Category: Supply Chain Management

The Red Sea, a major sea route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf, and East Asia, is facing increased attacks by Houthi insurgents in Yemen since mid-November 2023. The US has announced a maritime coalition to defend shipping in the area. The Eastern shore includes Saudi Arabia and Yemen, while the Western shore includes Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Maersk has halted all transits through the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden until further notice, while Hapag-Lloyd has extended its rerouting around Africa. CMA CGM has announced rate increases from Asia to North Europe, and carriers are redirecting Asia to US East Coast services via Panama.

Existing amenities not enough to store, deliver large volume of vaccines within a short time, say experts The governments are considering banking on the existing cold chain for storing, transporting and distributing coronavirus vaccines while some professionals say the main challenge will be to manage such a large volume with the existing capacity. On November 5,2020 the Bangladesh government signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Serum Institute of India and Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd to get three crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines from Serum, keeping in mind the existing cold chain. In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines being developed may need ultra-cold storage and transportation temperatures as cold as −70 °C (−94 °F), requiring what has been referred to as a “colder chain” infrastructure. Disruption of a cold chain due to war may produce consequences similar to the smallpox outbreaks in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War, during which the distributed vaccines were inert due to lack of temperature control in transport. There are no uniform global practices to follow, customs, legal, and compliance issues, effects on the environment, supplier-related risks, issues with cold chain delivery — packaging, hardware issues, vehicle breakdown, etc. Besides the usual elements of risk that plague normal supply chains, cold chain logistics has its own exclusive set of problems such as product sensitivity, the increasing cost of freight, and growing regulatory hurdles.
Keywords: Cold Chain, Supply chain management, Vaccines, food.

Decreasing the amount of packaging a firm is using can reduce waste and increase positive public perception of your organization. Ideally, a supply chain will be conscious of the cost-cutting importance of recycled materials. Taking an audit of packaging can reveal ways to “cut the fat” and make the packaging a lean machine that helps to keep the workflow moving along nicely. Many things happen in the supply chain that is hard to control. Technology in the warehouse, in transportation for inventory, and more is incredibly important but there are other smaller, less expensive steps that some companies have been using that not only optimize the chain but also save money and improve public perception. Every supply chain executive has the duty of auditing the process to make changes where improvements are possible. This is a simple plan to integrate into the system with the right packaging option. A common mistake that we find in many supply chains is the tendency to overpack goods for shipping and storage. The goal is to use packaging that delivers flexible options i.e., easy to manage, easy to store, does not generate waste and delivers the best value. When our supply chain is using packaging that the supply chain cannot reuse, we are essentially throwing good money after bad. According to statistics, there were over 35.4 million tons of paper and cardboard generated in 2016 and (16.3 million tons for each of these waste materials in 2016 and that was just in the EU! In the United States, packaging waste is around 77 million tons just in cardboard packaging waste. Even supply professionals who are not well-versed in packaging will understand the importance of using packaging that enhances workflow, and protection and reduces risk. In the perfect packaging scenario, our packaging needs to be recycled in the supply chain. The costs of waste generated by packaging materials are tremendous not just economically but environmentally as well.

It has been found that 27.97 million vaccines are being administered every day. But only 2.3% of people in low-income countries received at least a first vaccine by September 2021, according to official reports from national health agencies, which is collated by Our World in Data. Concerns exist about whether some countries producing vaccines may impose protectionist controls by export restrictions. So that it would stockpile a COVID 19 vaccine for their own population. In June, the Serum Institute of India – a major manufacturer of global vaccines – reached a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca to make 1 billion doses of vaccine for low-and-middle-income countries, of which half of the doses would go to India. This is an issue of supply chain management to manufacture and send it to the end-user.In the United States, restrictions on vaccine eligibility have been lowered. And wealthier individuals from other countries with unhurried vaccination rates were reportedly traveling to the United States to be vaccinated.

There are different levels of focus in the dimensions of sustainability and also sustainable procurement. Focus on the supply chain network entails managing and balancing the supplier portfolio. The impact of fair trade or eco-labels can be on end-user buying behavior. CSR purchasing policies and CSR functions are integrated with purchasing.