Faces of the Supply Chain: Distribution Sector Problem Solving and Cold Chain Capabilities
Healthcare distribution sector professionals are relentlessly focused on solving problems to ultimately ensure the safe and reliable delivery of approximately 10 million medicines and healthcare products each day. In the latest installment of HDA’s Faces of the Supply Chain series, HDA asked industry leaders to reflect on the role of healthcare distribution sector professionals as they navigate everyday challenges and adapt to evolving best practices as novel treatments emerge.
In part one of our two-part blog series, HDA is recapping the valuable perspectives shared during our conversations conducted at the 2024 Distribution Management Conference.
Healthcare Supply Chain Professionals as Problem Solvers
Healthcare distributors and their partners continuously work to anticipate and mitigate potential disruptions on multiple fronts. In fact, our industry is often the first call a pharmacist or provider makes when a supply chain challenge occurs.
“Distributors are problem solvers in the whole supply chain and have to look at it every day,” said Chris Anderson, Director of Quality Management, Cardinal Health. “Whether it's weather, or whether it's the supply chain transportation, or whether [drug availability, distributors] and have to work together across their networks.”
Rich Ellinger, Director of Cold Chain Business Development, EFP, echoed Anderson’s sentiments, talking about the ever-changing market environment requiring quick thinking and adaptability. He noted, “[L]ogistics is basically moving product from point A to point B ... That's problem solving all day long, because you never know what you're walking into when you move that product ... it always changes.”
Cold Chain Technologies Behind Lifesaving Treatments
As discussed in a recent HDA LinkedIn Live event, rapidly growing fields like cold chain are becoming increasingly important in the safe delivery of vital medicines, vaccines and other treatments.
This field has changed immensely, as Ellinger explained, “The evolution of cold chain as a market segment, that’s like a story … so what you see now in the market is a lot of different products that solve different problems.”
Opportunities for experts to join the healthcare supply chain profession and contribute to patient health have also expanded by this new technology. As Anderson shared, “I got very, very interested in [cold chain], and a lot of that had to do with my background in the Army. I was in Alaska, in a high altitude and mountain cold weather rescue group. I had to teach cold weather injuries, illness and prevention.”
As the industry continues to be augmented by emerging technologies and shifting delivery environments, HDA will continue to capture insights and support development solutions through our industry exclusive events and programs.
HDA’s Faces of the Supply Chain brings to life the people behind the scenes who make the healthcare supply chain work. For more unique perspectives, check out the full series.