Bausch + Lomb Powers its Asia Distribution Hub in HK with Product-Level Visibility

Background 

Global supply chains are facing increasing disruptions — from geopolitics, climate risk and shifting demand patterns. For decades, Hong Kong has served as regional distribution hub underpinned by its aviation efficiency - speed of uplift, strategic location, and the infrastructure connectivity to move high-value and time-critical goods.

As Hong Kong advances its vision to strengthen the city's position as an international maritime centre and aviation hub, digitalisation tools that enhance supply chain visibility, connectivity and data flow will be increasingly important in driving operational efficiency and facilitating cross-border trade.

For many years, Bausch + Lomb (Hong Kong) has championed Hong Kong as its Asia regional distribution hub, managing multiple inbound & outbound shipments of high-value, temperature-sensitive products. Fluctuations in arrival schedules will affect inventory planning, product availability, and the responsiveness of its Asia distribution network.

However, their practice was resource intensive. The brand must acquire data from multiple parties and can only passively rely on overseas and local logistics providers for cargo hold, release, and shipment status — data that is often not up to date.

A critical gap also persists: these different parties track shipments only at the shipment level, using the Bill of Lading or Air Waybill as the primary identifier. As a result, Bausch + Lomb can only rely on manual checks and static data sources to know which specific SKUs within a shipment have arrived, cleared customs, and been released for distribution. For high-demand, short-shelf-life or temperature-sensitive products destined for specific Asian markets, this can make allocation decisions reactive rather than proactive.

GS1 Hong Kong assisted by integrating not only B2B data from the origin but also B2G data from the Airport Authority on a real-time basis. This has significantly enhanced Bausch + Lomb’s ability to pursue advance planning and greater flexibility in regional distribution.

In Hong Kong, Bausch + Lomb’s supply chain is equally agile, with contact lenses delivered in as little as half a day.

Solution 

To address visibility gaps, Bausch + Lomb deployed GS1 HK’s traceability platform ezTRACK, connecting product level trade data with cargo and shipment events across multiple parties to achieve end-to-end, product-level traceability and visibility.

Two supply chain visibility pilots were conducted: contact lenses from Amsterdam to Hong Kong, and pharmaceutical products from Tampa to Hong Kong.

Building a Digitally Connected Supply Chain

Bausch + Lomb products already carry GS1 DataMatrix and barcodes. That digital identity is the key that links shipment data with products across the supply chain.

Shipment information from multiple stakeholders is aggregated on a single platform- ezTRACK, including:

• Overseas order information
• Freight status information, Advance Shipment Notifications from GLS
• Shipment arrival status, cargo release information from the HKIA Cargo Data Platform, a community-based, digital ecosystem network developed by Airport Authority
• Local receipt confirmation data
• Product-level traceability

With end-to-end visibility from origin to receipt in product level on one platform, it empowers proactive monitoring, faster supply chain management and more agile decision-making. For pharmaceutical products, temperature records can be traced through serial numbers, providing an additional layer of assurance to protect product integrity, compliance and product safety.

Creating a Scalable Digital Foundation for Asia’s Distribution Hub

The greatest value of visibility lies not in simply knowing where a shipment is, but in knowing what action to take next. Through digitally connected information on ezTRACK, Bausch + Lomb can reduce manual tracking across platforms, improve workflow efficiency and enable a more agile Asia distribution operation.

This exchange of product-level shipment data is aligned with international aviation standards, including IATA ONE Record that promotes a digital data-sharing standard designed to replace fragmented data messaging in air cargo. When handling hazardous goods within healthcare logistics (such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, clinical trials, or infectious substances regulated by regional Departments of Health), ONE Record serves as a unified digital ecosystem to ensure compliance, transparency, and safety.

Benefits 

• Enabled SKU-level visibility of inbound shipments, allowing advance planning and prioritisation of urgently needed products for specific Asian markets.
• Enhanced supply chain responsiveness with faster replenishment decisions and improved product recall efficiency.
• Reduced the time required for manual tracking across multiple parties.
• Improved traceability and operational efficiency, which also complies with global traceability and aviation standards.
• Seamless Integration with HKIA cargo data platform and air freight cargo operating platform, enhancing data accuracy, connectivity and ecosystem-wide visibility.