In August 2017, the Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), a leading public health supply chain solutions provider, orchestrated the delivery of a large consignment of Actellic 300CS IRS commodities to be used in the Mozambique Ministry of Health’s Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) campaign which took place around October 2017.
The milestone consignment of 33 containers was shipped via three ports of entry, across more than 2,000 kilometers, to seven regional warehouses in Mozambique.
PFSCM procured, quality tested, and managed the IRS delivery on behalf of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, who funds the ongoing annual spraying campaign.
A proactive approach: Anticipating challenges, conducting in-country groundwork
PFSCM Global Supply Chain In-Country Logistics Service Manager Jef Imans says it was critical that the shipment was delivered on time, that sufficient compliant storage was available in all seven regions, and that the quality sampling and logistics was done in a cost-effective manner.
“This shipment entailed many complex facets. To save time and money, we conducted the product quality sampling early in the preparation phase and tendered the shipment to ensure cost efficiency. Apart from this, we anticipated that poor infrastructure, language barriers, and bureaucracy would likely attribute to the complexity of distribution.”
Imans explains that PFSCM took a proactive approach to solving the logistics challenges and visited several of the designated warehouses, ports, and in-country stakeholders to ensure all requirements were met before the 33 containers of IRS were delivered.
Further, PFSCM also greatly improved supply chain communication channels by building rapport with in-country stakeholders, such as the logistics service providers, agents, warehouse managers, and other institutions.
“Through the in-country groundwork, we avoided many pitfalls, such as incorrect delivery addresses, availability of labor for offloading at warehouses, and import waiver delays.”
The team not only succeeded in ensuring a successful delivery, but also managed to create awareness about the importance of this malaria prevention project and the shipment of commodities that make it possible.
By sharing their expertise and conveying a genuine sense of responsibility, the PFSCM team motivated the various stakeholders to uphold the same level of ownership.
Price reduction to yield future savings
Meanwhile, earlier in 2017, PFSCM negotiated a 17% price reduction on Actellic 300CS. Prior to these negotiations, the pricing for this IRS commodity had remained the same since 2014. The price reduction is expected to yield significant savings on future procurements and will contribute to saving more lives.