Machines, reagents, spare parts: How the diagnostics industry manages supply chains for blood tests

By the time Hanoz Tarapore starts his working day, Australia is already past lunch, and Korea is at lunchtime. His mornings begin with local teams and logistics partners, then Europe, and finally the US. As he puts it, “I practically travel across the world on a team's call every day.”

In this Leaders Speak interview with Libin Chacko Kurian, the Country Supply Chain Head for ASEAN, Korea, Australia and New Zealand at QuidelOrtho explains what it takes to keep diagnostic supplies moving across very different markets.

The work involves three distinct product groups: machines, reagents and consumables, and spare parts. Each brings its own challenges, from expensive equipment and short shelf lives to parts that may sit unused for months but become essential when a machine breaks down.

Geography adds another layer. In Australia, engineers carry spare parts in their cars to support widely dispersed customers, making inventory visibility difficult. In Indonesia and the Philippines, deliveries can involve island hopping while protecting the cold chain through every handoff.

Managing these differences also means trusting people on the ground. “I follow servant leadership style,” Hanoz says. He explains how he equips local teams to make decisions without waiting for him, using a framework that puts compliance and patient impact ahead of cost.

That approach carries into his response to disruption. Drawing on the Middle East crisis and lessons from Covid-19, he discusses working closely with freight forwarders, finding alternative routes and keeping customers informed. He also explains where technology helps, when people need to step in, and how shelf life, shipment volume and airport access influence the choice between air and sea.

Throughout the conversation, Hanoz returns to the responsibility behind every shipment: “There is a patient at the other end of it.” His challenge to logistics partners is simple: would they trust the product they are handling for a test on their own family member?