ANSTO digitises supply chain with SAP IBP

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has completed a nine-month SAP integrated business planning (IBP) rollout it says delivered $1 million in savings in the first six months.

In December 2021, the ANSTO began rolling out IBP to support the development, manufacturing and distribution of the 1215 radiopharmaceutical products it produces.

The science agency said digitising its supply chain management enabled it to better manage radiopharmaceutical supply agreements, and accurately schedule nuclear reactions that result in products with a short radioactive half-life.

This is particularly important for patients in regional areas travelling long distances for medical treatment.

ANSTO works to a rolling 24-month forecast so that even during shutdown periods, it can meet its mandate to supply radioactive products.

Digitising its supply chain management made that forecast process more formal and systematic, the organisation said.

Not only does this visibility help ANSTO to improve forecasting and scenario planning to maintain reliability of supply during disruptions, peak production periods and maintenance times, but it also supports a more transparent and reliable relationship with both customers and government. 

“As a statutory body of the Australian government, data integrity, transparency and governance are critical to ANSTO,” IBP senior manager Fernando Collazo said.

“By improving visibility and confidence in our data, SAP IBP provides a reliable single source of truth for our 24-month rolling forecast. 

“This will help us to transform our organisation, plan for the future and deliver savings to the taxpayer, while also boosting customer satisfaction, and enabling more Australians access to nuclear medicine."

Eliminating manual data entry and cross-checking “represents a lot of time and money that can now be invested back into nuclear research or delivering life-saving medical diagnostics and treatments.”

The ANSTO said better product allocation and import scheduling has saved it around $1 million, reduced planning time by 25 percent, and uncovered a $500,000 sales opportunity.

With the SAP IBP implementation bedded down, the agency is now planning an S/4 HANA upgrade beginning in 2024.