In the wake of COVID-19, it’s organizations with the strongest supply chains that have been able to ensure people around the world continue to receive access to the products they need to stay safe and healthy—and Johnson & Johnson has been recognized as one of those organizations.
Gartner, Inc., the world’s largest research and advisory company, recently honored Johnson & Johnson with a #3 ranking on its annual 2020 Supply Chain Top 25 list, which spotlights exemplary global supply chains at companies with more than $12 billion in general annual revenue across industries.
Gartner cited Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to continuously improving its supply chain and the broader supply chain community, its ability to put those improvements into practice by partnering with teams across the company and industry at large and its efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Company, was able to leverage its manufacturing network, 3-D printing technology and a collaboration with Prisma Health to make and distribute a VESper™ Ventilator Expansion Splitter at no cost—going from concept and design to launch in just 10 days.
For example, in relation to its vaccine work, Johnson & Johnson is broadening its global manufacturing scope, including establishing new vaccine manufacturing capabilities and scaling up capacity in other countries, with the goal of supplying more than one billion doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine globally through the course of 2021, provided it is safe and effective.
And Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Company, was able to leverage its manufacturing network, 3-D printing technology and a collaboration with Prisma Health to make and distribute a VESper™ Ventilator Expansion Splitter at no cost—going from concept and design to launch in just 10 days. The device, authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use only, allows a single ventilator to be fitted with it and used for two rescuable patients for ventilatory support during the COVID-19 pandemic until individual ventilators are available.
Another example of how the company is repurposing its supply chain: In accordance with appropriate guidelines, including those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA, Johnson & Johnson has converted some manufacturing lines at facilities around the world to produce hand sanitizer, which is helping to protect employees who work in research and development, manufacturing and distribution. Hand sanitizer is also being donated to health and community service workers.
Additionally, when demand for Tylenol® doubled in some markets as COVID-19 spread, the company ramped up production of this critical medication by running manufacturing sites 24/7 and producing and shipping at all-time high rates, while maintaining high levels of safety, quality and compliance. The company is taking all possible measures to maximize product availability and produce the highest volumes of the medicines people need right now, while prioritizing employee safety.
To spur innovation and new ideas for years to come, in October of last year Johnson & Johnson created the Innovation Engine collaboration space for employees to come together with customers and external experts to share ideas and bring innovation to life. One example of this type of collaboration: The Advanced Case Management solution, which streamlines the logistics of the surgical implant process to improve efficiency, reduces costs for sterilization, saves time for surgical set-up and ultimately frees up staff time to focus on helping patients.
“Over the past few years, our global supply chain has been working hard to continuously improve its operations and the supply chain community at large, while accelerating new levels of innovation in products, services and experiences for the doctors, nurses, patients and customers we serve,” says Kathy Wengel, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Supply Chain Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “By building foundational capabilities in key areas like business continuity, digital and planning, not only have we been able to respond to the global pandemic, but we’ve ultimately been able to harness new levels of agility and get ahead of changing needs. This is a testament to the dedication of our supply chain teams around the world, who are doing their part to inspire hope in these uncertain times, and to the scale and stability of our business, even during this time of great change.”
