
[Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash]
Here are some supply chain lessons learned by Nonin Medical, a small manufacturer of a critical device for COVID-19 patients; 3M, a major manufacturer of respirators for frontline workers; an administrator for CentraCare, a central Minnesota health system administrator; and logistics company King Solutions, which recently entered the medical supply business. They participated in a webinar hosted Wednesday by Minnesota’s Medical Alley Association trade group.
“Every element of an organization’s operations was impacted by COVID-19, and the value of partnerships and relationships, more than anything, helped essential organizations to find a way to meet demands that spiked beyond what could have been planned for,” said Medical Alley CEO Shaye Mandle after the webinar. “There are silver linings, there are lessons learned — every company is re-evaluating its supply chain and relationships to improve capabilities to serve customers. There is an opportunity for companies to engage each other, with increased visibility, to solve challenges more collectively.”