How outcome-driven supply chains make stronger pharma companies

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2 Minutes Read


For far too long, supply chains have been driven by activity and necessity instead of outcomes and possibilities. 

Since 2020, the industry has been grappling with frequent and rapid changes, shifting customer demands and increasing costs. But the most effective supply chains are powered by data and driven by the outcomes they create rather than their day-to-day activities. 

Smarter supply chains can help pharmaceutical supply chains tackle some of their biggest challenges and drive better outcomes, such as:

 

Increasing On-Time-In-Full (OTIF) deliveries

This industry standard is a major priority for pharmaceutical businesses. Because products need to be accessible by those who require them, must be kept within specific temperature ranges and often can’t be stored for long periods of time, OTIF is a delicate balance. One that’s seen more difficulty recently than ever before. 

Supply chain disruption is not over, either. Far from it. Instead, they’re likely to keep getting affected by things outside of our control. Outcome-driven supply chains, meanwhile are powered by data, which makes them smarter and more adaptable. That means you’ll have both more information to use when scenario planning and more visibility of where inventory is and when it will get to where it’s needed. That gives you the power to deliver OTIF even when circumstances get complicated.

 

Saving money and driving revenue

One area that hits pharmaceutical supply chains harder than others is the need for specialty carriers. Often, these providers are brought in through tenders or used on a ‘per quote’ basis. Which means it’s likely you don’t have a standard rate card. This makes it difficult to plan and difficult to compare services. 

We’ve helped large pharmaceutical companies save nearly £2 million by helping them get better insights and standardise their specialty carrier rates. Now, those savings will be even easier to achieve with our new capabilities that focus on those providers. This will bring data-driven decisions to even the most complex carrier relationships.

Beyond simply saving, supply chains are also the next biggest competitive edge. In a world where that’s hyper-aware of them and their impacts, making supply chains a priority is part of making your customers (and their end-patients) a priority. By creating a supply chain that consistently delivers, you can outpace competitors.

 

Data-cohesion

Needing to rely on multiple carriers, be they specialty or otherwise, means that data can be a big problem for pharma supply chains. The chances are good that you have providers that are hard to get data from. In fact, that tends to be more the rule than the exception. This means you never have total visibility or understanding of all the data that your logistics network is creating.

Smarter supply chains gather all that data into one place, making it easy to digest, interpret and act on. Instead of leaving it sat behind the walls of suppliers. This gives you full visibility and enables cost savings, scenario planning and more.

 

Greater sustainability

Scope 3 emissions account for about 80% of a company’s emissions. And logistics and supply chain account for about 80% of that. This means your logistics network is the biggest part of your emissions output. While that can be intimidating, it is also an opportunity for real change. 

Embracing an outcome-driven supply chain approach for sustainability, like using the emissions layer of the 7bridges platform, means better access to and use of emissions data. It means having real knowledge available to you so that you have the best chance of making the right decision for your supply chain. And, crucially, it means being able to use data to activate those decisions and make carbon-saving changes within your supply chain. All in one platform.

Learn more: The ultimate guide to scope 3 emissions reporting

At 7bridges, we believe that smarter, outcome-driven supply chains benefit everyone. That means you, your business, your customers and even the planet. So when we say that pharmaceutical organisations deserve smarter supply chains, we mean it. The modern pharmaceutical landscape demands so much. So you should demand that your supply chain is agile, data-driven, robust and resilient enough to thrive in it.


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