The Managing Director of NC Logistic spoke about the peculiarities of a specialized 3-PL operator during the epidemic and shared a forecast of factors that would soon have a decisive influence on the competitiveness of representatives of the logistics sector…
He also noted that the demand from distributors and pharmacy chains was very high in March, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. But in April, it began to fall, which was due to several objective reasons: the beginning of a new quarter, restrictions on transportation by regions and, of course, the pandemic itself. The greatest demand remained for medical devices, in particular personal protective equipment.
“At the same time, upward pricing affected only deficit medicinal products and medical devices,” said Garold Vlasov. – “Restrictions on supplies from abroad affected availability and prices. If we talk about physical accessibility, in my opinion, there were no aggravations in the pharmacy retail. Patients still have the opportunity to purchase the necessary product at a pharmacy within walking distance from their place of residence”.
In these conditions, the 3-PL operator inevitably faced serious overloads. “We never stopped working for a second,” said the Managing Director of NC Logistic. “Our warehouse complex functioned 24/7. Of course, we had to attract additional resources, but we did it successfully”..
According to him, a well-coordinated qualified team, as well as a stock of production capacities and partnerships between participants in the wholesale segment, helped to overcome the difficult situation. “Nothing has changed for us in cooperation with clients,” he stressed. “The relationship with clients has only grown stronger. Realizing the complexity of the situation, we made some concessions”.”.
In his opinion, the profitability of the business remains in direct proportion to the paying capacity of patients, and, as a consequence, pharmacy chains.
The pandemic has greatly complicated the forecasts for the future, and nevertheless, Garold Vlasov believes that the results of the year will be “vitally encouraging” for the players of the pharmaceutical market.
“In the coming months or a year, in preparation for the start of labeling in logistics, as well as in other segments, the situation will be troublesome and dynamic,” he added. – “You should use IT solutions for the automation of work with labeled products as the growth points, and focus primarily on the quality of the service provided. The client should see you as a reliable, trusted partner with a high level of operational capabilities and service competencies”..
