Jan. 12 - From PPE to packaging, hospitals tackle waste

Some waste in the healthcare supply chain is inevitable, but leaders are finding ways to reduce the quantity, especially as COVID-19 strains supplies. View online | Sign up | Forward

Weekly edition | Jan.​ 12,​ 2021 Your Guide to Operations By Shefali Kapadia   BROUGHT TO YOU BY — Catalytic 3 Ways to Digitize Your Supply Chain Ops Your guide for developing a strategy that better predicts and accommodates any future supply chain disruption. Read now.   Some waste in the healthcare supply chain is inevitable, but leaders are finding ways to reduce the quantity, especially as COVID-19 strains supplies. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.) From PPE to packaging, hospitals tackle waste Hospital operations, by some estimates, generate 14,000 tons of waste every day. Experts say there are tons of ways to cut down that figure. Swap out disposable gowns for launderable ones. Tweak inventory management so only the necessary supplies enter the operating room. Use rigid containers for packaging instead of blue wrap. Reuse may emerge as an unexpected benefit from the pandemic. Not enough PPE available in the supply chain? Extend the existing equipment's lifecycle. Read more. STAT OF THE WEEK Reduce empty space, increase savings Researchers at DHL and Ohio University found that warehouses can save on shipping cost when they increase carton utilization, as shown in the chart below. They developed a process for carton set optimization and then tested it on warehouses in three industries. Dive deeper. Credit: Matt Leonard, Supply Chain Dive / data from Singh et al Bed Bath & Beyond embraces 'common sense' Distribution centers, control tower technology, visibility from vendors to stores — these are common methods in retail supply chains but represent a pivot for Bed Bath & Beyond. The retailer expects to invest $250 million in overhauling its supply chain. It's cutting down the number of cross docks and aiming to reduce replenishment time by at least 25 days. Details here. Labor availability strains manufacturing Manufacturers across industries are reporting employee shortages as coronavirus cases keep ticking up. The labor constraints are creating issues with production and service levels, rippling through the supply chain. The vaccine rollout underway provides a bit of optimism in resolving labor shortages, said Institute for Supply Management's Timothy Fiore. Read the story. Opinion Poll             With what percentage of your pre-pandemic labor force are you currently operating? 50% or less More than half but less than 100% Full capacity More than 100% — we've brought in additional labor Other — hit reply and tell us! Have a poll question you’d like to suggest? Let us know!   Last poll's results are in! We asked: How often do you review your packaging strategy? 31% of you said (A) Quarterly or more; 17% said (B) Once or twice a year; 22% said (C) Only if we have a change in our SKUs or vendors; 18% said (D) Almost never and 12% said (E) Other.                                                 Quick Hits Seattle Times Amazon is preparing to administer on-site coronavirus vaccinations to nearly 20,000 of its workers in the state of Washington. LIC Post A developer has filed plans to construct a 5-story warehouse in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York, that is expected to be occupied by e-commerce companies. HR Dive The new year brought minimum wage hikes in more than 50 states and localities. ZDNet RFID chips are helping to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are stored at the right temperature. Grocery Dive Albertsons has installed an automated pickup kiosk at a Jewel-Osco store in Chicago. Parting thought One of the key takeaways from today's deep dive on hospital waste is that reducing waste doesn't have to require massive changes. In one instance, changing out a plastic needle counter for plant-based ones eliminated 10 tons of single-use plastic in two years. Small swaps culminate over time to meet key performance indicators and goals — a lesson applicable across all industries and our personal lives too. Shefali Kapadia Senior Editor, Supply Chain Dive Twitter | Email

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