Malpiedi's organization focuses on distribution and customer service processes on a worldwide basis. BD's South Latin America region illustrates just how effectively BD has been able to engineer its supply network for better service. In the past, it would sometimes take 30 to 40 days to get supplies to hospitals serving more than 2 million people. Gerry Barbosa, President, BD-South Latin America, says that BD associates there undertook a turnaround. Drawing on Genesis, BD's global enterprise resource planning system, they created a Customer Relationship Management system to serve some 300 hospitals and negotiated better contracts with local transportation companies. As a result, they brought those 30 to 40 days down to five to ten. In addition to better service for customers, BD benefits through lower costs and increased inventory turns. BD's operational capabilities allow the Company to respond to efforts by many governments, particularly in developing countries, to expand access to lower cost healthcare, says Laureen Higgins, President, BD-North Latin America. "BD won't compromise quality," she says, "so, we have to manage our total cost to serve. From raw material to delivery of finished products, we look at the entire supply chain. That's where Genesis, Six Sigma, Lean business processes and all of our other tools and systems are improving efficiency and lowering costs. There's not one business process where we aren't doing something to signifi- cantly enhance access to lower cost healthcare."

Enhancing widely varying medical practices
Innovative solutions come from knowing customer needs intimately. Ellen Cunniff, President, BD-Asia-Pacific, explains that in Asia, the traditional practice is to draw blood with a needle and syringe instead of an evacuated tube. While nurses feel they are better able to tell when they are in a vein, this technique can affect the chemistry of the blood test. In response, BD's R&D team in Singapore developed the flashback needle and introduced it in China. Practitioners found it was easier to use and gave them the visual feedback they wanted, while patients said it was less painful. The product is now in heavy demand throughout the region–Singapore General converted the entire hospital–and BD in Asia-Pacific is manufacturing it for other regions. While enhancing local and regional medical practices, that kind of insight also plays an important role as BD addresses some of today's most pressing global healthcare issues, including healthcare worker and patient safety, immunization in developing countries, and drug discovery. But perhaps nothing better demonstrates the passion that BD people feel than the fight against two pervasive global diseases: diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

The story of Carlos Lasiloo, highlighted here, reflects BD's in-depth understanding of diabetes. Already the worldwide leader in insulin injection systems–BD introduced the first syringe specifically for insulin injection in 1924–BD entered the field of blood glucose monitoring in 2002. Over many years, BD also developed educational materials for people with diabetes and healthcare providers. Building on this long-standing involvement with the disease, BD launched the BD Diabetes Makeover program in 2004 to demonstrate that a holistic approach to treatment can have a measurable impact on the lives of people with diabetes. It has for Carlos, who says, "I've learned that you need to exercise daily, eat smaller portions throughout the day and schedule your insulin doses regularly. Not only is my blood glucose level down, I feel much better."