A lack of focus on end-to-end processes and operational excellence.
A siloed, functionally compartmentalized approach (e.g., R&D versus operations and clinical trials) has led to inflexible and inefficient global operations, processes, facilities and infrastructures.
inadequate visibility, transparency and trust across the healthcare ecosystem hinders collaboration and alignment because information sharing and objective analyses are constrained and context is not always aligned
A lack of focus on end-to-end processes and operational excellence.
A siloed, functionally compartmentalized approach (e.g., R&D versus operations and clinical trials) has led to inflexible and inefficient global operations, processes, facilities and infrastructures.
inadequate visibility, transparency and trust across the healthcare ecosystem hinders collaboration and alignment because information sharing and objective analyses are constrained and context is not always aligned
Consider the case of Merck, former manufacturer of the Claritin allergy medication. Using Big Data capabilities, Merck was able to analyze specialized weather forecasts to predict when allergens were likely to be especially prevalent. It then shared this weather intelligence with Wal-Mart to correlate it to customer behavior by US ZIP code. The analysis was augmented by social media comments about allergies within patient communities. The result was better availability of Claritin at stores near those ZIP codes just when allergy sufferers needed it most.1 It also led to a significant decrease in inventory and working capital costs.
Invest wisely in the collection of critical data, and integration with partners, suppliers and customers to collaborate and plan more effectively.
Proactive, end-to-end visibility to order information, market demand fluctuations, critical events and shortages product launches, service levels, and specific market regulations.
Build the analytics capabilities to discover insights through the application of digital solutions that capture and assimilate this information in real time.
Establish more flexible operating models and making smart decisions on how to partner and who to partner with.
Manage product availability and execute sufficiency planning to ensure appropriate leverage of network capacity and product availability.
Supply strategies must be evaluated in the context of demand and market trends to ensure that the right capabilities are built in the product supply network that ensure reliable and compliant supply of materials from the manufacturing and operations process.
Risk management and market strategies should include an appropriate level of redundancy and supplier interchangeability based on capabilities required.
Inbound and outbound transportation and materials management processes should then be architected to ensure materials and products are in the right place at the right time and can be tracked for product safety and compliance.
For example, a major pharmaceutical firm leveraged a service provider’s offering, and loaded multiple tiers of suppliers in its global network into the provider’s collaborative application. Using the application to monitor tier supply network operations, this life sciences brand owner was able to see in near-real time exception events at two Tier 2 suppliers. The company notified the affected Tier 1 suppliers, who weren’t yet aware of the disruptions, to initiate risk mitigations and help accelerate time to recovery.
At the core of the supply chain enablement strategy is an enterprise architecture of traditional and cloud-based applications and processes that provides the foundation for integrated end-to-end visibility, analytics and execution processes.
Effectively designing and deploying a patient-centric value network begins with an analysis of the insights and data required to understand the demand characteristics of each product and segment.
This enterprise architecture, the digital value network, includes the existing IT infrastructure and data, applications, and an integrated cloud –based communication and analytics platform.
Today, most companies and solution providers see supply chain control towers as primarily a technology-enabled visibility play. In contrast, Accenture views control towers as overarching supply chain visibility and analytics networks with a broader mandate for high-value shared and managed services opportunities and orchestrated processes that enable patient-driven capabilities and optimize business value.
Building a patient-centric value network requires thinking about a set of factors and enablers that differ from those in traditional supply chain planning and execution:
• Connecting market insights and patient outcomes back to commercial and financial processes.
• Connecting commercial and financial processes through integrated business planning, into the supply planning network including contract manufacturers, suppliers and contract research.
• Planning for digitization and for the Internet of Things, where many devices, processes and assets can be connected into the digital value network for analytics purposes.
• Upgrading skills, talent and organization structure based on the state of process maturity of the evolving, end-to-end supply chain.
• Managing the significant organizational changes involved to ensure take-up of new processes and new ways of working.