November 18, 2005 -- As concerns over avian influenza grow, a Maplewood-based manufacturer and other companies rush to meet the demand for air-filtering face masks - while warning that nothing is fail-safe...
How the just-in-time inventory management system would play out in an actual bird flu outbreak remains to be seen...
In a case of an actual outbreak of the avian flu, could there be a rush on masks? "Absolutely," said Scott Upp, the CEO of Integrated Warehousing Solutions, based in suburban Chicago.
A key benefit of the computerized supply chain, he said, includes companies knowing exactly where their products are, whether in the shipping department, in a truck somewhere or on a store shelf. That knowledge would allow companies to better target distribution of masks to certain cities, for instance, if the flu showed up in a specific location.
Upp's company recently helped the state of Ohio set up a system to manage distribution of vaccines and medical supplies, both for day-to-day needs and major disasters.
Supply chain data also allow companies to make predictions about customer demand based on past experience. "But there is no corresponding event in this circumstance," he said...
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