DHL Supply Chain Enables Avanos Medical's Transformation Into a Pure-Play Medical Device Company

DHL Supply Chain, the Americas leader in contract logistics and part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has assumed logistics management responsibilities for Avanos Medical's U.S. distribution network. Avanos Medical, Inc. (NYSE: AVNS) is a medical device company delivering clinically superior solutions that improve quality of life and help patients get back to the things that matter.

The road to a new distribution network began in 2018, when Avanos began its transformation into a pure-play medical device company. Avanos found its ideal partner in DHL Supply Chain, the largest 3PL to the Life Science & Healthcare industry, with its proven healthcare experience, unmatched operational excellence, and track record of leading innovation through a culture of continuous improvement. DHL Supply Chain's ability to optimize the network and deploy proven, productivity-enhancing technology quickly has allowed Avanos to achieve greater productivity and maximize warehouse storage utilization for a wide range of medical devices.

DHL's solution leveraged 65,000 square feet of an existing multi-client facility in Las Vegas, Nev. and a new 129,000-square-foot dedicated site in Southaven, Miss. The new sites meet the strict quality assurance and regulatory requirements of medical devices to include duly licensed and temperature-controlled storage. Key to Avanos' 2019 strategy, a compressed and accelerated implementation schedule was necessary to avoid potential conflicts with a parallel global ERP implementation. Both sites were implemented within eight weeks of each other and nearly four months ahead of schedule.

"This was only possible through the close operating partnership that has developed between our companies," said Joe Vidricksen, Vice President of Supply Chain for Avanos Medical, Inc. "We partnered with DHL Supply Chain because of their proven ability to provide greater efficiency, cost certainty, and enhanced customer service across our supply chain. Through their network and process design expertise, we are able to deploy several new and emerging technologies, which help us do what we really care about, providing life-saving products to our customers and their patients. DHL Supply Chain and Avanos have set a benchmark for partnerships between third-party logistics and medical device companies."

"Our extensive experience in implementing solutions for Life Science & Healthcare customers and partnerships with emerging technology providers put us in a unique position to quickly deliver proven, productivity-enhancing solutions and data-driven insight to our customers," said Scott Cubbler, President of Life Sciences & Healthcare at DHL Supply Chain. "We are excited to help Avanos deliver consistently high customer service levels and unprecedented efficiency through our innovative storage solution and vision-assisted picking technology. These solutions maximize the available capacity of the distribution footprint, enable growth, and speed up the picking process while ensuring accuracy."

Media Contact:
Nicole Porter
DHL Supply Chain
(614) 865-8437
nicole.porter(at)dhl(dot)com

50 Years DHL
In 2019 DHL is celebrating 50 years since the company's founding by three entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 1969. DHL began as a disruptor to the traditional delivery industry, circumventing bureaucracy with an innovative new service to deliver documents by air overnight. Since then, DHL has grown into a globe-spanning family of DHL companies with about 380,000 employees in over 220 countries and territories that covers the entire spectrum of logistics and supply chain services. DHL's customer-centricity and can-do culture have fueled five decades of innovation - from the DHL 1000, one of the first word processing computers in the world, to using the purpose built StreetScooter, an environmentally friendly delivery vehicle powered by an electric drive and developed by Deutsche Post DHL Group. With the Mission 2050 commitment to reach zero group-wide emissions by 2050, DHL is continuing to be a trailblazer in the logistics industry.

DHL - The logistics company for the world
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as "The logistics company for the world".

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 61 billion euros in 2018.

About Avanos
Avanos is committed to addressing the most important healthcare needs, such as reducing the use of opioids while helping patients move from surgery to recovery. Avanos develops, manufactures, and markets its brands in more than 90 countries across the globe.