COVID Rapid-Test Supplier Distributes Millions of Kits Despite Tight Time Frame | Life Sciences

6/6/2022 RRD

Significant market demand and supply chain difficulties call for fulfillment support and expertise. 

CHALLENGE

Amid the peak of the COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak in January 2022, Siemens Healthineers, a leading medical technology company headquartered in Germany, stepped up to make tens of millions of rapid COVID-19 antigen self-tests available to the U.S. population through state, federal, and local partnership efforts. However, a number of challenges presented themselves:

• Limited North American warehousing and staging resources
• Logistic complexity and quality control
• Labor shortages

As the test provider needed additional warehouse space and efficiency, it sought a trusted partner that could help accommodate the massive volumes of product. To address these challenges, the company collaborated with RRD, who had the ability, experience, and flexibility to upscale with uncertain demand.

SOLUTION

Since 2005, RRD has provided solutions for clients in the medical device industry who lean on the company’s scale, scope, and regulatory credentials to support the configuration, packaging and shipping of diagnostic devices, test and care kits. 

Dealing with an already volatile global supply chain and rapidly surging COVID-19 case levels,  it was a race against the clock to bring these test kits to market efficiently. With its supply chain expertise, fulfillment capabilities, and ISO 13485 accredited facilities, RRD was responsible for the additional scale, inbound receipt, inspection, warehousing, labeling, fulfillment, and logistics of COVID-19 tests. 

The two teams addressed challenges by scrutinizing various factors in the production process, working in lockstep in shared spaces to drive collaboration and maintain superior communication. 

RESULTS

RRD’s quality assurance, regulatory expertise, and IT capabilities supported the standards that Siemens Healthineers is renowned for across the globe. 

“There were massive quantities of product coming into the U.S., and it was critical to ensure we were bringing our customers high quality test kits that would provide accurate COVID-19 results to the U.S. population,” says [Siemens quote, attribution outstanding]. “Ultimately, RRD’s ability to flex and adapt to changing demand enabled us to drive success quickly.”

As the gatekeeper for important quality standards, RRD assured each test kit was fulfilled to the required standards.