Implementing A More Robust Post-Pandemic Supply Chain

By Insub Song, Samsung Biologics

A reliable pharmaceutical supply chain is critical to timely production of medicines and delivery to patients and care providers. The supply chain comprises a complex global network increasingly affected by challenges ranging from regulatory hurdles to geopolitical strife. While some issues are predictable and can be accommodated through careful planning, other crises cannot be foreseen and require the careful application of contingency plans and resources to ensure demand for care providers and patients is met.

Ever-increasing demand, persistent shortages of essential supplies, and logistical difficulties existed as challenges before the outbreak of COVID-19, but the global pandemic compounded many of these issues while also adding some new difficulties. Working through these impediments to smooth operation requires deep consideration of the challenges and formulation of appropriate, sustainable strategies to address problems on a case-by-case basis, ensuring a more robust supply chain post-pandemic.

Adept supply chain management (SCM) starts with an efficient system and a decision-making process that allow consultation with relevant departments in real time. Samsung Biologics is innovating to provide more effective, streamlined services to ensure on-time delivery to our clients and, by extension, to patients in need. By expanding the traditional role of raw and subsidiary material procurement to include efficiently managing risks and maintaining a stable logistics system, Samsung Biologics’ SCM team has optimized day-to-day processes and bolstered its preparedness for effective operation in emergencies.