In Conversation With Tamás Kaló and Dr. László Gyetvai
Every day, the company plays a vital role in ensuring that medicines reach pharmacies and hospitals reliably and efficiently. In 2026, PHOENIX celebrates a major milestone, its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of contribution to the Hungarian pharmaceutical supply system. To mark this occasion, we spoke with Tamás Kaló, chairman of the Board, and Dr. László Gyetvai, director of the Specialty Pharma & Market Services Division, about the company’s journey, its role today, and its vision for the future.
Tamás, what does the 30th anniversary mean for PHOENIX?
Tamás Kaló: Milestone anniversaries are always a great moment to pause, reflect, and look ahead. When I think about the past 30 years, the first word that comes to mind is gratitude towards our pharmacists, manufacturing partners, colleagues, and owners. Together, we’ve built something we can truly be proud of: a pharmaceutical supply system in Hungary that meets European standards. That was our ambition from the very beginning, three decades ago, when the green PHOENIX delivery box first set out on its journey. Since then, thanks to the trust of our customers and suppliers and the dedication of our teams PHOENIX group has become a key pillar of the pharmaceutical supply chain in Hungary. Looking ahead, we want to build on this strong foundation of trust, hard work, and expertise as we continue shaping the future.
László, what is PHOENIX’s role in the pharmaceutical supply chain?
László Gyetvai: The pharmaceutical supply chain is a cornerstone of healthcare, ensuring that medicines safely and reliably reach patients. Within this system, wholesalers play a crucial role as the link between manufacturers and pharmacies or hospitals. At PHOENIX, this role comes to life every single day. We handle around 800,000 boxes of medicines and healthcare products daily, receiving them, storing them in our warehouses, carefully picking and packing orders, and delivering them to pharmacies and hospitals in full compliance with strict safety standards. Our logistics network is constantly on the move: our delivery vehicles cover roughly 50,000 kilometers each day. To put that into perspective, that’s more than circling the Equator daily—with a virtual journey from Fót all the way to San Francisco on top of it—while making sure every pharmacy and hospital along the way receives exactly what they need. In essence, we make sure that the right medicines are in the right place at the right time, every single day.
TK: We place a strong focus on the quality of our core logistics services—something we continuously strengthen by developing our infrastructure, refining our processes, and investing in our people. In recent years, we’ve made significant upgrades to warehouse technology across our six logistics centers, ensuring that our facilities operate at a truly European standard. We are especially proud that our largest investment is taking place in Győr on our 30th anniversary. There, we are building a state-of-the-art warehouse and office complex powered by green energy, further enhancing pharmaceutical supply in Western Hungary. At the same time, we continue to invest in our existing network, further developing our logistics centre in Kecskemét and our pre-wholesale operations in Fót, to make our services even more efficient and reliable.
What other value-added services does PHOENIX provide to pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers?
TK: It was nearly 20 years ago when, through close dialogue with manufacturers and pharmacists, we realized we could go beyond traditional wholesale and create real added value for both sides. That’s when we consciously stepped out of the classic “box mover” role and began to rethink what our contribution to the supply chain could be. Building on the needs of our partners, we have continuously developed our infrastructure and expertise to offer high-quality, fast, and cost-efficient services—taking over certain tasks and simplifying operations for them. Today, this includes a wide range of tailored solutions, from logistics and inventory optimization to repackaging, data-driven services, and even support in market access or product launches. Our goal has always been the same: to support our partners’ competitiveness while making the entire pharmaceutical supply chain more efficient, flexible, and responsive to patient needs
Pharmacists increasingly found that their profitability was under pressure, as their margins were growing more slowly than their costs year after year. They turned to us for support, and together we developed a partnership model that later became the foundation of today’s Szimpatika partner program and the BENU franchise program. These programs help pharmacies strengthen their financial position by generating additional revenue and delivering cost efficiencies. But we believe competitiveness is about more than just financial stability. It also means giving pharmacists the time and the tools to focus on what truly matters: their patients. That’s why we support them not only through these partnership models, but also by offering continuous professional education and by taking on part of their administrative workload. Alongside these more complex collaborations, we of course provide a range of simpler, day-to-day services designed to make pharmacists’ work easier and more efficient.
LGY: As Tamás mentioned, we have developed a broad range of value-added services not only for pharmacies, but also for pharmaceutical manufacturers. These solutions are largely built on PHOENIX’s strong infrastructure and logistics expertise, offering what we often call true “end-to-end” support. In practice, this means covering the entire value chain—from manufacturing all the way to the patient. By integrating these services, we are able to directly support our partners in strengthening their competitiveness while also improving the efficiency and transparency of their operations. In essence, we don’t just move products—we help optimize the entire journey of medicines.
What sets PHOENIX apart from its competitors when it comes to services specifically for manufacturers?
LGY: One of PHOENIX’s key differentiators is our All-in-One concept—a comprehensive, tailor-made service offering designed around our partners’ needs. This integrated approach brings together sales and marketing support, logistics and distribution solutions, data-driven insights, and direct access to the pharmacy channel. The idea is simple: to allow our manufacturing partners to stay focused on their core business, while we streamline back-office operations and strengthen their market presence. Thanks to this combination, our role goes far beyond that of a traditional logistics provider. We act as a strategic partner—connecting manufacturers with end-users through a fully integrated ecosystem. It is precisely this complex, high value-added service model that sets PHOENIX apart and supports our leading position in both the European and Hungarian markets.
Apart from classic “last mile” distribution, what does PHOENIX consider the most important aspect of its core logistics services?
LGY: Beyond traditional last-mile delivery, one of the most important pillars of our logistics services is pre-wholesale. In essence, this is a comprehensive outsourcing solution, where pharmaceutical manufacturers entrust us with pre-distribution logistics, inventory management, and a range of administrative tasks. In Hungary, this activity is centered at our facility in Fót, just outside Budapest, where we work with more than 60 local and international pharmaceutical companies across 3PL, consignment, and buy-and-sell models. Our site—capable of handling close to 16,000 pallet positions—operates in full compliance with GDP and GMP standards, ensuring the highest level of quality and safety. This allows us to provide optimal storage conditions not only for room-temperature products, but also for refrigerated medicines and highly controlled substances. In addition, our capabilities extend beyond human pharmaceuticals: we also handle the storage and distribution of veterinary products, offering our partners a truly comprehensive logistics solution
We also place strong emphasis on our representation services, where we act as the local partner for our manufacturing clients in Hungary. This is a comprehensive, end-to-end offering that includes sales and marketing support, medical activities, market access, pharmacovigilance, and tender management. Our long-term commitment to this area is clearly reflected in the recent launch of our dedicated subsidiary, El Pharma, which further strengthens our capabilities in this field.
In addition, we provide a full range of quality assurance services. This includes appointing Responsible Persons (RP) and Qualified Persons (QP) for our partners, ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements. Our experts oversee GDP-compliant operations, support the development of internal procedures, and manage day-to-day quality assurance activities—helping to maintain the highest standards across the supply chain.
Our secondary packaging services are carried out in full compliance with GMP standards, enabling fast and reliable market launches for products with new or updated packaging.
We also manage the distribution of samples and donations as a trusted subcontractor, always with the highest level of precision and professionalism.
Ultimately, the quality of everything we do is underpinned by internationally recognised standards, including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, ensuring consistent excellence and continuous improvement across all our services.
How do you see the role of wholesale and PHOENIX in 10 years?
LGY: Digitalization, automation, and data-driven operations are already reshaping pharmaceutical wholesaling, and this transformation will only accelerate in the years ahead. The wholesalers of the future will go far beyond distribution: they will increasingly act as supply chain integrators, connecting manufacturers, pharmacies, and patients in a seamless, intelligent network. In this evolving landscape, partners will expect not just reliable delivery, but strategic support, real-time insights, and end-to-end solutions that enhance efficiency and patient access.
TK: Our goal is to ensure that PHOENIX remains at the forefront of this transformation. Through our logistics expertise, we are uniquely positioned at the intersection of manufacturers and pharmacies, and this gives us a strong foundation for building long-term strategic partnerships. Looking ahead, we want to continue working closely with all partners in the value chain to shape a modern, efficient, and truly 21st-century pharmaceutical supply system in Hungary.
This article was first published in Pharma Industry Review 2026 / 1.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
