US pharmaceutical company Pfizer has opened its Global Command Centre in Spain, located in Madrid, and a strategic hub that will transform the management of the company’s global supply chain by integrating work currently carried out in a coordinated manner across multiple bodies. The new system will enable streamlined and secure delivery of its innovations wherever in the world they are needed.

The new state-of-the-art operations centre is a strategic initiative and a key priority for Pfizer’s Global Supply Chain (GSC) organisation. Its aim is to strengthen a resilient, efficient and patient-focused supply chain through continuous, real-time monitoring of shipments worldwide.

Transport efficiency
The centre will provide comprehensive monitoring of critical variables, such as temperature, location, end-to-end delivery times, logistical and geopolitical risks, and market intelligence across approximately 180 countries. It will also be responsible for safeguarding the integrity, visibility and transport efficiency of innovative medicines, ensuring that they reach patients in the right conditions and at the right time.

The new model replaces the previous delivery system, managed by multiple bodies with a comprehensive door-to-door logistics accountability solution. The company estimates that end-to-end delivery times can be reduced by between three and seven days, as well as reducing incidents and logistics re-routing by 25%. The management of temperature-related incidents will also be streamlined through automated assessments based on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Constant supervision and coordination
To ensure continuous global coverage, the Madrid centre will operate alongside the Chennai centre (India) to maintain constant supervision and coordination, enabling real-time management and inter-regional synchronisation, and ensuring that incidents are addressed immediately, regardless of the time zone.

The President of Pfizer Spain, Carlos Murillo, said that the new centre “strengthens Pfizer Spain’s role as a strategic hub within the company’s global organisation. It is also a clear recognition of the talent that exists in our country: highly qualified and capable of leading complex, high-impact operations on a global scale.”

The company’s Vice President for GSC Global Logistics, Roger Smith, did for his part explain, “Our products require highly specialised solutions that enable us to ship vaccines requiring temperatures as low as -70°C or solid oral dosage forms, often at ambient temperatures (15°C - 25°C), and at any temperature in between. To ensure the resilience and monitoring of our products, Pfizer has launched the Global Command Centre, with our largest operations centre based in Madrid.”

^{Photo: Pfizer}