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SYSPRO Case Study
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Functional Applications - Product Lifecycle Management Systems (PLM)
Applicable Industries
- Consumer Goods
- Pharmaceuticals
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Quality Assurance
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Process Control & Optimization
- Regulatory Compliance Monitoring
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
When Pharma Tech bought the Royston plant from Johnson & Johnson, the decision was quickly made to look for new software. Since historically the Royston plant was a J&J facility, it had been utilizing the current J&J software. However, the change in ownership prompted the need for a replacement ERP system, one that could accommodate the needs of a smaller, tighter business while helping the company achieve compliance with strict FDA requirements. Time was not a luxury Pharma Tech could afford during such a major transition. Pharma Tech is registered with the FDA for the production of Food, Drug and Medical Device products, and as such has established a Good Manufacturing Practices program that includes a mandatory Lot Traceability visibility. When the time came for a new ERP software, that was a primary consideration.
About The Customer
Since they opened the original plant in Union, MO, in 1972, Pharma Tech has been providing full-service contract manufacturing and packaging services to the pharmaceutical industry, specifically producing over-the-counter drugs. In 2005, however, the company added the Royston plant – and a cosmetics division – to the business, more than doubling the company’s size and tripling their square-footage. Most notably, they took over production of the world’s supply of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder. Pharma Tech provides various client services, from blending, milling, screening and classifying, to repackaging of bulk intermediates. Pharma Tech provides these services to both raw material suppliers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Between the two facilities the company today employs over 250 people. Explains Pharma Tech President, Carl Oberg, “Our Union plant produces over the-counter pharmaceuticals. Our Royston plant produces cosmetics. However, both must comply with FDA regulations and undergo periodic inspections by that body. Since Johnson’s Baby Powder is considered a ‘pharmaceutical,’ there is a high level of comfort and confidence in having the powder produced in Pharma Tech’s FDA controlled environment.”
The Solution
Pharma Tech selected the SYSPRO ERP solution for its long history with and dedication to the manufacturing industry, for its user-friendly functionality, for its capability to facilitate FDA compliance and for the speed at which it could be implemented. Kristin Brown, Pharma Tech’s customer service and planning manager, says that, “The SYSPRO STARS implementation methodology was also important to us, since we were on a very tight time schedule for going live.” Brown’s confidence, it turns out, was fully justified when the SYSPRO implementation was accomplished in less than four months. The SYSPRO Lot Traceability module is of paramount importance to the compliance requirements embedded in Pharma Tech’s day-to-day operations. The company needs to be able to trace each and every item going into and out of its facilities. The SYSPRO module allows Pharma Tech not only to track those items but also to track the inspection progress involving them.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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