End-to-End Supply Chain Digitization

It's certainly been a challenging couple of years in the world of medical logistics. Few could have guessed, when we first heard rumblings about a new coronavirus spreading from Asia, the truly devastating effect SARS-COV-2 would have on our individual lives and the world as a whole.

The medical logistics space has had a critical role to play in battling this virulent plague, making sure essential equipment - such as lifesaving ventilators - reaches those most in need.

However, now we are tentatively starting to move out the other side of the pandemic, with many countries somewhat returning to a sense of normality, it's time to take stock of what has occurred and the lessons which can be learned for a more effective and robust industry moving forwards.

Digital Transformation

Of course, digital transformation has been a hot topic in the medical logistics space for a long time, but the COVID-19 pandemic has really shone a light on the need to make it happen sooner rather than later. We need to have end-to-end digital infrastructure in place as soon as possible to not only serve the industry better under normal conditions, but also achieve better levels of resilience should we face such a crisis again in the future.

"When the global pandemic emerged, the pace of change on the digital supply chain front accelerated significantly," reports Supply Chain 24/7. "Seemingly overnight, shippers were grappling with an entirely new set of challenges. Companies which were using antiquated visibility and forecasting tools, such as those based on spreadsheets or in disconnected software systems had difficulties keeping up with huge upticks in ecommerce orders, managing remote workforces, handling supply interruptions, and meeting the demands of brand-new customers."

With end-to-end digitization in place, the supply chain issues we witnessed at the beginning of the pandemic could have possibly been avoided. Shortages of medical supplies and PPE would likely not have been issues and we could have potentially established even faster supply chains for the vaccine rollouts, helping more people around the globe access these lifesaving treatments in a far shorter timeframe.

Accountability and transparency are also massive advantages of a fully digitized supply chain. One only needs look at some of the issues we saw during the pandemic where contracts for critical PPE and other items were awarded, without tender, to companies which had zero experience in manufacturing them and wasted millions in tax-payer money trying to achieve results they were simply incapable of delivering.

End-to-End Digitization

Then there is the issue of counterfeit goods entering the supply chain. With the global nature of modern business, supply chains often contain more links than ever before, which present an increased number of points at which these items can penetrate them.

However, digital technology such as IoT and Blockchain can help mitigate the chances of these intrusions occurring. With Blockchain's immutable public ledger, every phase in a shipment's journey can be automatically logged and recorded, with no chance for the records to be altered. IoT sensors can detect if a shipment has been opened or otherwise tampered with and immediately log the intrusion and report back to a central data center.

Once a problem area has been identified and shown to be a repeat offender, other stakeholders in the supply chain can collaborate to find a new partner to facilitate that part of the journey or work with the problem supplier - assuming the negligence isn't willful - to patch up the holes in its security and continue operating as before.

IoT sensors and blockchain can also detect and record other information such as temperature excursions on climate-controlled shipments and again help stakeholders identify problem areas in the chain as discussed above.

These are just a couple of way digital technology deployed end-to-end within medical supply chains can transform the industry into a more effective and secure space for all involved.

Digital ordering platforms can break down silos between end users and manufacturers and make sure the right products get where they need to be faster, digital contracts can make the process of establishing agreements between stakeholders more streamlined, and data from all the above can drive decision making and ensure everyone in the chain is moving in the best and most informed direction possible.

Final Thoughts

End-to-end medical supply chain digitization can help brands operating in this space achieve new levels of efficiency and productivity. By breaking down the silos which get in the way of a smooth and effective medical supply chain, digital technology helps ensure any future pandemics will not catch us off guard in the same way COVID-19 did.

End-to-end digitization is set to be a hot topic at LogiMed 2022, taking place in March at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.