The German Red Cross of Saxony planned, launched, and coordinated state-wide COVID-19 vaccinations successfully, despite facing immense time pressure. With the assistance of SAP’s vaccine collaboration hub, the organisation was able to react flexibly to changing requirements and distribute doses effectively to vaccinate residents.
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The SAP solutions enable digitalised planning, procurement, inventory management, and delivery of the vaccines.
Lars Werthmann
Head of Logistics
DRK Landesverband Sachsen e.V.
The health, economic, and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis can be felt the world over, making vaccination one of the most pressing challenges of our time. For four million people living in the German State of Saxony, German Red Cross of Saxony (DRK Landesverband Sachsen e.V.) delivers the assistance they need to get vaccinated, protect their vulnerable loved ones, and save lives.
When tasked with setting up distribution and vaccination centres, managing supply chain and logistics operations, processing inventory, and scheduling appointments, DRK knew it had to overcome some significant challenges. The organisation must account for different types of vaccines – each with its own handling, storage, administration, and vaccine scheduling requirements. Plus, it required an organised approach to help ensure eligible groups of people had access to available medical staff and vaccination centres.
DRK decided that it was time to implement an all-in-one digital vaccine supply distribution and administration solution ‒ SAP’s vaccine collaboration hub platform. The platform is based on the SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, and the SAP Analytics Cloud solution.
Within two weeks after its decision to partner with SAP, the organisation went live with the platform and gained comprehensive visibility into vaccine supplies, storage, and distribution, as well as the overall vaccination program. This capability enables its staff to react flexibly to changing requirements and help ensure that vaccination centres receive the necessary doses.
SAP’s vaccine collaboration hub helps DRK simulate, plan, and manage the journey of vaccines from regional distribution centres to vaccination centres and, ultimately, into people’s arms.
Simulations and plans are automatically adapted to changing conditions and guidelines ‒ such as resource availability and handling, storage, and administration protocols ‒ to minimise disruption to the vaccine rollout. Intuitive, automated workflows also support efficient planning, freeing up the team to dedicate time and resources to keep the vaccine program running smoothly.
With the platform, DRK can now plan the priority of first and second doses for each vaccine with greater ease. The organisation has greater transparency into inventory management, compliance, and audit requirements to help ensure Saxony citizens are given the vaccines they need to stay safe and healthy.
Humanitarian logistics is a big challenge in our fight against the pandemic. The SAP solutions enable digitalised planning, procurement, inventory management, and delivery of the vaccines.
Lars Werthmann
Head of Logistics
DRK Landesverband Sachsen e.V.
The German Red Cross of Saxony (DRK Landesverband Sachsen e.V.) is one of 19 Red Cross state associations in Germany, primarily coordinating tasks and services specifically for the citizens of the German federal state of Saxony. The organisation has 100 employees and more than 15,700 volunteer workers across 39 district organisations and 179 local associations and communities.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
|---|---|---|
| Public sector | EMEA | 100 employees |
