How BD Biosciences is tackling supply chain disruption to continue serving researchers and patients

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The pandemic has disrupted just about every aspect of the global supply chain. From potatoes to microchips, the world has run short of a great many products. 

In the biomedical sector, where supply shortages can affect research, treatment and patient outcomes, the stakes are especially high.

BD Biosciences, a business unit of BD and one of the largest medical technology companies in the world, provides innovative tools for researchers and clinicians that drive a deeper understanding of the human immune system to fight diseases like HIV and cancer. Their products, including flow cytometers and reagents, are essential to patients and researchers and rely heavily on the global supply chain.

Ways supply chain disruption affected business

“We’re empowering scientists around the world to unlock the next generation of treatment and improve the lives of millions, partnering in immunology, immuno-oncology and beyond. When our products are delayed, it could impact breakthrough research around life-threatening diseases, institutions potentially losing grants, and delayed patient outcomes,” said Puneet Sarin, Worldwide President of BD Biosciences. “When the pandemic began, our teams knew how serious the problem was and knew we had to closely monitor and understand the challenges.”

Like in many industries, these challenges included supply shortages, overloaded transportation networks, and the imbalance of containers between Western and Eastern Hemispheres. The semiconductor crisis in particular was an issue. Greater demand combined with factory shutdowns created a shortage that could directly affect flow cytometer production. Lastly, being in a highly regulated industry, changes would not happen overnight. There were validation, testing and registration implications, among others, that had to be considered in any plan.

Devising a strategic response built for resiliency

After understanding the challenges, BD Biosciences implemented several key strategies to tackle supply chain disruption head on and strengthen the company’s operations for the future.

“The pandemic actually accelerated programs we had already identified over the years. Since some of that thinking had already been done, it helped us spring into action faster,” said Juan Pablo Solis, VP of Global Operations at BD Biosciences. “Together we narrowed in on several key strategies, practices and programs to overcome the supply chain disruption.”

  •         Dual sourcing: The team further diversified their supply chain so they were not overly dependent on a few suppliers. For example, some key components and chemicals could be produced in Asia, Mexico and the US. By broadening their program to be more conscious of the entire supply ecosystem, they increased efficiency, flexibility and scalability.
  •         Relationships: The pandemic highlighted the need for deeper relationships with suppliers, not only transactional ones. As head of operations, Juan Pablo became more in touch with suppliers than at any point earlier. He even helped make some suppliers, who worked across industries, become essential businesses through trade associations and government relations.
  •         End-to-end visibility with better forecast accuracy: Robust communication and SOP planning was critical. BD Biosciences’ commercial teams engaged with customers to achieve more accurate demand assessment. This helped the team prioritize which regions should receive available products first. The business has also launched an ecommerce digital tool for quoting and ordering process that continues to provide increased visibility into future demand.
  •         Quality: Despite the urgency, leadership made it clear from the start: never jeopardize quality.  Because any changes had to adhere to testing, validation, registration, they committed to a very rigorous process. If tradeoffs had to be made, quality would always be protected.
  •         Team engagement: Everything was made possible through team engagement. The team understood what was at stake and the role they played in healthcare. They went the extra mile to ensure researchers and patients received what they needed, when they needed it.

Looking ahead to the future

As Puneet and Juan Pablo highlighted, the changes implemented during the pandemic will need to continue into the future. As one example, their teams adopted a disruptive technology, 3D printing, to resume production of a particular mechanical component. The company is now exploring it for more regular use, and continues to look for ways to embrace innovation and new solutions.

The pandemic and its effects on the supply chain are far from over. To continue serving patients and the scientific community, companies like BD Biosciences will need to continue to learn and adapt.