“Pharma can learn from other sectors”

Introducing the new TEAM-UP pharma-logistics collaboration initiative, Kennedy pressed his proposition by describing some of the inspired approaches to logistics that are the business signatures of leading companies such as Amazon, Apple and Inditex. "The common denominator in all these ground-breaking supply chain platforms is collaboration," he attested. "By taking a lead and driving supply chain integration, pharma companies can position themselves to better assimilate technology, drive efficiency, facilitate transparency and, ultimately, deliver improved, safer, outcomes for patients."

Asserting that "the sector lacks a common platform to underpin collaborative working and enable supply chain integration", Kennedy went on to describe how the TEAM-UP pharma-logistics collaboration program has been designed to fill this need. Based around the "3 TEAM-UP Pillars" of Community, Resources and Accreditation, TEAM-UP has been conceived as a not-for-profit body fostering win-win collaboration and integration between all stakeholders in the pharma-logistics supply chain.

Co-presenting with Kennedy at the IQPC event was Andy Akrouche, MD of the Institute of Collaborative Working in Canada. Akrouche acquainted the audience with the new ISO 44001 international standard for collaborative working which is scheduled for global launch at the end of March. "The TEAM-UP program is aligned with the new ISO standard and provides pharma companies and their logistics partners with a structured route to its operational execution."

About TEAM-UP
TEAM-UP is a completely independent, not-for-profit, pharma-logistics initiative expressly designed to inspire the mutual understanding, common procedures and universal climate of trust that are a prerequisite for the creation of sustainable, fully-integrated supply chains.

Modelled around proven supply chain models from other sectors, TEAM-UP has been conceived as a hands-on, interactive community with all corporate participants committed to following agreed collaborative principles, all committed to a programme of continuous collaborative improvement and all having access to a shared repository of collaborative tools, templates and advice. By creating the necessary environment, and providing the leadership needed, to make true win-win integration a practical reality, TEAM-UP will contribute to improved corporate efficiencies, better overall sector performance and, ultimately, to enhanced patient/user safety.