Supply chain & logistics
When it comes to investment spend, pharma companies will always prioritise the development of new drugs to combat diseases.
So, if CGT products are the prime use case for end-to-end supply chain visibility, why should the larger pharma companies invest in it? “If you’re going to demonstrate to investors, shareholders and the public that you’re taking sustainability seriously, you’ve got to have the data to show it,” says Taylor. “That means you’ve got to have the data from an intelligent supply chain. If you’ve got that in place you can start to have ambitious targets and know where to improve.” There’s certainly value for companies in being able to prove that they’re environmentally friendly. With climate change high up in the public consciousness, being ahead of the competitors could win investors over.
“For the future, being able to scale up in response to how much medication is needed will improve not only the environmental footprint but also the efficiency and productivity of companies.”
Emily May, life sciences insight lead at Deloitte Although pharmaceuticals is a product category
that’s enjoyed less scrutiny than those of other industries, with the common narrative being that the carbon footprint is a necessary evil in healthcare, there’s a growing focus on Scope 3 emissions – those generated by companies along the supply chain, like energy suppliers and outsourcing partners. “Encouraging those companies to take measures to reduce their carbon footprint is really important,” says Taylor. The challenge is that the most environmentally-friendly supply chain partners might not be the most cost-
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effective, and when profitability is another reason investors part with their cash, there’s a risk to being a first mover on an uneven playing field. For Taylor, the solution is to level the playing field by taking the decision in unison. “You’ve got that push and pull between having first-mover advantage versus the need to collaborate to get the suppliers to, for instance, buy green energy,” she says.
The other reason for an intelligent supply chain is simply the necessity for it, and that’s been borne out by the Covid-19 pandemic, in which companies were forced to augment the level of supply chain visibility in the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines. “They needed to know where all of their risk factors were,” says Taylor. “Having that data gave them a real impetus for transformation.” At the manufacturing level, May believes having predictive intelligence was vital for companies, and the experience of Covid-19 will only drive further adoption. “Covid really shone a light on [the need to be] adaptive in our supply chains,” says May. “That predictiveness and scaling manufacturing up and down can really be driven by having that knowledge and visibility. For the future, being able to scale up in response to how much medication is needed will improve not only the environmental footprint but also the efficiency and productivity of companies.”
It is clear that the pharmaceutical industry has a great deal to gain from augmenting its supply chains through using the latest technology, but with an understandable reluctance to implement a company-wide transformation, who will be the first mover and whether there will be a first-mover advantage, remains to be seen. ●
World Pharmaceutical Frontiers /
www.worldpharmaceuticals.net
Gorodenkoff/
www.shutterstock.com
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