The event, which is designed for executives involved in sourcing, procurement, supply management, and external manufacturing and their business counterparts on the supply side, will be held Tuesday, July 12 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
To learn more about the event, and what attendees can expect this year, Outsourcing-Pharma.com talked with DCAT’s Executive Director. Margaret M. Timony.
Outsourcing-Pharma.com: Why did DCAT decide to launch a conference specifically for sourcing and procurement?
Margaret M. Timony: Over a decade ago, the DCAT organization decided to develop a program for senior to mid-level executives engaged in the pharmaceutical manufacturing value chain to provide best practices and solutions to the challenges that they face. This year’s program focuses on how pharmaceutical companies and suppliers can move beyond traditional paradigms in sourcing and procurement and advance more strategic partnerships to meet desired business goals.
To gain the first-hand knowledge and insight needed, DCAT Sharp Sourcing 2016 was developed by member volunteers from DCAT’s Supply Management Committee and the Education Committee’s Sharp Sourcing Supplier Program Task Force.
Outsourcing-Pharma.com: What are some of the highlights of this year’s program?
Timony: The various topics at DCAT Sharp Sourcing address a common challenge for pharma companies and their suppliers: how to create win-win situations in achieving desired goals for cost reductions and delivering value. DCAT Sharp Sourcing is designed for professionals engaged in sourcing, procurement, supply management, and external manufacturing and their business counterparts on the supply side.
To serve both of these groups, Sharp Sourcing begins with specialized forums for buyers and suppliers, followed by a joint afternoon session, where buyers and suppliers come together for additional presentations of common interest.
In the Buyers’ Forum, sourcing, procurement, supply management, and external manufacturing professionals will participate in an interactive session with short presentations and roundtable discussions led by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, Eli Lilly and Company on Procurement’s role in specification management, sustainable procurement, and supplier metrics.
Concurrently, in the Suppliers’ Forum, CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers will gain customer-centric perspectives on different aspects on supplier relationship management from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Novartis, PwC and others on the evolving expectations of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies in areas such as governance, alliance management, supply risk, and working capital issues, such as payment terms and inventory management.
During the joint afternoon session, J&J’s Janssen will discuss supply chain optimization and CMO integration, and provide insights on how to build collaborative external partnerships and supply networks for active pharmaceutical ingredients. This will be followed by a panel discussion of leading industry experts, including executives from Pfizer and Teva, who will discuss how pharmaceutical companies and suppliers can partner and achieve operational excellence and meet desired metrics, such as right-first time, in the manufacture of drug substances and drug products. In the final presentation, Merck & Co. will discuss how to use value-based metrics to more effectively assess and mitigate supply risk.
The day will end with an exciting keynote address and networking reception where attendees can catch up with their colleagues and customers. Keynote speaker Daymond John, star of ABC’s Shark Tank, will share his insights on how to foster innovation with suppliers for a competitive advantage.
For more information, visit www.dcat.org.