4. Logistics company King Solutions, Dayton, Minn.
King Solutions couldn’t have known a pandemic was on the way when it opened a 100,000-ft2 , temperature-controlled warehouse largely dedicated to medical supplies about a year ago.
The company gained Good Manufacturing Practices certification to boost its attractiveness to medical customers, and aims to provide comprehensive services to them, from guidance on inventory control to order and shipment tracking and transportation management. The offerings could include logistics services as well, according to CEO Mike Patterson.
King Solutions executives learned about the frustration of global sourcing during the pandemic, as well as the importance of the supply chain to medical customers.
“There are all these frustrating points along the supply chain,” Patterson said. “It was interesting to learn about all those pressure points.”
The company already has one system in place to help during the next pandemic. It includes a tracking device with each shipment sent within North America. “Every 10 minutes, we know where that product is, domestically,” Patterson said.