Streamlining the healthcare supply line
Logistics can be a very precise business – and nowhere more so than in healthcare. Asker Healthcare Group is a key player in making a positive difference in the European healthcare ecosystem by providing safe and high-quality medical supplies, devices, and equipment. DSV is a strategic partner of Asker Healthcare Group. In Finland, DSV cooperates with Asker's daughter company OneMed.
21.5.2024
The article was originally published in Finnish in Cargo magazine 1/2024. Photos: Sirpa Levonperä.
Consisting of more than 40 companies in 14 countries and 3,500 employees, Asker Healthcare Group’s services and products reach tens of thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals who meet millions of patients across Europe annually. Logistically speaking, this is a vast puzzle, says Peter Nilsson, Business Area Director, North, at Asker Group.
“More and more, we use things such as automated picking, IT systems and robots to optimize our supply line management,” says Nilsson who got his start in logistics already back in 1993.
According to Nilsson, it all starts and ends with advanced planning systems which deploy AI and Big Data to make accurate predictions for future product flow.
“We use Anaplan for our long-term forecast, drawing info from sales statistics and from our tender team. For more short-term planning, we have our S&OP process,” he explains.
Transparency wins the day
In addition to Anaplan and S&OP, increasing transparency is always a must-win-battle at Asker logistics. “We must gather data and make it available to all who need it to track performance,” he says, admitting that this is no small feat when performed on the European scale.
Asker has also set up a Center of Excellence for supply chain in order to cope with the changing times. “The Center of Excellence helps us keep grounded and develop and spread best practices,” he explains. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) related topics are also Askers top priority. Close cooperation with partners has been done throughout the supply chain to reduce emissions and change to more environment friendly energy sources. As an example, DSV’s warehouse in Vantaa is fully CO2 neutral.
Then there is the daily cooperation in different parts of the supply chain – working together with partners to hone the process. DSV is a “go-to” strategic partner for Asker, with a wealth of logistical experience for the Group to draw from, says Nilsson.
“With DSV Finland, we’ve had good experiences on how to boost our performance even further.”
Perfecting the delivery
Nilsson talks about a joint project with DSV Finland, launched in autumn 2022, which targeted enhancing the capabilities of the supply chain. The starting point was demanding enough: Asker has achieved and maintains a high level of In-Full orders, meaning that the Group can deliver according to customers’ needs.
“Our In-Full Order rate is 98%, while we aim for 99%,” Nilsson explains. “Making sure that the customer always receives the product is something we take pride in.”
With help from DSV professionals, Asker was able to finetune some of its planning parameters and squeeze extra efficiency from the system. “The insights we gained from the project were valuable. It was a very successful collaboration,” Nilsson says.
Satu Luukkonen, Supply Chain Manager for Asker's daughter company OneMed, agrees that cooperation with DSV has been very beneficial. The co-operation started in 2014 and today the operations are carried out at DSV’s Trukkikuja warehouse where the healthcare requirements have been implemented including special areas designed for installations and testing.
“Both OneMed and DSV share the same view on the customer relationship which means providing quality service throughout the supply chain.”
Find the right mix
In Luukkonen’s mind, minimizing partial optimization and improving transparency of processes go a long way to guarantee great logistics. Add to the picture, continuous measurement, and development with a steady eye on Key Performance Indicators.
Toni Palmumaa from DSV Solutions and Satu Luukkonen from OneMed.
Find the right mix
In Luukkonen’s mind, minimizing partial optimization and improving transparency of processes go a long way to guarantee great logistics. Add to the picture, continuous measurement, and development with a steady eye on Key Performance Indicators.
“To achieve all this, we need capable resources, both technology and people, and seamless cooperation with selected partners which share the same passion to serve OneMed’s customers with as high standard as we do in OneMed,” she says.
Luukkonen mentions cutting-edge ICT tools as key difference-maker: they bring flexibility to markets by allowing OneMed to supply reliably even when there is volatility in the global supply chain.
“As OneMed continues to grow more than the market, we count on our supply chain to perform – and rely on DSV as an important part of that chain.”
Targeting excellence every day
Toni Palmumaa, Sales Director of DSV Solutions Finland, confirms that the ambition level is sky-high – as it must be.
“Healthcare is a very complex sector from a storage viewpoint and OneMed’s business area is challenging even within that sector,” Palmumaa says.
OneMed has trained the DSV crew for the industry do’s and don’ts: in healthcare, correct room temperature, moisture levels and particle-free environment can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. “The regulations in the sector are very strict by themselves, so there is constant need for education and training,” Palmumaa says.
According to Palmumaa, the best way to tackle any and all problems that may arise is seamless collaboration. “We have engaged in very close cooperation from the beginning and are always eager to improve.”
By this Palmumaa means, for instance, trimming operations for such things as overlap and redundancy. “We don’t want to over-service the customer. We have the operative models and frequencies in place that make sure we meet the customer need accurately,” he explains.
Lue artikkelin alkuperäinen suomenkielinen versio Cargo-lehdestä 1/2024
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