Protecting with Purpose: The Supply Chain Behind the Mission

The COVID-19 pandemic was the ultimate stress test for global supply chains. For businesses that provide critical healthcare products, the stakes were unimaginably high. Demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) surged overnight, while lockdowns, transportation bottlenecks, and production hurdles created unprecedented distruption.

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For PRIMED, this crisis was not just a challenge to overcome - it was a moment to live up to our core promise: Protecting with Purpose. While many suppliers struggled, PRIMED's strategic foresight and agile response ensured a continuous flow of high-quality PPE to the frontline workers who needed it most.

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This is the story of how PRIMED's people and systems rose to the occasion - how a proactive, values-anchored approach carried us and our customers through a once-in-a-century disruption; how our China plant served as the anchor in the storm while new Canadian and Laos plants came online; how we engineered diversity and resilience into our network; how our stockpile program proved its value; and how cross-border teams turned pressure into performance.

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A Crisis on the Horizon: Early Signs and Immediate Concerns

Long before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, our teams noticed something was different. By December 2019, news of a novel virus was gaining attention. "With a lot of people talking about it, it definitely made us more aware that perhaps something was coming, maybe similar to what happened with H1N1," recalls Michael, a Manager on PRIMED's supply chain team.

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By mid-January, the signs became undeniable. Demand for PPE began to spike, particularly from distributor partners serving health authorities. While January is typically a busy month, this felt different. An unusual trend emerged: concerned Chinese citizens in Canada were purchasing PPE to send back to family members in China, where the outbreak was more advanced. This reversal of the typical supply flow was a clear warning.

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The primary concern was clear: ensuring a continuous and equitable supply of critical products. "Our biggest concern was how are we going to keep that continuous supply? We can't have operating rooms shutting down because they can't get their surgical tie masks," explains Irene, Director of North American Operations. The responsibility was immense. We had to honour our commitments to existing contract holders first before considering the flood of new requests from customers let down by other suppliers.

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The Anchor of Our Operations: The China Facility

As the crisis unfolded, PRIMED’s long-established manufacturing plant in China became the cornerstone of their initial response. While many companies faced uncertainty with overseas partners, PRIMED’s ownership of the facility - and the deep-rooted relationships between their Canadian and Chinese teams - provided a crucial advantage.

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Our China plant wasn't just a production site; it was a hub of expertise and collaboration. As demand soared, the team there worked tirelessly.

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"They were manufacturing at levels that we hadn't seen before,” says Sean, PRIMED’s Director of Forecasting & Planning.

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Operating in early 2020 demanded extraordinary coordination. Amid local restrictions and evolving export controls designed to prevent substandard products from leaving the country, our plant leaders secured the permissions required to keep lines running legally and safely. Our quality teams documented, verified, and re-verified compliance as labeling rules and documentary requirements changed, sometimes overnight. Plant leaders commuted through quarantine zones with special authorization. None of it was easy.

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The synergy between our teams in Canada and China was essential. We met in overlapping hours to compress decision cycles from days to minutes. Whether it was a packaging change to satisfy a new regulatory note, a colour substitution to keep lines moving, or a last-mile logistics reroute, we were solving it together, in real time.

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While the China plant anchored our production, we narrowed our catalogue to focus on essential items. To maximize output and navigate raw material shortages, we prioritized high-demand, high-protection items like our ASTM Level 3 face masks. This allowed us to maintain consistent supply of the most critical products for frontline workers.

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Building Resilience Through a Diverse Supply Chain

The pandemic exposed the fragility and vulnerability of supply chains built solely for efficiency. PRIMED responded with a clear strategy: geographic diversity, a robust supplier network, and proactive knowledge sharing must be a default - not the exception.

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"We had already identified the need to have a facility outside of China," Irene notes. The pandemic accelerated these plans, leading to the rapid establishment of first Canadian manufacturing facility, located in Cambridge, Ontario. While setting up a domestic facility was a massive undertaking, our team moved with incredible speed. "We mobilized quickly and effectively in securing the right equipment, the right facility, and the right people," says Michael. This move was a critical step in diversifying our manufacturing footprint and ensuring long-term supply security.

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Our diversification strategy also extended to our raw material sourcing. With multiple qualified suppliers, PRIMED avoided the crisis of quality that plagued many markets flooded with substandard goods. Thanks to our rigorous supplier qualification program and long-standing relationships, we were able to consistently secure high-quality materials, with our partners prioritizing us when demand skyrocketed - a trust built over 25 years.

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This diverse network proved invaluable during logistical disruptions like port strikes, wildfire-related rail delays, and the Suez Canal blockage. "If we knew something was a concern, we could plan to send our containers on vessels entering different ports," Michael says. This agility allowed us to reroute shipments and mitigate delays, ensuring products reached our customers.

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The Power of Preparation: PRIMED's Stockpile Program

One of our most effective risk-mitigation tools was our pre-existing stockpile program. This service allows customers to maintain a dedicated inventory of critical products, managed by PRIMED, ensuring access to fresh, reliable supply during emergencies. For clients who enrolled, the program was a lifeline.

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“You never want to have to draw on your stockpile, but it’s validating to see it in use and doing what it’s supposed to do,” says Irene.

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The pandemic revealed the pitfalls of self-managed stockpiles. Some customers, upon trying to access their emergency stockpiles, discovered products that were expired or unusable. In one case, a customer's self-managed 10-year-old stockpile required extensive re-testing before it could be deployed. "A stockpile is only effective if it's useable when you need it," Irene notes.

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Our program removes this burden from healthcare providers, allowing them to focus on patient care. We manage the inventory, rotate the stock to ensure it remains fresh, and provide peace of mind. Unsurprisingly, interest in the program has grown since the pandemic. Customers who previously stockpiled only one type of product, like masks, have expanded their agreements to include gowns and gloves, recognizing the importance of a comprehensive emergency supply.

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A Culture of Agility and Collaboration

Technology and processes are only as effective as the people behind them. Throughout the pandemic crisis, PRIMED’s greatest asset was its team. Our culture - defined by agility, collaboration, and a deep sense of shared purpose - was the engine that powered their response.

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"Honestly, I think that was the biggest thing that saved us," says Irene. "It was very all-hands on deck."

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With demand soaring and supply tightening, we quickly implemented a manual allocation process to ensure our contracted customers received their fair share - it was a meticulous, hands-on effort. "Every week I had a massive Excel file of every customer and every SKU in the country," recalls Sean. This process ensured no single order could deplete inventory, safeguarding supply for all our hospital partners.

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Our team members demonstrated incredible flexibility. Roles shifted overnight. Irene, for example, moved from Marketing to Operations to help manage the allocation process. "We had people step out of their usual roles and take on something totally new that they had never trained for," she says. "Tactical Tiger Teams" were formed to tackle emerging challenges with speed and precision.

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Long hours, often 12 to 14-hour days, became the norm. To sustain morale while working remotely, our Social Committee costed virtual events. These moments of connection helped integrate many new hires who joined during this intense period.

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This collaborative spirit enabled monumental achievements, including chartering our won flights to transport PPE - something we've never done before. The successful opening of our Cambridge facility was another testament to our teamwork. These accomplishments were possible because our team was united by our core values: collaboration, respect, agility, fearlessness, trustworthiness, and innovation.

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The Legacy of the Pandemic: A New Era for Supply Chain

The COVID-19 crisis fundamentally changed the perception of supply chain management. What was once a background function is now in the global spotlight. “Pre-pandemic, [the supply chain] was something that happened in the background. You ordered your product, you got your product,” Irene reflects. “Now, everybody talks supply chain.”

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This shift is evident in how our customers approach procurement - RFPs and contracts now include extensive sections on supply chain security, transparency. At PRIMED, our processes have evolved to meet these new standards. We have built out our forecasting and planning capabilities, creating a more robust system that allows us to react effectively when the system is stressed. There is no such thing as a "fail-safe" supply chain, but by understanding risks, building a diverse network of partners, and maintaining open communication, we can create a system that bends without breaking.

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If you ask us what supply chain excellence means at PRIMED, the answer is unchanged in spirit and sharper in practice: delivering consistently high-quality protection, no matter the headwinds. Today, it means a diversified footprint, a living stockpile program, multiple suppliers, cross-functional skills, and staff that respond with speed and integrity. Our vision is bold and simple: protect 100 million people every day. Supply chain helps make that vision a reality.

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Looking Forward: Our Unwavering Commitment

When we look back on the pandemic, we are immensely proud of how our team acted with integrity and a profound sense of duty. We could not say yes to every opportunity, but whenever we could step in to help, even in small ways, we did, standing by our healthcare community members when it really mattered.

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While demand and the cost to produce was at an all-time high, we honoured our commitments and chose to refrain from price spikes, keeping prices fair for our customers. “We really tried to keep all of our commitments and be honourable in the work that we were doing,” says Irene. “That's something that I'm very proud of.”

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Supply chain excellence is trust made tangible. It’s the surgeon who doesn’t postpone a case because masks didn’t arrive. It’s the nurse who puts on a glove without wondering if it will tear. It’s the hospital that operates through a port strike without missing a beat.

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The pandemic reinforced our purpose. “Coming into work every day is making a difference in people's lives,” says Michael. That is what we mean by Protecting with Purpose. It’s a promise that guided us through the darkest days of the pandemic and continues to drive us forward as we pursue our vision.

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That is what we will keep delivering — storm or calm, next quarter or next crisis.