Profitability in the pharma industry is increasingly in the hands of supply chain leaders. In response, they're building (or should be building) adaptability and demand-driven responses into their operations.
So says consultancy Tompkins International in an assessment of the supply chain challenges facing global drugmakers and guidance on actions they ought to be taking now.
Strategies based on M&A, regulatory and pricing shifts, emerging market growth demands, product quality, and security and logistical challenges are necessarily in constant flux. That places a premium on supply chain adaptability and planning.
"Risk, instability and rapid change are here to stay," according to the report, making all supply chain planning a risky, albeit a necessary, endeavor. That's where adaptability comes in: "Being adaptive is not about having a great plan, but being able to move and change very quickly to stay ahead of the market," the report says.
Chief allies of supply chain strategists in this environment are technology and automation. Both can be efficiency boosters, and both will be required in upcoming track and trace regulations and increasingly sophisticated security challenges, Tompkins advises.
- see the announcement
- here's the report