The COVID-19 pandemic put medtech contract manufacturers, OEMs, distributors and healthcare providers in situations for which they were unprepared, particularly with their supply chains. What they learned will undoubtedly help them all going forward, especially if the world faces a second wave or another novel virus.

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.”

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