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This is part of a case series. 2014 was an unprecedented year for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). With 384 projects around the world, the organisation's operating capacity was pushed to the limit as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa consumed vast quantities of the organisation's time, money and people. As the Ebola outbreak persisted throughout the year, medicines and non-medical equipment were proving increasingly difficult to procure and distribute in the region. The availability of trained people also sharply declined as the response exhausted all of the experienced and qualified staff available. The situation became so desperate that fieldworkers, with just two days of training and no previous first-hand experience of the disease, were being sent to strengthen the teams trying to contain the outbreak. MSF's specialist supply chain operations in Brussels, Bordeaux and Amsterdam struggled too to keep up with demand and a total of EUR104 million was spent by MSF during the response. Yet, MSF was on the receiving end of much criticism and blame for what was perceived, initially, to be an 'alarmist' response to the unfolding disaster. MSF, founded in 1971, today receives an income of approximately EUR1.5 billion and conducts operations in almost half of all countries worldwide. Within 15 years of the organisation's foundation in 1971 MSF was outgrowing its capacity to respond with the existing facilities for handling goods. With medical staff not-only working on the roles they were recruited for, but also managing the in-country logistics, a dedicated supply chain and logistics operations was needed and eventually established in the mid-1980s. Today, the management of MSF's international supply chain and logistics operations extends to five countries in Europe, East Africa and the Middle East. The organisation manages a complex network of suppliers, for a large range of products comprising medicines and non-medical equipment, procured both nationally and internationally, and responds to the most challenging humanitarian emergencies worldwide. In 2014, the West Africa Ebola outbreak tested this capability beyond the limit of anything in the organisation's history.