Supply Chain Reliability During the Pandemic

The pandemic has held many important lessons for the medical technology sector, with a major one being the need for a high level of resilience when it comes to supply chains. Severe disruptions were, and continue to be, commonplace, and this situation is set to remain at least for the near future.
 
A recent piece from McKinsey outlines ongoing potential sources of disruption, including “force-majeure events (such as climate change or natural disasters), macroeconomic and political conditions (including trade-policy or regulatory changes), malicious actions (cybersecurity, intellectual-property theft), and counterparty issues (such as financially fragile suppliers).” Its associated research from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) highlighted that these events occur with a frequency that would surprise many — outlining that “on average, a shock lasting more than two months occurs every 3.7 years.”

Preparation is everything, and medical device manufacturers now have options to overcome challenges in areas such as packaging sourcing. In the field of medical devices new isn’t always better, but in the current climate and beyond it is imperative that producers open their minds to try new products. With supply chain issues creating a shortage of critical medical devices and raw materials, it’s also crucial that manufacturers do not risk creating a wider gap because their devices are not properly protected within their packaging.

Keeping Options Open

A case in point is heat sealant. CR27 has been the standard for years, and with good reason. This reliable, proven sealant is used by over 20 of the top 30 medical device technology firms, however, if manufacturers encounter a supply issue, there are now alternate solutions on the market. ACT2100, for example, is a high-performance heat seal coating that can help maintain packaging integrity, offering a higher seal strength than CR27 and applied using an air-knife coating process to ensure consistent application better than that of contact coating alone.
 
With heat-seal coatings, stringent quality control conditions are also essential, especially because they impact the package’s strength, and their porosity is vital for aggressive sterilization cycles. An added benefit to ACT2100 is that it has 50% greater porosity than similar coatings for fast sterilization. Further, it features a hygienic peel to avoid tearing or fibers being released, and it is non-contact drying to reduce the risk of contamination. A viable option for all types of medical packaging — including larger pack formats and heavier medical devices — ACT2100 is compatible with all medical-grade Tyvek® and reinforced paper, and its clean peel means that practitioners can immediately detect if the package has been compromised.

The Importance of Supplier Redundancy

In addition to being open to new products, another key element to supply chain security is to partner with manufacturers that have multiple production facility locations. Issues such as extreme weather or transportation backlogs, which are increasingly frequent, make this flexibility in terms of location ever more important. At the same time, knowing that a production partner has the redundancy in its manufacturing processes to ensure reliable supply under even the most extreme circumstances provides the peace of mind and business continuity that manufacturers need. Whether multiple locations are across North America, Europe, and/or Asia, suppliers with manufacturing redundancy can help overcome port back-ups and other pandemic-related transportation issues that are likely to continue into 2022.

Technology plays an important role as well. Medical device manufacturers can leverage technologies to track and trace products from multiple locations, as well as use powerful data analysis tools to predict inventory, helping manufacturers prepare for the next surprise. Because manufacturers require reliability in their supply of validated materials, it is crucial that any supplier anticipate ongoing supply issues and ensure multiple options for production and shipping.
 
Adopting a new product or working with a new supplier are not decisions to be taken lightly, but the medical device industry has seen major disruptions since the start of the pandemic. The time for a new approach is now, and the good news is that innovations haven’t stopped in our industry even with the pandemic and current supply chain issues. Producers that explore all their options will mitigate the risk of future disruptions and be able to provide the highest-quality solutions to their practitioners and end users.