Supply Chain and Logistics
FedEx Innovative Solutions for the Pharmaceutical Industry
FedEx Corporation was founded on 18th June 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee, as a courier delivery services company. The company offers various logistics and delivery services via its national delivery and pick-up network. I count myself lucky to have worked for this company for nearly two years now. During this time, I have come to appreciate FedEx's attachment to its core values of placing customers' needs at the heart of its operations. The core value of FedEx is best summarised by the Purple Promise which requires that all the company’s employees ensure that every FedEx experience remains outstanding (FedEx, n.d.). This also demands that all FedEx employees work with integrity, embrace innovation in serving customers with confidence and respect, and remain socially responsible to the communities and the environment (FeEx., n.d.). I have had the privilege of working as a logistics supervisor under the Speciality Services division, which includes dealing with high-end pharmaceutical products.
In a bid to remain competitive in the cut-throat logistics business, the company has had to embrace innovations and advances in technology. One such innovations involve designing of innovative solutions for the shipment of pharmaceuticals. This is geared towards fulfilling the expanding and evolving needs of the pharmaceutical industry, including providing 24-hour security and monitoring of temperature-sensitive and high-value pharmaceutical products such as biomaterials and clinical samples (Pharmaceutical Technology 2017). In this way, FedEx hopes to cultivate a niche for itself in the market by meeting the special and diverse needs of various pharmaceutical professionals. Through its insights into and improved visibility of the supply chain, FedEx enables its clients from the pharmaceutical industry to get information on the environmental conditions of their shipments in real time, including temperature, exposure to light, and location.
At the Speciality Services division, we take innovations very seriously as customers are counting on us to ensure that their sensitive products are shipped in predictable and stable temperatures up to the point of pick-up. This is very important to avoid overheating or freezing of shipments. We mainly ship bulk drugs in CRT (Controlled Room Temperatures) of between 15°C and25°C. Most of our customers are distributors and manufacturers of generic drugs who do not wish to incur the extra cost of utilizing specialized containers or costly temperature-controlled packaging as this would drive up the cost of drugs. Consequently, they require that their bulk drug consignments are shipped in mild temperature conditions all through the transport chain up to their final destinations (Matlis, 2012).
The innovative solution to the shipment of pharmaceuticals dubbed a blanket solution, was born out of a need by FedEx to enable one of its large U.S.-based pharmaceutical firm clients to transport its generic products to India without incurring product spoilage which happens too frequently when temperatures would fluctuate en-route to India. The company had to even lease temperature-controlled containers to aid in shipment but would still incur huge losses. The company thus approached FedEx in search of an economical and reliable solution to the problem so that its products could be transported under temperature-controlled conditions. FedEx, in partnership with AmSafe, developed a thermal blanket that protected the generic drugs against extreme weather and temperature conditions (Pharmaceutical Online 2017). This innovation, coupled with 24-hour monitoring of the shipment by a dedicated network of staff, ensures that the time-sensitive products arrive at their destinations safely and as required. Moving forward, such innovative solutions could offer FedEx the competitive advantage needed to stay ahead of the pack.
References
FedEx (n.d.). Purple Promise.
Matlis, D.R. (2012). Blog: FedEx Offers Blankets To Keep Pharma Clients Cool.
Pharmaceutical Online (2017). A Blanket Solution For Temperature-Sensitive Shipments.
Pharmaceutical Technology (2017). Logistics and Temperature-Sensitive Solutions for
Pharmaceutical Shipments.
