Cargo Talk Feb2021 (2) - Flipbook - Page 29
SUPPLYCHAIN TALK
entire supply chain which was neglected
earlier,” voices Raghunath.
essential to plan transport schedules
very carefully,” explains Singh.
On the other hand, Rao stresses,
“Adaptability to new challenges,
keeping cost-effective service and
quality of services is vital as vaccine
is temperature-controlled commodity.
Deficiency in quality of service will lead
to serious consequences, users’ health
will be at stake.”
Collaboration
allows ease of work
According to Rao, “Collaboration is
crucial because we need some facilities
on a large scale like temp-controlled
warehouses and logistical channels.
These once developed with heavy
investments may not be utilised later
and may lead to zero returns in the
coming days. Hence, collaboration
with existing supply chains with less
pressure can act as a saviour for the
industry, which can reduce cost and
eliminate heavy investment to overcome
this pandemic and the crisis which it
will leave.”
“Supply chain is directly impacted by
instabilities in demand and supply.
The risk of supply interruptions can
only be avoided if the challenges
faced by the industry are addressed
comprehensively. In the current
scenario, horizontal collaboration
among stakeholders in the exiting
supply chain would allow greater
ease of work and cooperation towards
accomplishing a common goal,
thereby overcoming innumerable
challenges,” expresses Raghunath.
Pharmaceutical
supply chain before
and after the
pandemic
“From a technical and industry-oriented
point of view, the industry has always
had a clear understanding of how the
transport and supply chain must function.
But now, the industry stakeholders are
coming together in order to overcome
the new challenges. There are more open
partnerships now between different
service providers, carriers, packing
providers, local warehouse providers.
The pandemic has created a more open
and transparent global supply chain.
The pandemic is not only a challenge,
but also a chance for the airfreight
industry to drive global standards, like
the CEIV, and set up better infrastructure
for temperature-controlled cargo at
the airports. Before COVID-19, there
was basically no public perception of a
temperature-controlled supply chain, or it
was at least very limited, while now, this
topic is the primary focus. At the end of
the day, every individual will benefit from
this development as anybody could be a
patient,” states Singh.
Adding to these lines, Vohra enlightens,
“This outbreak of pandemic has
exposed the weaknesses of the logistics
industry. It showed that there is an
urgent need to give out of the box
solutions and traditional supply chain
approaches might no longer be relevant.
Logistics companies who have invested
in technologies and believe in providing
flexible, timely & effective quality
solutions embedded with transparency
will be the winners.”
“With vaccine rollover, demand for many
medicines will reduce, leading to new
challenges for pharmaceutical companies
and their supply chains,” notifies Rao.
Calling it one of the short-term effects
of COVID-19, Rao further explains,
“Due to the pandemic, the sale of
certain medicines used for symptomatic
treatment has increased manifold. People
may have bought medicines to keep in
their homes but not consumed them. It
has boosted the sales manifold.
V. Raju
Senior Vice President – CL –Chemical
Pharma & Food Sector, Avvashya CCI
There is a continued
need to improve end-toend supply chain visibility
coupled with seamless
handshakes amongst
the players in the air
cargo supply chain to
ensure the timely and
effective distribution of
pharmaceutical
shipments
Similarly, for the pharmaceutical supply
chain, pressure for fast delivery in a
temperature-controlled environment is
enormous. There is a need for developing
infrastructure to accommodate this
influx in demand. Once the target is
achieved, there may be a gap in supply
and requirement. It may lead to financial
disasters for some companies, who
may not be able adapt to new
business models with new challenges
and opportunities.”
“Several vulnerabilities were exposed
during the COVID-19 pandemic in the
pharmaceutical supply chain, mostly
due to a lack of coordination among
the various stakeholders. Complete and
ongoing supply chain risk assessment,
forecasting and planning will be vital
going forward. Greater automation and
implementation of digital technologies
will be equally important to enable
true networking and data sharing and
maintaining transparency across the
FEBRUARY - 2021
CARGOTALK 29
