The future of the pharma logistics sector will be characterised by solutions that are software driven rather than hardware driven. In this article, with insights from Amy Shortman, Founder and CEO of ASC Associates Ltd we will explore how the latest technologies will affect the sector, including:
• How new technologies will bridge communication between all parties and stakeholders in the supply chain
• What real time and predictive software systems mean for temperature excursion management
• How IoT and blockchain will shape a touchless, wireless, and secure logistics operation offering an ‘immutable level of traceability’ for products
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ASC will be presenting this year at TCL 2018, we look forward to seeing you there.
Supply Chain Efficiencies & New Technologies
January28th-31st2019
London,UnitedKingdom
Supply
ChainEfficiency
And
NewTechnologies
ExpertinsightfromAmyShortman
FounderandCEOofASCAssociatesLtd
Supply
ChainEfficiency
AndNew
Technology
AmyShortmanFounderandCEOofASCAssociatesLtd
RetroactiveLogistics:AThingofthePast…
IoTandblockchainwillenable
proactiveshipmentmanagement.Nolongerwillpractitionersberestrictedtopost-shipmentforanalysisandexcursionmanagement,increasingthesector’sabilitytomitigaterisktotheproductandthepatient.
Thefutureofthesectorwillbecharacterisedbysolutionsthataresoftwaredrivenrather
thanhardwaredriven.Thebenefitofthisisthatlogisticsservicesandshipperswillnolongerbetieddowntoasingledevice,orgroupofdevicesthathaverestrictedconnectivity.
Adevice-agnosticsoftwaresystemthat
canswitchtothelatesttechnology,whichwillputtheshipperinamuchmoreflexiblepositionintermsoftheirpurchasingability.Itwillalsoensurethatthesectorcanmaintainfluidityand
adapttonewertechnologiesfareasierthanever
before.
1
Pharma4.0,InternetofThings
Formanyyears,thetemperaturecontrolledlogisticssectorsufferedfromtechnologystagnation.Isthisstillthecase?
“Clientscannowseewheretheirproductisinreal
time.”
Whatdoesinnovationlooklike?
Justonthehorizonisawidearrayofsoftwaresolutionsthatwillmarkashiftfromretrospectiveinterventiontoreal-time
intervention.
“Thebenefitofthesenewtechnologiesisthatit’sgoingtobereal-timeandpredictive.Whenexcursionsoccur,oraprocessdoesn’toccurasitshould,youhavetheopportunitytofixtheissueinreal-time,asopposedtoretrospectiveanalysis,”saysShortman.
“Abigpartofthesenewsolutionsishowthedataspeakstoallinvolvedparties.”Thedatacanbepulledfromdevicesandsenttoindividualsandorganisationswithinthesupplychaintoprevent
incidents.Thiscanbeanythingfromdamagereports,totheft,andtemperatureexcursions.
“Thesectorisnowatthestagewherewe’rebeginningtomoveawayfromhardwaresolutionsintosoftwaresolutions,”saysShortman.
Indeed,thelogisticssectordoesrunarisktopatientsifsoftwareissluggishinadaptingtomeettheindustry’schanges.However,Shortmanhighlightsthatinnovationisaroundthecorner.Therearenowproductscomprisedofindependentsoftwarethatcanconnecttoanydevicetype-andthiskindoftechnologyisavailableacrossthefullrangeoftransportsolutions.
Betterstakeholdercollaboration
“Thesectorhascomealongway,”Shortmansays.Whileitstillisn’tperfect,implementinganewtypeofsoftwaretransportationmanagementsystemissignificantlyfasterandmoreefficientthanitwasadecadeago.”Whatisavailableonthemarketnowisalmostlikeplugandplay,withAPIlinkstobringinrelevantdata,thistechnologyishugelybeneficialfromapush-pullpointofview.We’reseeingthatthesesolutionscanbesetupincrediblyquickly,andonceit’supandrunning,it’sallaboutensuringthattheworkflowscorrectly.”
Indeed,newtechnologieswillbridgecommunicationbetweenallpartiesandstakeholders.InaTCLscenario,apharmaceuticalcompanycansendatextmessagetoadriver,thedrivercandownloadanapp,andthentakephotographsofthesealofatemperaturereadoutwhilecollectingthe
shipment.Thisinformationcanbeuploadedinrealtimeandcanbesharedwitheveryoneonthesystem,accordingtoShortman.
“Ifanairlinewasusingsimilartechnologywecangivethematabletortheycanhaveatabletdevicewheretheycanalsouploadanyrelevantchecklists,againinrealtime,sothatwe’recapturingthataudittrailofwhat’shappening,whenit’shappening,whoit’shappeningby.”
2
January28th-31st2019
London,UnitedKingdom
Supply
ChainEfficiency
And
NewTechnologies
ExpertinsightfromAmyShortman
FounderandCEOofASCAssociatesLtd
Supply
ChainEfficiency
AndNew
Technology
AmyShortmanFounderandCEOofASCAssociatesLtd
RetroactiveLogistics:AThingofthePast…
IoTandblockchainwillenable
proactiveshipmentmanagement.Nolongerwillpractitionersberestrictedtopost-shipmentforanalysisandexcursionmanagement,increasingthesector’sabilitytomitigaterisktotheproductandthepatient.
Thefutureofthesectorwillbecharacterisedbysolutionsthataresoftwaredrivenrather
thanhardwaredriven.Thebenefitofthisisthatlogisticsservicesandshipperswillnolongerbetieddowntoasingledevice,orgroupofdevicesthathaverestrictedconnectivity.
Adevice-agnosticsoftwaresystemthat
canswitchtothelatesttechnology,whichwillputtheshipperinamuchmoreflexiblepositionintermsoftheirpurchasingability.Itwillalsoensurethatthesectorcanmaintainfluidityand
adapttonewertechnologiesfareasierthanever
before.
1
Pharma4.0,InternetofThings
Formanyyears,thetemperaturecontrolledlogisticssectorsufferedfromtechnologystagnation.Isthisstillthecase?
“Clientscannowseewheretheirproductisinreal
time.”
Whatdoesinnovationlooklike?
Justonthehorizonisawidearrayofsoftwaresolutionsthatwillmarkashiftfromretrospectiveinterventiontoreal-time
intervention.
“Thebenefitofthesenewtechnologiesisthatit’sgoingtobereal-timeandpredictive.Whenexcursionsoccur,oraprocessdoesn’toccurasitshould,youhavetheopportunitytofixtheissueinreal-time,asopposedtoretrospectiveanalysis,”saysShortman.
“Abigpartofthesenewsolutionsishowthedataspeakstoallinvolvedparties.”Thedatacanbepulledfromdevicesandsenttoindividualsandorganisationswithinthesupplychaintoprevent
incidents.Thiscanbeanythingfromdamagereports,totheft,andtemperatureexcursions.
“Thesectorisnowatthestagewherewe’rebeginningtomoveawayfromhardwaresolutionsintosoftwaresolutions,”saysShortman.
Indeed,thelogisticssectordoesrunarisktopatientsifsoftwareissluggishinadaptingtomeettheindustry’schanges.However,Shortmanhighlightsthatinnovationisaroundthecorner.Therearenowproductscomprisedofindependentsoftwarethatcanconnecttoanydevicetype-andthiskindoftechnologyisavailableacrossthefullrangeoftransportsolutions.
Betterstakeholdercollaboration
“Thesectorhascomealongway,”Shortmansays.Whileitstillisn’tperfect,implementinganewtypeofsoftwaretransportationmanagementsystemissignificantlyfasterandmoreefficientthanitwasadecadeago.”Whatisavailableonthemarketnowisalmostlikeplugandplay,withAPIlinkstobringinrelevantdata,thistechnologyishugelybeneficialfromapush-pullpointofview.We’reseeingthatthesesolutionscanbesetupincrediblyquickly,andonceit’supandrunning,it’sallaboutensuringthattheworkflowscorrectly.”
Indeed,newtechnologieswillbridgecommunicationbetweenallpartiesandstakeholders.InaTCLscenario,apharmaceuticalcompanycansendatextmessagetoadriver,thedrivercandownloadanapp,andthentakephotographsofthesealofatemperaturereadoutwhilecollectingthe
shipment.Thisinformationcanbeuploadedinrealtimeandcanbesharedwitheveryoneonthesystem,accordingtoShortman.
“Ifanairlinewasusingsimilartechnologywecangivethematabletortheycanhaveatabletdevicewheretheycanalsouploadanyrelevantchecklists,againinrealtime,sothatwe’recapturingthataudittrailofwhat’shappening,whenit’shappening,whoit’shappeningby.”
2