Session Recap: The AI-Powered Supply Chain — How Can It Change Your Business?

In this LogiMed 2025 keynote, Gerald Jackson explored how AI and smarter operating models can unlock resilience, speed, and sustainability in healthcare supply chains. Framed by real-world disruption, he urged leaders to compress the “know → do” cycle, break down information silos, and use data to act faster when it counts.

Key Takeaways

1. Shrink the “know → do” gap to win disruptions

Resilience comes from compressing the time between recognizing an issue and executing the fix—demanding trust, frictionless data flow, and systems designed for speed.

• Measure it: track mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR).
• Remove latency: pre-authorize exception playbooks to cut approval cycles.
• Make it visible: always-on dashboards with owner and next-best-action.

2. Operationalize AI (not just an “AI strategy”)

Boards may ask for AI—but value comes from applying it to the real drivers: resilience, productivity, and sustainability. Aim AI at problems that impede patient availability and margin.

• Start with one high-value, cross-functional flow (e.g., backorder management).
• Tie models to business outcomes (stockout reduction, expedite cost avoided).
• Stand up feedback loops to retrain models with real-world exceptions.

3. Escape the POC trap and scale

Many teams stall at proofs-of-concept. Codify tribal knowledge with GenAI, redesign workflows, and standardize playbooks so solutions scale without a huge data-science bench.

• Create “golden paths” (standard exception playbooks) and automate triggers.
• Productize: version, test, and release playbooks like software.
• Build a small enablement guild to support sites/brands as they adopt.

4. Use the three AI pillars where they fit

Predictive AI for planning/logistics, GenAI for low-value tasks and knowledge reuse, and emerging agents for exception handling and execution support.

• Predictive: forecast risk, lead-time shifts, and dynamic safety stock.
• GenAI: summarize supplier notices, draft mitigation emails, answer SOPs.
• Agents: auto-initiate rebalancing, alt-SKU checks, and reroute requests.

5. Design for global sustainability (Scope 3 included)

Even if U.S. rules ebb and flow, EU expectations are rising. Build traceability and carbon accounting into operations now to avoid future fire drills.

• Map emissions data fields to POs, shipments, and returns.
• Capture supplier attestations by part and tier (not just at vendor level).
• Publish a lightweight carbon data schema your vendors can adopt.

6. Leverage circularity to de-risk supply

Refurbishment, remanufacturing, and component harvesting reduce dependency on virgin/overseas inputs and add flexibility when shocks hit.

• Flag SKUs eligible for refurb/reman and pre-approve QA routes.
• Create “component harvest” BOMs to keep finished goods moving.
• Model risk-adjusted cost vs. virgin-supply exposure.

7. Target for impact with Lean, then automate

Map your value stream and attack the high-volume, necessary-but-non-value-added work first—that’s where AI and automation yield the fastest returns.

• Quantify the “automation surface” (hours/week) per process.
• Prioritize processes with high variance and frequent exceptions.
• Instrument with telemetry so you can prove ROI in-cycle.

In Their Words

“You win by compressing the time between knowing what needs to happen—and doing it. That takes trust, data flow without friction, and systems that move with you.”
— Gerald Jackson

Why It Matters

Tariffs, weather, geopolitics, and supplier fragility make disruption a constant. Jackson reframed AI not as hype, but as the engine of operational agility—integrating data, surfacing next best actions, and coordinating execution. For medtech, that means fewer stockouts, faster recovery, better margins, and ultimately, better patient outcomes.

Actionable Insights

• Map your “know → do” flow and remove delays (approvals, handoffs, data access).
• Stand up a control-tower view unifying demand, supply, logistics, and risk signals.
• Use AI to prioritize exceptions and auto-trigger standard playbooks (rebalance, alternate SKUs, route changes).
• Track supplier fragility (tier-2/3) and pre-approve substitutions to cut decision time.
• Embed sustainability data capture now (including Scope 3) to future-proof global sales.

Want More?

Explore more insights and session recaps from LogiMed, The World's Leading End-To-End Healthcare Supply Chain Event.