has become more focused on the
pharmaceutical supply chain,
whether it be the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Food and Drug
Administration, or various state-level agencies.
QDuring your tenure at McKesson, your group was
responsible for distribution of the
H1N1 swine flu vaccine. Was that the
biggest project you have undertaken?
AYes, I’d say it was. The limited amount of time we had to
bring up four distribution centers, get
systems in place, and prepare to distribute what turned out to
be 125 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine made it a real challenge. We had great experience in terms of mergers and acquisitions, and consolidation of distribution centers, so we had
some of the core skill sets in place, but in terms of the timeline and the number of people and functions involved, it really was probably a once-in-a-career kind of an event.
How much time did you have to turn that project
around?
AFrom the time that we were officially notified until the
time we had to be ready for the first
dose was about eight and a half
weeks.
QYou recently launched an effort to transform your supply chain. Can you tell us what that’s
all about?
AWe are in the middle of what we are calling a re-engineer-ing of our supply chain, where we
are implementing new technologies, building new facilities, and
incorporating new levels of automation inside some of
these new, larger distribution centers. We are really trying
to drive some additional throughput along with gains in
efficiencies.
We have also done some work looking up and down our
supply chain to find areas where we can continue to influence both the manufacturer and the supplier side, as well as
the customer side to build in some efficiencies.
It’s really caused us to think a little more broadly about
the supply chain than a traditional wholesaler might.
ey run with us FORTNA mand for ASICS America’s athletic shoes and apparel 0%, company leadership wanted to capitalize on the momentum. Fortna mapped out a growth strategy, luded the design and implementation of a 520,000 sq ft on facility. The result: ASICS quickly doubled its on capacity and kept its financial growth racing ahead.
has the broad perspective we need to develop
rehensive business case. And they have the people,
lities and sense of ownership necessary to deliver
ults. They’re unique in the industry and invaluable
success.”
– Gary Jordan, VP of Operations, Chief Supply Chain Officer
To learn how we drive results for clients like ASICS America, check out more stories at www.fortna.com.
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