Research with medical device supply chain leaders uncovered that their top challenges are cost control, supply chain efficiency, patient safety, and customer collaboration. They are striving to cut costs while making their supply chains more flexible and value-added through holistic management, inventory optimization, and data standardization. Supply chain directors highlighted the need to closely understand customer requirements and collaborate with customers, hospitals, software providers, logistics companies, and consultants to streamline operations and improve products, lead times, and prices in order to remain competitive. These supply chain leaders will gather in October to share challenges and ideas to advance their supply chains.

1. LogiMed Press Release / Article
New Research Uncovers Latest Medical Device Supply Chain key challenges
London – 12.7.12
Research conducted over the last six months with medical device supply chain VPs and directors
shows that Cost Control, Supply Chain Efficiency, Patient Safety and Customer Collaboration are the
most pressing challenges and goals for Europe’s top 10 medical device manufacturers.
In interviews carried out with supply chain directors from Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Johnson &
Johnson, GE Healthcare, CareFusion and more showed that they were keen to share their objectives
and inhibitors. They are striving to deliver operational excellence through cutting costs and
maximising efficiency, achieving inventory optimisation and reducing risk, improve KPI management,
and adopting data standards to deliver bottom-line benefits. Most supply chain VPs are under
pressure to cut costs but to also create a truly flexible, value added, end-to-end supply chain.
How are they planning to do this? Several supply chain directors highlighted the need to approach
the end-to-end supply chain in a holistic fashion, working closely on inventory management and,
most importantly, understanding the customer requirements and working with them.
In order to do this medical device supply chain VPs and directors are looking to collaborate with both
hospitals and service providers. They told researchers that collaboration to improve products, lead
times and price is imperative if they are to remain competitive and in line with their customer’s
requirements. Much of the work that needs to be done requires help from software providers (for
example inventory management), 3PLs (mainly reducing lead times) and consultants (streamlining
the supply chain).
In October, supply chain VPs and Directors from Europe’s top 20 medical device manufacturers will
gather in Brussels to learn more about each others challenges and share ideas to move their supply
chains forward. Interestingly PWC and McKinsey who have recently conducted surveys and detailed
research across the medical device supply chain will share their findings with them. Together with
the service providers, these medical device supply chain leaders plan to advance their operations
and make direct impact their businesses bottom line.
The meeting mentioned above is the LogiMed conference and exhibition taking place at Hotel Le
Plaza, Brussels on October 9th – 11th. For more details, contact the organisers at logimed@wbr.co.uk
or visit www.logimedeurope.com