DHL Supply Chain has launched a new service logistics solutionfor the medical device industry, integrating on-site inventory intoa single location and using a quality management system to bettercontrol and track valuable products.
This solution is designed to address a range of growing industrychallenges, including greater demand from an aging and more activepopulation, as well as increasing cost pressures from healthcareproviders. These factors have led to an increasing demand forbetter management of on-site and hospital inventory. The focus ofthe One Mile solution is for companies in the medical deviceindustry to address the trade-off between cost and availability,and to improve the efficiency of on-site inventory.
Tim Slater, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Life Sciences, said, "Thissolution leverages our life science knowledge in managing criticallife-saving products and our global ability to organize criticaltask delivery in complex environments. It is replicable, provideshigh visibility of inventory both inside and outside hospitals, andfully meets strict global standards. By providing timely deliveryto hospitals, it reduces capital commitments to inventory andeliminates the requirement for just in case storage of medicalequipment."
In addition to better managing consignment inventory, thissolution will also liberate the resources of medical device salesrepresentatives from actively managing, inspecting, and locatinginventory, allowing for more time to interact with customers.
John Farrell, President of DHL Supply Chain Services LogisticsSolutions, commented, "We have accumulated our knowledge bysuccessfully deploying similar solutions in the technical field. Itis very suitable for the medical equipment market that requirestimely delivery of critical products. We provide complete inventoryvisibility and control by aggregating consignment inventory outsidehospitals, while also providing inventory availability for criticaltasks on the same day."
This solution utilizes an established global supply chaininfrastructure that has been certified to the standards required byeach market. This solution has been deployed to a major globalmedical equipment supplier in multiple countries/regionsworldwide.
In addition to better managing consignment inventory andimproving sales staff efficiency, it also provides a platform forstandardized services and quality systems; Simultaneouslyimplementing product returns and customer segmentation activities,such as supporting and value-added services, to meet the needs ofthe local market and customers.