Supply chain authority helps develop glocalization in consumer health industry

Photo courtesy of Michal Cukier

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When Reckitt acquired Schiff Nutrition in 2012 for $1.4 billion, the consumer health industry watched skeptically. Critics questioned how a hygiene-focused conglomerate could integrate a vitamin giant with brands like MegaRed and Airborne. Over a decade later, the answer lies in a procurement-led movement that rewired global supply chains while facing pandemics, shipping crises, and volatile demand.

From pills to powerhouse: the Schiff integration playbook

The merger demanded more than rebranding—it required reinventing Reckitt’s supply chain DNA. Michal Cukier’s team led the absorption of Schiff’s operations, centralizing procurement for critical ingredients like krill oil while deploying SAP and 

Trackwise systems across multiple manufacturing sites. 

“We were fusing two supply chain philosophies together. The equivalent of trauma surgery,” Cukier notes. This drive resulted in a 22% reduction in material costs within 18 months, achieved by consolidating suppliers and renegotiating contracts under a unified category strategy.

This integration became a blueprint for Reckitt’s global ambitions. By 2019, the newly formed Schiff Vitamins division launched a brain health supplement using the same procurement framework, slashing time-to-market by 30% compared to legacy processes. The division now contributes over $850 million annually to Reckitt’s health portfolio, proving that strategic sourcing could drive both savings and innovation.

Localizing lifelines: the Mucinex migration

While competitors clung to offshore manufacturing, Cukier’s team executed a radical shift. In 2023, Reckitt finalized a $500 million investment to relocate Mucinex production from the UK to a retrofitted Mexico City plant acquired from Bristol-Myers Squibb. The move wasn’t just geographical—it required rebuilding the drug’s entire supply web. Local suppliers were secured for 78% of raw materials, from guaifenesin active ingredients to blister packs.

The impact was immediate. Lead times for Mucinex tablets dropped from 12 weeks to 8, with liquid formulations following suit. When COVID-19 triggered unprecedented cold medicine demand in 2024, the Mexico site operated at 150% capacity, avoiding the shortages that plagued rivals. 

“Proximity became our pandemic armor,” Cukier states. The plant now exports 90% of its output to the U.S., leveraging USMCA trade terms to bypass port logjams that still delay 30% of pharma imports.

Building bridges: talent and tomorrow’s supply chains

Behind these successes is a far less visible legacy—cultivating procurement leaders. Cukier’s mentorship program at Reckitt has propelled 15 proteges into executive roles across the industry, including alumni now shaping supply chains at J&J and Becton Dickinson. Such focus on human capital only further aligns with his latest venture: Procurify Partners, a consultancy advising firms on FDA-compliant sourcing and carbon-neutral logistics.

Among his core beliefs, Cukier teaches his team that while nearshoring and localization methodologies might not seem as the most effective at first sight, they can be very beneficial in the long run.

“Globalization is no more. Glocalization is the new globalization —it’s about building supply chains that heal, protect, and endure,” says Cukier.

He explains his sourcing approach on how businesses should circumnavigate challenges, by balancing global sourcing and local availability of critical supplies to improve supply chain resilience, and mitigate threats, in his article “Glocalization: The path for navigating a volatile global supply chain.”

As trade wars escalate and climate disruptions intensify, Reckitt’s playbook offers a counterintuitive lesson. True resilience emerges not from stockpiling, but from strategically interlinked networks where procurement acts as the central nervous system. With Procurify Partners now advising 20+ health brands, Cukier’s model is becoming industry canon—proof that even in chaos, supply chains can be engineered to thrive, with the right leadership.

“The future belongs to networks, not nodes,” Cukier concludes. “One plant fails? Five others compensate. One supplier falters? Ten stand ready. That’s how modern medicine gets made.”For those ready to reshape procurement strategy, Cukier’s book trilogy “The Procurement Journey” is a mandatory read. In his series, the thought leader in procurement transformation offers insights into automation, sourcing transparency, and how sustainable procurement strategies have influenced business leaders worldwide. The impact of his findings is remarkable, spelling the future of procurement as a whole.

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