Thermo Fisher has transformed its supply chain to emerge more agile , resilient and collaborative from a period of acute industrywide disruption

With a mission to “ make the world healthier , cleaner and safer ”, Thermo Fisher is a key supplier to the life sciences industry and a close collaborator with the field ’ s leading organisations . Christine Callahan , Vice President of Global Supply Chain , Life Science Solutions , who joined Thermo Fisher amid the early waves of COVID-19 , is spearheading a transformation of the firm ’ s supply chain .

“ We are moving away from PO-based and transactional relationships to true partnerships , true collaboration with more transparency ,” says Callahan .

Pharmaceutical innovator Alvotech is a key customer and close partner that epitomises this new mindset for Thermo Fisher , says Callahan : “ Alvotech is a very key customer and partner for us , and we want to continue to earn their business and grow with them as they grow .”

I ’ m really proud of our teams ’ commitment to them , and our urgency with solving their problems ,” she says . “ And given that they ’ re such a great partner , innovating and collaborating with someone so receptive and supportive helps the overall synergy in the solution .”

Lessons learned and innovation borne out of the pandemic have galvanised a more resilient and agile Thermo Fisher . It is an organisation that has been strengthened by solving problems during this period of acute demand , and which will emerge stronger for it . Callahan says it has been the “ silver lining ” of the past two years . Thermo Fisher will continue to innovate to meet the growing demands of its partners .

“ We ’ re undergoing a real paradigm shift in the thinking , and we ’ ve always been conscious of supply chain continuity and resiliency ,” Callahan says . “ In this space , you have to be caring about that in a growth environment , but most importantly , our end customers are patients and we need to be there for them . We can ’ t ever let our customers down .”

During the turbulence caused not just by COVID-19 , but by extreme weather and geopolitical uncertainty , “ there have been some real challenges ,” Callahan adds . “ It has not been simple and straightforward , so we ’ ve been working extremely collaboratively with Alvotech .