The effect of transportation management on responsiveness of pharmaceuticals supply chain, a case of Ethiopian pharmaceuticals supply agency (epsa), south western cluster, Ethiopia

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of transport management onthe responsiveness of pharmaceuticals supply chain of EPSA, South western cluster. The study mainly was focused on examining the effect of transport management particularly on vehicles scheduling, route planning, vehicles maintenance, and vehicles tracking on the responsiveness of pharmaceuticals supply chain in the case of Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals supply agency of south western cluster (Jimma, Nekemte and Gambella branches).The design of the study was explanatory research methods.The target population from EPSA south western cluster includes three branches namely; Jimma hub with 64 staff’s, Nekemte hub with 57 staff’s, and Gambela hub with 34 staff’s as. These 3 hubs total staff’s i.e. 155 were used as the target population of thisstudy.Therefore112 respondents the sample size was fixed according to theYemane formula. In order to increase the response rate, the researcher had increased the sample size to 123(by adding ten percent of the sample size) persons. Out of the indicated number of respondents 113(91.9%) of them were provide response for this study. Both primary and secondary data collection approaches was used to conduct this study. Inferential statistics techniques, specifically correlation and multiple regression analyses was applied to tests whether the combined effect, of all the variables in the model, is different from zero. This study was also identified fleet and distribution management expertise of the agency significantly and positively interacts with transportation management of the agency in order to improve the responsiveness of pharmaceuticals supply chain EPSA South western cluster. However, the agency vehicle repair and maintenance should have to get a concern to be improved for sake of the significance. From the study it could be concluded that the EPSA South western cluster strive to enhance their responsiveness pharmaceuticals supply chain by ensuring maintaining/reduced the lead time, volume of product shipped for delivery, product mix, and order fulfillment. In order to reduce vehicle break down/idle time EPSA should have to establish repair and maintenance center at the cluster level. Currently all branches sent the vehicles for repair and maintenance/servicing at the center level. Thus, if the servicing sector found at the cluster level the vehicles had been a chance of to be repaired and maintained in a short time.