Logical logistics
Compromise isn’t always a bad thing when
it comes to logistics. Biocair explains how
hybrid courier services offer a happy middle ground
between the care and compliance
demands of scientists and the frugal mindset of
purchasing teams.
There is no mistaking that the pharmaceutical
industry has faced turbulent times over the past
few years and this shows no signs of stopping.
Companies are making cutbacks everywhere . taking
a
good look at their expenditures and trying to
shave costs
wherever possible. Some easy targets are contracts
for
services that they use regularly, scrutinising
the invoice for
the little extras that have been happily paid
each month:
will anyone really notice the difference between
a luxury
and not-so-luxury bathroom soap?
For the pharmaceutical industry, logistics is
a big part of
daily life. But unfortunately, due to the nature
of its
shipments, it can't just be 'thrown
in the post'. The majority
of pharmaceutical shipments require licences and
specialist
attention and therefore need to be couriered by
a specialist.
This raises the question, "Why ship with
a specialist
courier, rather than an integrator service?"
The obvious answer would be to benefit from the
specialist's knowledge and expertise . it
can do things an
integrator cannot. But this can come at a price
and the
value of this service is often difficult to demonstrate
to the
people paying for it.
It has always been a challenge for pharmaceutical
companies to get the balance right between service
and
cost in terms of logistics. This is demonstrated
by the
internal struggle between the scientific community
and
purchasing teams. The scientist is looking for
high levels of
quality, compliance and capability, but the purchasing
department is seeking a cost-effective service
provision.
If we tip the balance too far towards the scientists'
requirements, the specialist courier service they
are looking
for can be seen as too expensive. Too far towards
the
purchasers and the scientists aren't getting
the peace of
mind they need in terms of care and compliance.
How to get the balance right
The strengths and weaknesses of both service offerings
need to be identified to ensure that the most
appropriate
solution is chosen for the specific logistical
and compliance
requirements. This is particularly important when
dealing
with a clinical trial.
The scientists are looking for reassurance that
their hard
work is being looked after throughout its journey.
A
specialist courier can provide processes that
avoid risk and
offer high levels of customer care. Their industry
expertise
allows them to offer services such as product
classification,
sophisticated packing technology and experienced
staff
holding relevant, industry-recognised degrees.
But we need
that integrator cost saving to get past the purchasing
teams. We want the best of both worlds, so the
obvious
answer is to combine the two . a hybrid.
The hybrid service combines the pick and pack
skills
of the specialist courier with an integrator network
and
its worldwide footprint, allowing the customer
to choose
the level of care that is relevant for them: specialist
pick
up, combined with the cost-effective city-to-city
service
of an integrator. The key element of this service
is
demonstrating honesty, integrity and transparency.
Providing this service means sharing the cost
saving
with the customer to the benefit of:
- patients
- scientists and investigators
- purchasing teams
- chosen logistics partners.
Wisdom of the middle way
This type of service initiative would give an
ideal
compromise, rather than an 'either/or'
scenario, to the
benefit of the pharmaceutical industry. In a logical
world,
big pharmaceutical companies could reduce costs
while
maintaining a high level of regulatory compliance
. and
smaller research organisations could afford to
employ
the skills of a specialist, without spending their
entire
research budget on logistics.
- Scenario one: a Big Pharma company has a large
budget,
so has a decent budget to spend on logistics,
but is still
struggling to justify the expense of a specialist
courier
with purchasing. It does not want to sacrifice
services
such as dry-ice replenishment, shipping paperwork,
licences and compliance.
- Scenario two: a small biotech firm has a limited
budget
and can't afford to send all of its precious
shipments by
specialist, but feels cautious about using an
integrator. It
can send most of the shipments with an integrator,
but
the occasional shipment would benefit from the
'icing on
the cake' services that only a specialist
can offer.
The answer to both is a hybrid courier service,
using the skills and expertise of a specialist
to pick
and pack their items to industry standards.
|
