How eCapsule facilitates operations scaling and growth for Pharma Manufacturing

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions play a pivotal role in facilitating operational scaling and sustainable growth for pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. A 2022 study found that implementing ERP systems directly enhances the performance of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, improving their operational capabilities, production processes, and market competitiveness. Additionally, findings also indicated that ERP systems help facilitate internal procedures and boost departmental and staff cooperation.

Five Categories of Operational Scalability

Business process standardization

As businesses strive to expand their manufacturing capabilities, the need for standardized processes becomes increasingly crucial. ERP systems provide a centralized platform that integrates various business functions, including manufacturing, supply chain, quality control & quality assurance, and regulatory compliance. This integration ensures that processes are standardized across the organization, eliminating silos and promoting seamless information flow.

eCapsule, Archimedes Digital’s ERP solution, is built exclusively for pharmaceutical manufacturing of Finished dosage forms (like Tablets, capsules, etc.) keeping in mind the Good Manufacturing practices and compliance requirements of 21CFR Part 11 and 21CFR Part 210. Because of this, the process of manufacturing is standardized across all plants, preventing any inconsistencies and ensuring consistent product quality.

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Operational flexibility

Pharmaceutical manufacturing plants often contain detailed production plans that make use of manual labor and consume time and money. It becomes a hassle if there is ever a change in the production plan. However, ERP solutions allow the flexibility of altering and adjusting these plans depending on demand and priority requirements.

Furthermore, integrating manufacturing equipment with ERP systems is a game-changer for operational flexibility within the pharmaceutical industry. ERP solutions can interface seamlessly with various production equipment, enabling real-time data exchange that provides valuable insights for optimizing equipment utilization, preventive maintenance, and overall asset management.

eCapsule provides a plethora of reports and dashboards to the management, based on which they can take quick and meaningful decisions. For example, eCapsule can suggest available workstations/machinery for executing a batch operation, It can recommend a production plan based on the no. of sales orders available. The software is configurable for OSD (Oral Solid Dosage) manufacturing as well as liquid manufacturing plants.

Integration across the enterprise

Seamless integration across various functional areas is imperative for achieving operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and sustained growth in pharma manufacturing. ERP solutions, like eCapsule, have emerged as powerful catalysts for this integration, enabling organisations to unify processes, data, and systems into a cohesive ecosystem. This unified approach eliminates data silos and ensures that information flows seamlessly across departments, fostering transparency and enabling real-time decision-making.

eCapsule, which functions like an ERP, can integrate data from different departments like Purchase, Production, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Finance, Sales etc. When data from these different functions are collectively organized in a single system, it allows for data-driven decision making, improving both top line and bottom line for manufacturers.

It also provides a comprehensive view of operations, enabling manufacturers to identify bottlenecks, optimize resource allocation, and respond promptly to changing market demands. This not only reduces the risk of errors but also facilitates comprehensive reporting and analytics across the entire organization.

Reporting and visibility of information

ERP solutions have come to be known as powerful tools for enhancing reporting capabilities and providing unparalleled visibility into key operational data. By leveraging the reporting and analytics features of ERP systems, pharmaceutical manufacturers can gain invaluable insights, streamline decision-making processes, and maintain a competitive edge in the dynamic market. One of the fundamental advantages of ERP solutions is their ability to consolidate data from various functional areas into a centralized repository, through which pharmaceutical companies can generate comprehensive reports and analyze data, enabling informed decision-making and driving operational improvements.

They also contain real-time reporting and dashboards that are crucial for monitoring operations, identifying potential issues, and responding promptly to changing conditions. ERP systems like eCapsule offer user-friendly dashboards that provide at-a-glance visibility into key performance indicators (KPIs), production metrics, inventory levels, and quality control data.

Moreover, effective supply chain management is crucial for pharmaceutical manufacturers to maintain optimal inventory levels, minimize waste, and ensure timely delivery of products. ERP solutions offer comprehensive supply chain reporting capabilities, providing visibility into the entire production cycle that enables manufacturers to proactively identify potential supply chain disruptions, optimize procurement strategies, and maintain uninterrupted operations.

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Cost Control

Cost control is a critical factor for maintaining profitability, ensuring sustainable growth, and driving operational excellence in the pharma industry. Pharmaceutical manufacturers face a myriad of challenges everyday, including rising raw material costs, and companies are increasingly turning to ERP solutions to optimise costs across the entire value chain.

Effective inventory management is a significant contributor to cost control in pharmaceutical manufacturing. ERP systems provide real-time visibility into inventory levels, enabling manufacturers to maintain optimal stock levels and minimize waste. Inventory forecasting within ERP solutions also allow companies to accurately predict demand, reduce excess inventory, and optimize procurement strategies, freeing up the company’s working capital.

Furthermore, production planning and scheduling are important to maximize resource utilization and minimize operational costs. ERP solutions provide these capabilities that take into account various constraints such as material availability, equipment capacity, and regulatory requirements to help manufacturers increase throughput, reduce idle time, and improve overall operational efficiency, which ultimately translates into cost savings.

eCapsule also provides visibility on purchase price trends, enabling the company to identify the increases in the cost of raw materials and packing materials over a period of time. This can help the manufacturer avoid overspending on raw materials and overstocking inventory by recommending an optimal purchase quantity at all times. Moreover, it has a functionality of inventory reconciliation before creating a new purchase order. Using this, eCapsule can highlight the actual vs planned consumption of packing material, which helps avoid overstocking of excess packing material.

Conclusion

By leveraging the capabilities of ERP solutions like eCapsule, pharmaceutical manufacturers can streamline operations, adapt to changing market demands, maintain regulatory compliance, and drive sustainable growth while optimizing resources and minimizing costs.

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To learn more about how eCapsule can help drive business growth and operational excellence, write to us at [email protected]