DKSH Thailand leverages innovative healthcare technology and adopts a patient-centric approach to overcome challenges in medical device delivery, ensuring timely and efficient supply chain management that benefits patients.
DKSH Thailand is one of the largest organizations in the market in terms of sales, employing over 7,500 specialists. In healthcare, we are dedicated to improving the lives of patients through providing access to high-quality healthcare and ensuring an end-to-end patient journey. We are a partner of choice in collaborating in innovative partnerships between pharmaceutical companies, public authorities, and healthcare providers to deliver sustained growth and enrich people’s lives.
Challenge
Ensuring the timely and efficient delivery of medical devices to hospitals and healthcare providers has been a significant challenge due to the complexities of the healthcare supply chain in the market.
The criticality of timely medical device delivery to hospitals and healthcare providers is substantiated by numerous studies and reports. Research published in the Journal of Patient Safety and the New England Journal of Medicine highlights how device availability directly impacts patient care and safety, with delays potentially leading to adverse outcomes. Furthermore, studies in supply chain management journals indicate that efficient medical device delivery can significantly reduce operational costs in healthcare settings by up to 40%.
Approach
DKSH’s Healthcare Supply Chain Management team utilized various technologies in the supply chain, including Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and Machine Vision System (MVS), to ensure product quality before delivery to hospitals.
With MVS solutions, they transitioned from a one-by-one product checking system to a single capture system using industrial cameras and artificial intelligence to process information. They also implemented a Transportation Management System to optimize the delivery process and adapted their network processes for greater efficiency.
Result
Through the adopted strategic improvements, Thailand's medical device delivery networks have reduced complaints by nearly 13% compared to 2022. This has coincided with a significant increase in efficiency. Notably, these achievements have been accomplished alongside a robust 31% growth in net sales.
Furthermore, this project has improved the lives of patients by providing access to high-quality healthcare and ensuring a seamless end-to-end patient journey.