West Virginia Executive Spring 2017 | Page 63

diminishing costs,” says Bernardes. “As such, effective supply chain processes can signifi- cantly reduce health care costs while signifi- cantly contributing to patient care. In health care manufacturing, the production and distribution of complex medicines require a highly effective coordination and align- ment of raw material procurement manage- ment, inventory and supply chain planning, quality management systems, transportation management, logistics security and ethical and environmental compliance.” However, state policymakers and business leadership must join companies to forge the investment necessary to establish a state- wide innovation ecosystem that connects people, resources, policies and organiza- tions to productively translate new devel- opments into commercialized products and services. This is because it is estimated that over the next decade, 2 million domestic manufacturing positions may go unfilled due to a lack of skilled workers, as man- ufacturers increasingly focus on develop- ing and integrating advanced capabilities, artificial intellige