipping boom of 2021-2022 left companies like NYK, Maersk, and CMA CGM sitting on enormous cash reserves. Rather than returning all of it to shareholders, many are investing in logistics. NYK is following the same playbook as CMA CGM (which bought Gefco and folded it into CEVA) and Maersk (which has been building an end-to-end logistics business for years).
Walden was ready to sell. The Walden Group built a strong portfolio of healthcare logistics assets across Europe. With valuations in specialised logistics at historic highs, the timing was right for an exit at EUR 1.25 billion.
What this means for the logistics market
Healthcare logistics gets more concentrated
Movianto was one of the few truly pan-European, independent healthcare logistics providers. That independence is now gone. Shippers who valued having a specialist provider that wasn’t tied to a global shipping conglomerate have one fewer option.
The Asian logistics expansion continues
This acquisition fits a broader pattern. Japan’s NYK, South Korea’s HMM, and China’s COSCO are all looking beyond ocean shipping. European logistics — with its fragmented market, specialised niches, and relatively stable regulatory environment — is a prime target. Expect more acquisitions like this.
Technology becomes a differentiator
The inclusion of Walden Digital in the deal is telling. Supply chain visibility platforms, real-time temperature monitoring, and end-to-end traceability are no longer nice-to-haves in healthcare logistics — they’re regulatory requirements. Yusen didn’t just buy trucks and warehouses; they bought technology.
Scale creates opportunities — and risks
For Movianto’s existing customers, the combination with Yusen’s global network could unlock new capabilities: access to Asian healthcare markets, better ocean freight rates for pharmaceutical raw materials, and a broader service portfolio. But integration always carries risk. Different corporate cultures, system migrations, and shifting priorities can disrupt service levels during the transition period.
What shippers should do
Whether you ship healthcare products or not, carrier consolidation affects everyone. Here’s how to respond:
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Assess your exposure — If Movianto, Eurotranspharma, or Transpharma International handles any part of your supply chain, understand that your counterparty is now Yusen Logistics. Your existing contracts should remain valid, but the long-term commercial relationship will evolve.
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Diversify your healthcare logistics providers — If you relied on Movianto as your primary or sole healthcare logistics partner, now is the time to evaluate alternatives. The pool of independent pan-European healthcare logistics providers is shrinking.
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Review your cold-chain requirements — Use this moment to audit your temperature-controlled logistics needs. Are your current SLAs, monitoring requirements, and compliance obligations clearly documented? When new ownership brings new terms, you want a clear baseline.
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Track the integration timeline — Yusen targets full integration in line with NYK’s new medium-term plan starting April 2026. Monitor communications from both Yusen and Movianto for system migration timelines, process changes, and contact restructuring.
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Use your TMS to stay flexible — Shippers who manage their carrier relationships through a TMS can respond to consolidation faster. When a provider changes ownership, having the ability to redirect volumes, compare performance data, and onboard alternatives quickly is the difference between being reactive and being prepared.
The healthcare logistics sector is following the same consolidation path that general freight has been on for years. The shippers who track these changes, maintain diversified carrier portfolios, and keep their data in order will be best positioned when the next deal is announced.
Sources: NYK Line — Acquisition of Walden Group’s healthcare logistics business (Jul 2025), Yusen Logistics — Completion of Movianto acquisition (10 Dec 2025), Walden Group — Company profile and portfolio.
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