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Pharmaceuticals supply chain management (SCM) requires special expertise to transport the medicinal products because of weird features of their demand, supply and sensitivity towards quality. The purpose of this study is to establish the linkage of pharmaceutical quality system requirements with the SCM principles. The study enables the collaborative approach of technical, transport, logistics and supply chain teams within the pharmaceutical industry.

The methodology followed for this study is literature review and survey. The study is supplemented with data obtained through the structured questionnaire.

Through this study, an exclusive perspective for pharmaceutical good transportation practice (GTP) has been propagated in alignment with seven principles of SCM by Anderson. This study offers guidance to pharmaceutical industry for transportation of products by conceptualizing basic supply chain features such as segmentation, customization of requirement, market signals, differentiation, technology orientation and channel spanning performance.

Here is limited information available about the transportation failures in the pharmaceutical industry. Application of supply chain principles to pharmaceutical transportation is sometimes affected by technical knowledge bias of the researcher.

The study has successfully expounded the practical aspects of pharmaceutical GTP for supply chain professionals.

The study facilitates the patients and pharmaceutical consumers to get quality products in a timely manner across the globe.

The application of SCM principles to the pharmaceutical GTP is the result of novel research and has not been studied earlier.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical distribution practices of agile supply chains and provide a comprehensive framework that can be used to improve the responsiveness of supply chains. The research is carried out in the context of different manufacturing industries and provides empirical evidence that agile supply chain distribution enhances organisational performance.

The paper employed survey research, using a sample of 128 manufacturing companies.

The paper explores the critical distribution practices of supply chains that make supply chains agile. Collaborative distribution, order commitment, distribution flexibility and inventory management are the key SCM distribution practices associated with agile supply chains, and have significant impact on organisational performance.

Data were collected from a single node/respondent of a supply chain. Further research could be carried out using mutiple node data of each supply chain to make the research more meaningful and generalisable.

The findings may be used to gauge the competitive capabilities of SCM distribution and to guide organisations to measure and improve supply chain responsiveness and organisational performance.

The paper provides evidence regarding the impact of the critical distribution practices of agile supply chains on performnace.

The purpose of this study is to analyze reported good institutional responsible research and innovation (RRI) practices from an organizational and learning perspective to discuss the usefulness of RRI as a broad umbrella concept.

This study connects neo-institutional and translation accounts of diffusion to different modes of learning and discusses reported best practices from 12 reports, including in total 23 organizations in the research system worldwide, in light of this theoretical framework. This study categorizes the good practices identified in the reports and discusses how the nature of the practices influences the potential learning from them. The authors then apply the results from the discussion of this study to current policy developments on RRI.

The two most often mentioned good practices overall are organizational policies and the establishment of organizational units, but the type of good practices recommended differs across the various aspects of the RRI umbrella concept. This diversity within the RRI construct is a practical argument against the effectiveness of RRI as an umbrella concept.

This study is novel in the fact that the authors, building on Wæraas (2020), systematically relate types of good practice to neo-institutional theory and translation perspectives explicitly combined with learning approaches and apply this approach in the field of research organizations. The policy implications from the empirical and theoretical analyses are novel and timely in these early phases of the EU funding framework programme Horizon Europe and can also be relevant for the increasingly important umbrella concept of Open Science.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the good practice (GxP) and standardised management system integration within total quality management (TQM) paradigm in pharmaceutical sector in Serbia. Also, the impact of all interested parties on quality management has been assessed.

The cross-sectional study was performed, including different stakeholders within the pharmaceutical sector in Serbia: manufacturers, distributors, big pharma representative offices, as well as national regulatory authority. A survey instrument was developed, consisted of 16 questions, which were organised into four groups: questions in relation to implementation of ISO 9001, implementation of good distribution practice/good manufacturing practice, integration of management systems, and impact on TQM and business excellence. Total number of participants was 121.

Standardised management systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001) support companies to improve business environment and management sustainability, but this survey indicated that it was ranked at the lower level then GxP, for pharmaceutical sector in Serbia. Although pharmaceutical companies has faced many challenges in recent years, the survey revealed high level of confidence in quality management systems, as well as the necessity of various management systems integration.

The perception of TQM by the experts in pharmaceutical companies and regulatory authority is wider than the common TQM definition. From pharmaceutical point of view, TQM is a holistic approach to long-term success of organisation, oriented to all interested parties, with focus on a public health. Risk-based approach in new revision of both ISO and GxP will facilitate integration process towards TQM and business excellence.

This study investigated the relationship between last-mile distribution or delivery (LMD) and commodity access through the mediating role of commodity availability and commodity security and the moderating effect of supply chain integration (SCI).

The study adopted the survey research design and employed the questionnaire instrument in collecting primary data from respondents in Eastern Regional Health Institutions in Ghana. The total number of valid responses received was 204. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was adopted to analyze the relationship between the study variables.

The findings showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between LMD and commodity availability as well as LMD and commodity security. Moreover, while the relationship between commodity availability and commodity access is positive and significant, that between commodity security and commodity access is positive but insignificant. Furthermore, there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between LMD and commodity access. The study discovered that the interaction between LMD and commodity access is insignificant and negatively affected by SCI.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have empirically verified the effect of LMD on commodity access in the presence of mediating factors such as commodity availability and commodity security and SCI as the moderating factors.

The application of lean thinking in the transportation industry provides opportunities to streamline operations with a value-added orientation. Prior literature shows evidence of limited application of lean thinking in the transportation operations of the pharmaceutical industry. This study aims to close this research gap by investigating the application of lean thinking for improving pharmaceutical transportation performance.

This study conducted an action research approach at an Indonesian pharmaceutical distribution company. One cycle in one year was analyzed; empirical data were collected and analyzed through direct observations, interviews and the study of company data and documentation.

The application of lean thinking in waste elimination allowed the delivered project to achieve a remarkable 40% reduction in overall transportation costs, 75% reduction in total lead time, 200% improvement in truck productivity and 100% improvement in truckload capacity utilization.

This study can guide the pharmaceutical industry toward achieving excellence in transportation operations through lean thinking implementation.

There has been limited research on this topic, and this study is the first attempt to generate new and significant evidence of a real-life application of lean thinking within the field of pharmaceutical transportation.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of the first ten years of the UK Government's “transport key performance indicator (KPI)” programme which benchmarks the efficiency of road freight operations.

Documentation on nine benchmarking surveys is reviewed and combined with direct experience of programme's implementation to assess the general approach, the synchronised auditing procedure used, the choice of KPIs and resulting benefits to stakeholders.

The programme illustrates how a benchmarking programme can become an instrument of government policy heightening awareness of best practice in freight transport and potential efficiency gains. It has been shown, across various industry supply chains, that similar distribution operations can have markedly different energy intensity. The programme has, nevertheless, been deficient in several respects. Too little attention has been given to the inter‐relationship with other logistical activities, the causes of observed differences in efficiency and subsequent changes in company behaviour.

Most of the benchmarking exercises have lacked follow‐up surveys to enquire about the costs and benefits of company participation. Such surveys should become an integral part of future transport KPI projects.

The UK Government has pioneered this form of transport benchmarking. Other governments and organisations can learn from its experience, particularly in dealing with the practical problems of recruiting companies, balancing government and industry requirements and ensuring consistency.

The government‐sponsored programme of freight transport benchmarking reviewed in this paper is unique. This is the first attempt to summarise its achievements and findings since its launch in 1997.

This study focuses to develop a common humanitarian supply chain process model (HSCPM) that enables effective enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for NGOs, and the study also investigates the role of modularity as a dynamic capability that supports creating such model.

A multifocus group study was performed as part of a larger project, the Frontline Humanitarian Logistics Initiative, aiming to establish a common data model that would serve as the backbone of humanitarian ERP systems. Fourteen international humanitarian organizations (IHOs) participated in the process, reaching a consensus on the structure of the process model.

An HSCPM was proposed based on the consensus reached across IHOs. Four degrees of customization differentiating between “generic,” “tailored,” “specific,” and “unique” processes are presented and discussed.

The findings show modularity applied to process as a mean to create dynamic efficiencies and position the modular process model within the dynamic capabilities framework, supporting supply chain responsiveness and expanding the literature on supply chain management (SCM), dynamic capabilities, and humanitarian logistics.

This research proposes a consensus-based data model, facilitating the advancement of ERP systems in the humanitarian context and lays a foundation for interoperability among ERP systems across diverse IHOs.

First attempt to elucidate the specific characteristics and unique processes defining an HSCPM, this study reached an unprecedented consensus for the humanitarian sector, setting the base toward an industry standard.

The purpose of this paper is to focuss on customer driven supply chains and what this means for the management of freight transport, a key process in the supply chain as it acts as a physical link between customers and suppliers. It aims to assess whether some of the new collaborative models for transport management are delivering better optimised solutions.

The paper is based on a multi‐dimensional methodological approach, which includes empirical, model building, opinion and archival evidence. Much of the thinking and findings in this paper have been derived from a series of quasi‐delphi discussion sessions with logistics industry experts from three sectors, steel, grocery and construction and experienced academics in the fields of logistics and supply chain management.

The paper sets out to argue that new innovative solutions are emerging for better transport optimisation, that exploit the competitive power of collaboration, both vertically with supply chain partners and horizontally with other logistics service providers (LSPs).

The research was largely focused on the road freight transport industry in the UK and Europe. However, it is felt that similar thinking can be deployed in other settings for alternative transport modes and other geographical regions. From an academic perspective the paper contributes to the notion that supply chain management as well as focussing on vertical coordination and process integration also needs to incorporate the potential considerable power of horizontal collaboration.

In particular it is original in that it highlights how important it is to combine vertical collaboration with horizontal collaboration if better optimised transport solutions are to be achieved. This is of considerable value and interest both to practitioner and academic communities.

This study focuses on identifying potential challengers affecting cold chain performance in the pharmaceutical industry. Considering the history of humanity, every pandemic experienced could only be controlled with the vaccine found. While the world is fighting the unforgettable epidemic called COVID-19, scientists are also working to find the therapeutic vaccine. The vaccines studied have different temperature storage and transport properties. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is necessary to know and analyse every step of the cold supply chain to provide the most appropriate and safe cooling level. In addition, it is important to understand the relationship between all the facilities, equipment, tools and materials needed to avoid mistakes along the chain.

Hence, this study focuses on identifying potential challengers affecting sustainable cold supply chain performance in the pharmaceutical industry and proposing a conceptual framework that involves these main challengers. In this study, firstly, different main and sub-factors are defined from the literature, and fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method is applied to analyse the causal link between these factors for an effective application.

Results showed that packaging, transportation and shipping, storage specifications and handling practices, inventory management, technical issues and delivery delay are the most affected factors during the sustainable cold supply chain performance in the pharmaceutical industry. This study offers both managerial implications and a roadmap that are designed with a holistic view to guide manufacturer, logistics parties and even policymakers.

Some of the studies related to the pharmaceutical industry are monitoring and controlling the temperature in the cold supply chain steps; the other part is the studies where the chain steps are examined with a focus on production or transportation. While these issues are the focus, the requirements and conditions of each stage of the supply chain must be studied for a safe, effective and sustainable cold chain beyond the current global pandemic crisis. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that highlights identifying the potential challengers that affect cold supply chain performance for the pharmaceutical industry both theoretically and empirically, solving the causal relationships among these challengers and designing a holistic framework.