Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1383677
26 Executive Briefing "It all goes back to providing end-to-end solution, data- driven insights and delivering on our commitments no matter what is thrown our way, whether it's a winter storm, COVID-19 or some other event," Mr. Dolan said. "Our partnership with FourKites is a critical building block for making these things happen and the investment is proving to be more powerful than we originally expected." In addition to the integration of systems to improve supply chain visibility, Cardinal Health has been exploring new capabilities for physical transportation. These include autonomously guided vehicles for ground and air transportation and new storage solutions to increase convenience for customers. Logistics as a way to do well and do good Working with small businesses and diverse suppliers has been a big focus for Cardinal Health's supply chain and logistics team, but it's also a companywide mission for every area that sources products or services. "I'm super proud of the work we've been doing with our sourcing team internally to explore new opportunities to expand our partnerships with small and diverse suppliers around the world," Mr. Dolan said. "We believe this investment of time and effort pays great dividends, since these providers are some of the best in the entire network. It's a great example of doing well, doing good and creating a competitive business advantage." Historically, Cardinal Health has focused on new transportation equipment to reduce emissions. The company is continually replacing equipment and looking at new solutions to increase its miles per gallon. One example is new trailer technologies that improve the fuel economy of trucks. "With logistics, we believe we can continue to serve customers and reduce emissions at the same time," Mr. Dolan said. "Some of that progress will be through traditional means like transportation equipment. We are also looking at other strategies to reduce our carbon footprint such as consolidation of freight, shifting from less-than-truckload to truckload and changing modes to intermodal rail services. Over the last couple of years, we've been leveraging our dedicated fleet and our backhaul capacity to fill up empty miles when coming back to a distribution center after making deliveries and servicing our customers. As being good stewards of our environment, we continue to search for opportunities to do better." In terms of advanced technologies, Cardinal Health recently completed a pilot of electric vehicles on the West Coast. The company is optimistic that combining the latest transportation technologies with traditional transportation activities will dramatically reduce its carbon footprint. Transforming the logistics function is a team effort Cardinal Health believes that its people and their commitment are a big part of what sets the company apart. "We believe in putting the patient at the center of everything we do, and we believe in the power of our teams," Mr. Dolan said. "When I think about last year and what we've worked through, it's hard to forget that our team members in the field nationwide were putting doctors, pharmacists and the patients they serve first every single day." To deliver on its promise of outstanding customer service, Cardinal Health's logistics team recognizes that it needs to embrace evolution as a norm, rather than a one-time event. The key to success is unlocking the power of the entire team and focusing on customer-centered innovation. "My focus in leading my team is continuing to coach, develop and put people front and center on this journey, so we can create this transformation," Mr. Dolan said. "I think from an industry perspective, it will be pretty cool for people to see what we deploy over the next 6 to 18 months." n All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, and a provider of performance and data solutions for health care facilities. With 50 years in business, operations in more than 40 countries and approximately 48,000 employees globally, Cardinal Health is essential to care. Information about Cardinal Health is available at cardinalhealth.com. "When I think about last year and what we've worked through, it's hard to forget that our team members in the field nationwide were putting doctors, pharmacists and the patients they serve first every single day." Josh Dolan, Vice President, Global Logistics, Cardinal Health