Martek Biosciences Outsources Management of Mobile Assets

TrenStar acquires biotech company's container fleet, offers solution featuring RFID, logistics, fleet assignment and procurement

TrenStar acquires biotech company's container fleet, offers solution featuring RFID, logistics, fleet assignment and procurement

Chicago — January 13, 2005 — Martek Biosciences Corp. is outsourcing the management of its mobile assets under an agreement that calls for services provider TrenStar to acquire Martek's container fleet and provide a transportation management solution for the biotech company.

TrenStar will provide Martek with a management solution featuring radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking, systems integration, logistics, fleet assessment and procurement, and maintenance services, including sterilization.

In addition, TrenStar will provide reverse logistics for some domestic and European customers of Martek, which develops and sells products derived from microalgae.

"We look forward to working with TrenStar to efficiently manage our container inventory in the shipping of Martek's nutritional oils," said Pete Buzy, chief financial officer at Martek.

"TrenStar's pay-per-use model, whereby Martek will outsource a technology-enabled container management service on a per-use basis, eliminates large up-front technology expenses, converts technology costs from fixed costs to variable costs, links total cost of the technology to realization of benefits and fosters a long-term partnership between the two companies," said DeAnn Brunts, TrenStar executive vice president and chief financial officer.

TrenStar CEO Greg Cronin said: "TrenStar's business model is proven to be flexible enough to surmount the challenges either unique to a customer or shared by an industry. Our solution provides significant benefit to most any asset-intensive industry where companies own and need to manage high-value containers as they flow through complex supply chains."

TrenStar's mission, since its founding in 2001, has been to buy, track and manage high-value containers for customers in asset-intensive industries. Other TrenStar customers include Carlsberg UK, Coors Brewers Limited, Kraft and Goodyear.

For more information on the latest trends in the logistics space, see the article "The Analyst Corner: Fulfillment & Logistics" in the October/November 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

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