CASE STUDY: EVOLUTION IN THE MEDICAL DEVICE SUPPLY CHAIN Cardinal Health and DHL discuss trust and partnership in logistics and back office
With
Steve Thompsett, CEO
DHL Supply Chain Australia and New Zealand
Michael Gardner,
(Former) VP Life Sciences & Healthcare
DHL Supply Chain Australia
Shane McCormack,
Senior Manager Supply Chain
Cardinal Health
Australian Health Journal segment
Filmed in Sydney | April 2025
Supply chain and logistics involve managing products globally, from manufacturing to distribution. This includes international shipping via air and sea, storing products in temperature-controlled warehouses, and delivering them to pharmacies, medical wholesalers, and hospitals within the domestic market.
Michael Gardner, (Former) VP Life Sciences & Healthcare, DHL Supply Chain Australia spoke to Australian Health Journal about the medical device industry being particularly complex; onboarding a new customer at DHL supply chain demands thorough preparation. This process involves understanding the customer’s operations and the lifecycle of their products, from their arrival at the warehouse to their use in patient care. Insight into the customer’s expectations is crucial to ensure seamless operations.
For Cardinal Health, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical products, the process begins when products arrive in Australia and are cleared by customs before being stored at their Sydney warehouse. From here, they fulfil orders for various clients, including hospitals and wholesalers, supported by DHL’s logistics services.
In this case study, Australian Health Journal was given the opportunity to talk to both the logistics provider and the end medical technology client in what is an evolving medical device supply chain.
Challenges in Australia include a limited manufacturing workforce and the distances to raw material sources, with all imported products being finished goods. Compliance with safety and regulatory standards is essential. In addition to logistics, DHL provides value-added services like equipment repairs and a 4PL service, which includes customer service support and accounts receivable, enhancing efficiency for Cardinal Health.
Credit: MedTech24 Conference, hosted by Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) in Sydney, October 2024.
Source: Written by AUDIENCED, with use of generative AI on transcript
-
Emerging researcher appointed to James Packer Chair in Mood Disorders at UNSW
The UNSW Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health is widely renowned as the pre-eminent psychiatry research department in the country and one of the leading university psychiatry research groups internationally. In 2023 it celebrated 60 Years of Psychiatry & Mental Health at UNSW Sydney.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Professor Kimberlie Dean, Head of the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UNSW Sydney, about the recent appointment of mental health disorders expert and clinician researcher Dr Aswin Ratheesh to lead the James Packer Chair in Mood Disorders at UNSW Sydney. -
Streamlining and centralising training for gastroenterologists
Dr Amit Saha is a Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist and trained paediatric endoscopist based in Perth. He underwent his higher specialist training in Paediatrics within the NHS in the UK, and sub-specialised in Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology & Nutrition at busy and prestigious centres in London including The Kings College Hospital.
-
Bridging the orthodontic knowledge gap
In recent years, the orthodontic sector has been growing rapidly due to success in B2C marketing and companies like Invisalign reaching the consumer, but there has also been a lack of knowledge sharing among general dental practitioners and specialists.
General dentists require mentorship and guidance from orthodontists to feel confident in providing orthodontic treatment to their patients, ultimately improving the quality of care in the community.
