INTERVIEW
THE SUCCESS CAPSULE “The way India is developing as a Manufacturing Hub and being looked at as an alternate destination to our large neighbor, Supply Chain function has and will have to play a paramount role to make this happen. Importance of having a resilient and reliable supply chain function has been realized across the industries and governments across the globe,” asserts Nikunj Desai, Head Global Supply Chain, ACG Group.
Pharma companies deal with this constant battle of managing demandsupply chain balance. What are the challenges that come in your way in managing the same? We are the world’s second largest capsules maker, pharma packing supplier as well as manufacturing diverse pharma machineries. Many of our products are used during manufacturing of Covid related drugs as well as many lifesaving drugs and nutraceuticals for boosting immunity. Keeping the supplies going at all the times, both outbound and inbound to cater to this global requirement is inevitable. Larger purpose of our organization is “Making the world Heathier Together”. We are committed to the same at all the times. We have 14 global manufacturing locations with finished product supplies to 70+ countries and material sourcing from suppliers spread in 20+ counties across the globe right from East in Japan to West in the US. As a result, the Covid scenario affects the supply chain both in
6 CELERITY July - August 2021
Nikunj Desai has over 20+ years of experience in handling end-to-end supply chain in diverse industry verticals including pharma & automotive. To his credit, he has led Global Pharma Supply Chain during Pandemic and achieved business results. He has established Central Sourcing department from scratch at ACG & CEAT. Also, progressively he has integrated various other verticals like Sourcing, Procurement and Logistics under one umbrella of Supply Chain Management. A Graduate in Production Engineering, he has done MBA (Finance) from NMIMS and is an IIM Calcutta alumnus in Supply Chain Management.
terms of demand and supply whenever any of the global pocket develops any concern. Demand/Supply Patterns have changed in terms of products adding to unpredictability. Adding to above challenge is the uncertainty in the shipping industry causing delays and cost escalations.
last few years and this trend is expected to continue. Besides, our organization is growing rapidly both organically and inorganically, hence we have to keep up to the pace with this momentum to meet the supply chain demands.
Talking specifically about supply chain complexities, these are some of the most challenging ones: Supplier and company team members getting affected with Covid Lockdowns at various locations in the globe Port congestions and uncertainties in shipping industries Changes in demand and supply patterns Fluctuations in commodity prices and Foreign Exchange rates Fuel Prices hike While there are myriad challenges, the pharmaceutical sector has been registering a very healthy growth since
a. During Pandemic which suddenly struck the world, we did not lose a single minute of production across all our global locations. b. Our supplies and vehicles were waiting outside the customer premises even before they could start their factories. c. Despite all the fluctuations in demand and supply, we could meet our customer expectations and OTDIF. d. We have set of global suppliers meticulously qualified by our quality team who feed us raw materials across the globe. e. We have proven to be a reliable
What are the USPs of ACG supply chain?
