Mr Harsh Babarkar is Director for Supply Chain in Johnson & Johnson. He looks after the Supply Chain for the Singapore market and Strategic Projects in the Southeast Asia region. He has worked in Johnson & Johnson for more than 10 years and has held various positions in the organisation, including as Senior Manager of Strategic Distribution, Director for Planning and Director of South East Asia Operations for Medical Devices.

Mr Babarkar earned a Master of Business Administration degree with specialisation in Supply Chain Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (Gold Medalist). He is a certified Six Sigma Process Excellence Black Belt.

Mr Babarkar developed the strategic distribution function for medical devices business and created the blueprint of the distribution strategy for the Asia Pacific region. He also designed various Go-to-Market models for China, India and South East Asia.

Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Mr Babarkar worked with Saint Gobain Abrasives and Mattel Toys in various supply chain functions, including planning, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution.

Synopsis - Moving Up The Maturity Curve: What Healthcare Supply Chain Needs To Learn From FMCG Industry
Healthcare industry is facing increasing pressure. Pharmaceutical & Medical devices production & distribution is getting more complex as companies expand their portfolio in order to align to rapidly changing markets.

If we look at Gartner Supply Chain maturity model, FMCG industry supply chain is at higher maturity stage as compared to healthcare supply chain. There is lot which healthcare supply chain can learn from the FMCG industry which will help in delivering superior service and flexibility at much lower cost.

Better & mature Supply Chain performance will not only enable companies to tackle the issues faced today but also provide strategic benefits. First, it can reduce cost by shortening manufacturing lead-times & inventory. Second, it can transform safety by making it harder for counterfeit products to enter into the supply chain. Third, it can improve access, reducing drug and device shortages, delivering affordable healthcare and better patient outcomes.