ISSUE 86 I SEPTEMBER 2019
a NEW era of
BUYERS CLUBS
Patients in the UK are banding together to try and get their hands on a generic version of the cystic fibrosis drug Orkambii
In association with
IMPLEMENTING REAL-TIME MONITORING AND MAKING IT A SUCCESS STORY
There are several success stories on how real-time monitoring has saved high value products and ensured drug availability. However, Niclas Ohlsson, CEO at TSS, believes companies need to carefully assess and plan before deciding to implement real-time monitoring in their life science supply chains.
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In the TSS real-time application you can follow your most valuable shipments live, all the way to the last mile. Although this type of application opens up for huge possibilities, it is important to remember that it also requires companies to think through how the organisation and its processes are affected.
This typically calls for an escalation process as well as an organization that is available 24/7, with a global operation team that can, if needed, interact and initiate corrective actions. In the complex eco system of a supply chain, that may involve different companies, experts need to be accessible and actionable.
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The first impact of implementing real-time monitoring is the need for a control tower. This control tower must be able to capture all alarms, to be qualified to interpret them, and to conclude what action is suitable, and by whom
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Before deciding to implement real-time monitoring, you need to ask yourself: is there a risk that we turn our organization into a reactive rather than a proactive organization? And what is the cost for that?
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Niclas Ohlsson says, that, in order to assess the possible effectiveness of real-time monitoring, the supply chain’s white and dark spaces need to be identified. Depending on how your supply chain has been set up, it is important to map areas where possible actions can be taken, but also where it can not be. This information should be mapped against historical data where issues are typically initiated or escalating.
“If there is a high positive overlap, the analysis should assess the causes for the deviation. Knowing this, you need to assess how such a situation can be addressed in the field - which action is required?”
The percentage of cases that could be addressed, and the cost for these real time actions, should then be compared with a proactive action that could alternatively resolve the issue.
To make sure your real-time monitoring experience becomes a success stories, it is crucial that you know which questions to ask during the evaluation process, and what to expect from the vendor.
> Download TSS’ buyer’s guide to real-time temperature monitoring to learn more!
