Recent NDC Podcast examines how the pandemic is challenging the healthcare supply chain’s traditional interactions

Putting a RelationshipDriven Industry to the Test

Recent NDC Podcast examines how the pandemic is challenging the healthcare supply chain’s traditional interactions

The healthcare supply chain is built on the relationships of distributors and sales representatives. The COVID-19

pandemic has created a series of unique challenges for an industry that relies so heavily on networking, relationshipbuilding, and other general face-to-face interactions. Your organization’s ability to be flexible and pivot during times of uncertainty is instrumental to staying relevant in an evolving market. Recently on a Parcels of Info podcast, Steve Martin, senior vice president of Supplier Management at NDC, and Jack Moran, managing partner at MTMC, discussed the challenges and opportunities of working in a relationship-driven industry during a pandemic.

Testing relationships in a pandemic

Because the healthcare supply chain is built on a foundation of business relationships, the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges in cultivating and maintaining those relationships. Martin said he was used to having manufacturing and supplier partners visiting his NDC team on a regular basis. “There were a litany of reasons why getting together has made sense in the past,” Martin said. “This past year, all of those have gone away, along with the opportunity to develop a relationship outside of business.”

Fortunately, if you had already built relationships in the healthcare supply chain, the pandemic forced you to rely on them to avoid any business disruptions. Martin said, “One of the few positive aspects has been seeing how all those great relationships have been so beneficial in pivoting change in the way that we have operated in the pandemic. We leveraged these relationships to more quickly respond and change the way we do business.”

Moran discovered an efficiency in those relationships that allowed his team at MTMC to respond quickly to the pandemic. “For any newer relationships that didn’t run as deep, there were more inefficiencies and a lot of lost time. It was harder to develop new relationships with other companies because you didn’t have that foundation of time and trust.”

Post pandemic in the healthcare supply chain

The pandemic helped to reveal that technology allows employees in a lot of industries to work remotely, giving them greater flexibility and better work-life balance. The healthcare supply chain is going to continue to rely on those technologies and tools to avoid any further disruptions. But what’s next for building relationships in the post-pandemic world?

Moran said he believes that we will continue to leverage these virtual tools for remote work and meetings. “I think we anticipate that the old way we conducted business with customers will go back to some degree. Maybe not at the same pace or level. Everybody has gotten better with technology, making virtual work more possible. I don’t think that’s going away.”

The importance of relationships moving forward

Even with all the changes that the pandemic enforced on the healthcare supply chain, it’s important to remember that the need for those relationships is not going anywhere. If anything, building solid relationships is more important now than ever before. “I would never have gotten to where I am today without the key relationships that I was lucky enough to build along the way that have led me to 25 years in this industry,” Martin said.

Those relationships are crucial to the success and stability of your supply chain. Without that process in place, your organization could lose its competitive edge. Moran said, “Over the years, I have met or worked with people who have come from outside the industry. They’re either working for a supplier or they are new to the industry. And they either get it or they don’t. Some of them will take a very short term and transactional view of the relationships they are building. Typically, they don’t last very long. Others embrace it, and thrive in this industry.”

Let’s make a positive impact together. Let’s make a positive Let’s make a positive impact together. Let’s make a positive impact together. impact together.

DUKAL can be a strong long term partner for you in the personal protection equipment category. DUKAL can be a strong long term partner for you DUKAL can be a strong long term partner for you in the personal protection equipment category. DUKAL can be a strong long term partner for you in the personal protection equipment category.

We are continuously investing in our capabilities and capacity to bring high quality personal protection equipment to front-line workers. Our PPE products meet or exceed all FDA requirements, holding multiple 510k’s for surgical masks and N-95 respirators. DUKAL also offers AAMI level rated isolation gowns. in the personal protection equipment category. We are continuously investing in our capabilities and capacity to bring high quality personal protection equipment to front-line workers. Our PPE products meet or exceed all FDA requirements, holding multiple 510k’s for surgical masks and N-95 respirators. DUKAL also offers AAMI level rated isolation gowns. We are continuously investing in our capabilities and capacity to bring high quality personal protection equipment to front-line workers. Our PPE products meet or exceed all FDA requirements, holding multiple We are continuously investing in our capabilities and capacity to bring high quality personal protection 510k’s for surgical masks and N-95 respirators. DUKAL also offers AAMI level rated isolation gowns. Let’s make a positive impact together. Contact us at sales@dukal.com to learn more about how we can be a long term provider of personal protection equipment for you. equipment to front-line workers. Our PPE products meet or exceed all FDA requirements, holding multiple 510k’s for surgical masks and N-95 respirators. DUKAL also offers AAMI level rated isolation gowns. Let’s make a positive impact together. Contact us at sales@dukal.com to learn more about how we can be a long term provider of personal protection equipment for you. Let’s make a positive impact together. Contact us at sales@dukal.com to learn more about how we can be a long term provider of personal protection equipment for you. Let’s make a positive impact together. Contact us at sales@dukal.com to learn more about how we can be a long term provider of personal protection equipment for you.

As a leader in the development and manufacturing of medical products we partner with healthcare professionals to launch innovative solutions to unmet clinical needs. Learn more about our products by visiting our new website www.dukal.com

As a leader in the development and manufacturing of medical products we partner with healthcare professionals to launch innovative solutions to unmet clinical needs.

As a leader in the development and manufacturing of medical products we partner with healthcare professionals to launch innovative solutions to unmet clinical needs. Learn more about our products by visiting our new website www.dukal.com

Learn more about our products by visiting our new website www.dukal.com As a leader in the development and manufacturing of medical products we partner with healthcare professionals to launch innovative solutions to unmet clinical needs.

Learn more about our products by visiting our new website www.dukal.com