Supply chain efficiency happens to be an obvious option for pharma firms that are looking to manage the complexities related to manufacturing and distribution. Dealing with varied stakeholders as well as regulations through diverse regions means that there are several elements that happen to be in the journey where things can go wrong.
Considering these potential vulnerabilities, visibility happens to be necessary for firms that seek to accurately monitor their products and make sure that they are safe to use. Supply chain visibility is a single truth source in terms of a product’s status as well as the performance of the supply chain.
That said, visibility is just one side of the puzzle. Within the digital age, optimisation comes down to decision-making that’s driven by data as well as the automation of time- and cost-consuming processes. Notably, real-time data lets companies make rapid decisions when it comes to responding to supply issues such as stalled shipments. More crucial than time and money, automation when it comes to repeating manual tasks like the handoffs that connect every step of the supply chain can also go on to result in a higher safe delivery rate as well as less product waste.
It is well worth noting that having access to quality data is just part of the battle. Gauging how to make use of it and recognising where to find its exact value are very important. Given the exact tools and utmost digitalization, firms can go on to pinpoint the inefficiencies within their supply chain and also work on how to take care of them. They can go on to transform, automate, and simplify the process when it comes to lead times reduction, reducing costs, and enhancing stability.
As of today, software firms know where there happens to be a growing market so as to meet demand when it comes to supply chain visibility platforms. Issue for pharma companies is how their data can be best rolled-out so as to make the supply chains more effective.
In unprecedented instability when it comes to lockdown-affected supply chains, Controlant, the digital transformation company, helped to safely give out more than 5 billion COVID-19 vaccines. The pandemic happened to be a major catalyst when it came to changing the industry, shedding light on the processes that require enhancement and could be made much more efficient and effective by way of automation.
The co-founder and CEO of Controlant, Gisli Herjolfsson, remarked on the importance of real-time IoT temperature monitoring tools as well as cloud-based solutions in the context that if one wants to actually create an automated data delivery process within the pharma sector, the first thing that one needs to do is ensure that there is accurate, reliable, 100% validated, and complete data.
Significantly, Contorllant happens to provide a next-gen pharma supply chain platform with a vision to have supply chains that are driven by zero-waste. In the centre of it happens to be the digitalization of crucial supply chain data that enables real-time tracking as well as end-to-end visibility. It helps companies to be responsive and make informed decisions in case certain bottlenecks crop up, lessening product rejections as well as downstream effects.
Traditionally, it is a well-known fact that the risk-averse pharma sector has indeed been reluctant to make huge changes and pretty slow when it comes to adapting new tech, even in the case of efficient processes with huge scope to be optimised as well as automated.
However, by working with pharma companies to closely track each link within the supply chain, for instance, by identifying the supply chain processes that happen to be prone to more variation, Contolant has been able to dish out solutions that remarkably enhance efficiency.
As per Global Data’s study pertaining to the use of AI in pharma supply chains and marketing, the pharma sector happens to have a reputation for being risk-averse when it comes to embracing new tech and has also spent too many years in watch and wait mode when it comes to AI. As compared to other sectors, pharma has indeed been slow to adopt AI, although there has indeed been elevated action in the past few years. Pharma is also looking to invest in AI in the near future.Â
According to an industry analysis, a technology-driven approach will become essential as the world of pharma evolves. The research from Global Data states that the only path to address the challenges faced within the supply chain will be to focus on automation and digitalization, particularly to assist in reshoring without prominently impacting the supply chain margins as well as prices. Companies must aim on the convergence of tech to remodel their supply chains to be self-sufficient.
Controlant’s GxP-passed zero-touch automated release process happens to be leading the way and simplifying as well as speeding up the release processes, relying on verified data sources to ensure high quality standards. By making use of this platform, pharma firms can significantly reduce lead times and save on work hours. The zero-touch approach has been validated to quicken time to market, enhance OTIF performance, lessen expense, and also reduce the carbon footprint.
In one of the Roche-Controlant joint presentations that was held in Lyon, Dino Liquito, who happens to be the global business partner of Roche, suggested how both companies worked with one another to affect the process. Every time there is a product moved out of the warehouse into the distribution network, it requires a release. Mostly, quite a lot of these releases happen across product distribution. So, they happen to have a standard process that is being executed across the life cycle of the product.
It is well worth noting that Contorlant had already gotten the 2-week process down to less than 2 days. In partnership with Roche, they brought it further down to even under an hour. A significant thing is that manual evaluations have been less than 0.5% across all the deliveries, and hence this has improved the process to a great extent, said Herjolfsson. They now have a reduction of 95% under any manual evaluations when it comes to release documentation and also a very impressive 97% total reduction in time from delivery until the time the release recommendation has been issued.
Operating with a trustworthy strategic partner such as Controlant aids pharma companies in delivering real value by giving them the benefits of automation within their supply chains today. Operations that were once tricky and also subject to rigorous variation, such as the release process, have extraordinary potential to benefit from automation, which means that patients will always have access to the right products they require.
As per Liquito, if one looks at it from a business angle, what they really want to be able to do is offer the best possible service to the customers and also make sure that as and when the product arrives, its efficacy is ensured. And by having data that’s available in real-time and being able to rely on it so as to release products, they are able to do just that.
