Proactive and reactive supply chain strategies for risk mitigation

The pandemic has forever changed the way our industry evaluates material supply risks. In this presentation, we share two case studies of proactive and reactive supply risk mitigation efforts. Proactive: Pre-pandemic, in early 2019, we had the opportunity to perform supplier selection for a new single-use facility. The team’s remit for assembly design: modular and able to be dual sourced. This remit reflected the facility’s plan to be flexible and supplier agnostic. Using the three-legged stool model, the team vetted suppliers based on their strengths in procurement, quality and technology. The suppliers were scored based on this cross function criteria: Strategic Business Continuity Operational Delivery Average Lead Time From RFP Quality and Regulatory Compliance Global Supplier/ Ability to Manufacture at \u3e1 Site Modular designs Control over sub-components This process enabled us to understand the cost of a strong supplier and partner, as opposed to the traditional RFP model of selecting the lowest cost supplier. Using this cross-functional, proactive approach to design and supplier selection, the team benefited from the selection of strong suppliers and designs that had identified alternate sources. Reactive: Pre-pandemic, the idea of using expired materials in a GMP process seemed outlandish. As the reality of the supply crisis set it, our team encountered a scenario where needed material would expire prior to the planned run, and additional materials would not be delivered in time. By partnering with our supplier, we were able to develop a joint justification for shelf-life extension of the single-use assembly. This strategy has evolved into a report which can be leveraged across our internal network to extend shelf-life of single-use assemblies. The key takeaway, we must continue to think outside of the box as an industry and innovate new strategies for supply risk mitigation, by proactively planning and being flexible enough to react to new scenarios