Supply chain management in pharmaceutical industry in Poland 2008

""Due to the intensification of competition, higher client and consumer expectations regarding logistic services and price conditions in the pharmaceutical sector in Poland, pharmaceutical companies increasingly often realise that non-product tools are necessary to enhance their market attractiveness. Most often, however, their operations are limited to quality assurance (GMP and other quality systems) or simple restructurisation and intensification of marketing operations. According to our survey carried out specifically for the purpose of this report, more advanced tools such as SCM (Supply Chain Management) are currently rarely employed in companies operating on the Polish market.

The report constitutes a comprehensive collection of information about the SCM concept, which is one of the best currently available methods of efficient supply management.

The study can be useful also for companies not interested in new management concepts, as the information it contains is based to a large extent on empirical research, and can be helpful in evaluating and reacting to solutions employed within the SCM concept by competition, clients, suppliers or trade partners".

Report description

Supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry in Poland 2008 thoroughly examines the most innovative ways of gaining competitive advantage in the pharmaceutical sector. It studies the conditions and the level of advancement of the Supply Chain Management on the Polish market in the context of the best practices employed in Polish enterprises and worldwide. The concept itself is meticulously explained, focusing on drug production in Poland.

Key objectives and solutions offered by the SCM in Polish companies are provided on the basis of empirical data gathered specifically for the purpose of this report.

Key sections

Section one analyses the ways pharmaceutical manufacturers manage supply chains. It provides details related to supply chain planning and supply and demand synchronisation. It also discusses SCM impact on customer service, the production and distribution of pharmaceuticals, as well as supply and redistribution.

Section two investigates SCM integration in Polish companies in the context of the best practices employed abroad. It discusses the SCM strategies employed by Polish companies and internal conditions for SCM implementation. It also analyses the integration of SCM processes and their legal framework, comparing loopholes on Polish and foreign markets.

Section three looks into the development of SCM in Polish pharmaceutical companies, focusing on its growth drivers and conditions. It presents SCM as an innovative tool to efficiently improve company competitiveness, and analyses threats and opportunities for SCM growth in Polish pharmaceutical companies.

Report overview

The report opens with an introduction presenting its objectives and target readership. It then introduces research methods employed in the study and provides a summary and a presentation of its most important conclusions. What follows is a thorough analysis of the supply chains used by pharmaceutical manufacturers, with special attention given to the following aspects:

• supply chain planning: supply and demand synchronisation
• customer service
• distribution
• production
• supply
• redistribution.

It then discusses the integration of SCM within Polish pharmaceutical companies, in the context of the best practices employed worldwide. It focuses on the following elements:

• SCM strategies of Polish pharmaceutical companies
• internal conditions for SCM in Polish pharmaceutical companies
• integration of SCM processes
• loophole analysis: Polish companies versus global tendencies.

Finally, the report provides information concerning SCM growth drivers in Polish pharmaceutical companies. It examines SCM from the following perspectives:

• SCM as a tool to improve competitiveness
• threats and opportunities for SCM growth in pharmaceutical companies in Poland.

The report provides crucial information for anyone involved in supply management in the pharmaceutical sector in Poland and abroad, and particularly for:

• top management of pharmaceutical companies in Poland and abroad
• logistic operators active on the pharmaceutical market and those planning to enter it
• pharmaceutical company managers interested in implementing Supply Chain Management methods
• supply chain managers
• pharmaceutical distributors
• researchers, market analysts and consultants
• academic institutions
• those wanting to gain a thorough understanding of the Supply Chain Management concept.