@Risk

No one wants to deal with a product recall.

But, for those in the medical device and life sciences industries, the challenges are more intense than ever before. Globalization has created elongated supply chains, and that elongation has decreased visibility and complicated communication. Obviously, that’s not a desirable combination at all, considering that delays in handling a medical device recall can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Fortunately, many medical device and diagnostic manufacturers are now taking a hard look at their existing processes so that they can improve the way they manage product recalls.

Denise Odenkirk and Tom Kozenski explore these issues in detail in their recent article, How to Handle a Medical Device Recall, at Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry Online.

I was pleased to see that Odenkirk and Kozenski recognize that both automation and integration have become critical components for effective supply chain management. They write: (more…)

A recent survey by Sparta Systems found that nearly half (45%) of industry professional at top medical device organizations feel their current quality systems are insufficient to mitigate compliance, risk and safety issues associated with their complex supply chains.

I suppose that’s no surprise –considering both the recent globalization of manufacturing and supply of medical products and the multiplicity of supply chain threats today. (more…)