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CASE STUDY
Life Sciences

Vaccine supply chain network facilitation

The pandemic and subsequent race for a vaccine required a game-changing new supply chain network at record speed. One biopharma delivered.

5-MINUTE READ

Call for change

Fast-track development to save lives

 

When the pandemic struck, developing and deploying effective and safe vaccines as quickly as possible was a top priority. Pharmaceutical companies mobilized to create, test and get vaccines out the door to millions of people rapidly and safely.

 

One leading biopharmaceutical company set out to be the first, rapidly developing a mRNA-based drug. Working in parallel they needed to scale up manufacturing and build a new supply chain network at record speed. As drug development progressed it became clear a game-changing new supply chain network was needed to enable lightspeed delivery and safe handling of a unique new cold chain drug.

When tech meets human ingenuity

Collaborating for the last mile

 

Accenture collaborated with the company’s global supply chain organization to translate product requirements, design and enable a new direct logistics cold chain model. We supported the design of the supply chain network required to get direct to point of distribution, including the Order to Cash processes which required engaging with the global and regional/market teams. Working directly with cold chain logistics experts to define packaging requirements, implement IOT temperature monitoring and put in place unique communication tools to help internal and external teams understand product handling requirements for safe distribution and usage.

 

In addition, we worked directly with the market teams on supply chain networks in-country readiness: identifying any risks prior to launch and any subsequent shipments into the market.

 

We also supported the design and launch of an expanded network of warehouses and DCs to support the storage and distribution of the vaccine given the volume and cold chain requirements. This was critical to support the scale of the vaccine distribution.

A valuable difference

Set up for ongoing achievement

 

The result was the successful delivery of billions of doses to more than 150 markets around the globe. This included 100s of millions delivered to middle- and lower-income countries made possible with the help of an extensive global partner ecosystem. 

 

By identifying current state bottlenecks, automation opportunities and continuous improvement opportunities, we’ve helped prepare the company for ongoing vaccine supply, new formulation launches and created a blueprint for rapid future mRNA product launches. The collaborations we’ve established globally across supply chain networks commercial, legal, and digital stakeholders are enabling the company to continue to develop and improve operations based on intelligent metrics we have implemented to provide ongoing performance visibility end-to-end, accelerating knowledge and decision-making. 

Life sciences

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Supply chain & operations for life sciences

Delivering end-to-end supply chain strategy and transformation