Page 20 - Case Study Annual 2015

LAA 2015 Platinum

SA National Blood Services / Trenstar SA

Keeping essential blood flowing

The SA National Blood Services (SANBS) manages blood and blood products
through 84 blood banks and 284 hospitals across eight provinces in South Africa.
The problem faced was how to effectively control and collaborate this seemingly
overwhelming supply chain. A secondary challenge was the creation of an efficient,

essential Returnable Blood service.

The SANBS originally utilised ambulances The objectives of such a solution would have to
for transporting blood. However, a number include:
of problems plagued that system and it was • P rovide management and control of the 11 courier
replaced by using 11 courier companies. This
resulted in a saving on transportation costs, but led to companies used by SANBS to transport blood
a new problem – how to control and collaborate this products.
seemingly overwhelming supply chain. • P rovide a process for the control and authorisation
for emergency blood requests. Certain hospitals and
With no internal process or system to address the doctors would abuse the emergency blood services
issues of control, the SANBS needed a dynamic partner provided by SANBS by declaring every order to be an
to assist and facilitate the collaboration between the emergency, driving up cost not only for SANBS but
various entities and create control through visibility so also for the patient.
that trends could be analysed and viewed in real-time • The solution would have to be inexpensive. SANBS
across the entire country. aims to spend most of its time and money on ensuring

18 the logistics news case study annual 2015