Werum IT Solutions: Vanguards of Pharma 4.0

Pharma 4.0, a new initiative to modernize the pharmaceutical industry following latest trends is already presenting new opportunities, innovative methods, and technologies that will improve quality and manufacturing efficiency. Whether it is big data, mobility, or software as a service, there are several buzzwords that are starting to take pharma industry to a whole new level. However, in order to gain a sustainable competitive advantage, pharma and biotech manufacturers need to ensure that they are not only following buzzwords but they are setting up a well- defined and integrated strategy to put in place IT platforms that deliver seamless data exchange. Powering the new pharma 4.0 paradigm is Werum IT Solutions, a key supplier to the industry that has established its place in this niche market with its out-of-the-box manufacturing execution systems (MES) and production-focused IT solutions dedicated to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.

Built specifically for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Werum’s MES software (PAS-X) allows clients to control, optimize, and manage the entire spectrum of business processes executed on the shop floor in full compliance with all the regulatory authority guidelines. Through PAS-X, pharmaceutical companies can operate a paperless manufacturing site with complete and compliant integration of all IT systems to deliver both manufacturing performance and better product quality. “More than 50 percent of the world’s top 30 pharmaceutical and biotech companies standardize on our software with more than 900 installations at factories around the globe,” states David Margetts, Managing Director of Werum IT Solutions.

According to Margetts, Werum’s MES acts as a cockpit for the entire manufacturing process as it controls each and every step of the production and the associated data that must be managed and recorded during the manufacturing process. Upon deploying PAS-X MES into a pharmaceutical factory, the operators, supervisors, and quality department gain instant access to all the necessary information wherever they are through screens and mobile devices. Built in controls such as what has to be produced, at what time and the right authorization of who can do what is ensured ultimately to speed and ease the critical task of releasing important pharma products to the market.

Werum’s MES software is based on “Right First Time and Review by Exception” principles to help users to process the mass of data quickly, to focus and identify issues directly with less resources and a higher level of quality. “Our customers gain huge business benefits such as shorter lead times, secure data entries, efficient equipment management, improved process security, and live monitoring of production by leveraging the MES solution,” says Margetts.

Margetts cites a case-study in Asia where AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical firm was looking for a solution that could replace their legacy ERP systems and IT solutions. Upon implementing Werum’s PAS-X, AstraZeneca was able to optimize their manufacturing process and reduce the high risks involved in maintaining legacy software in a good manufacturing practice environment. The highly standardized PAS-X MES allowed AstraZeneca to simply configure the systems without any need for custom software development and since its deployment has already extended the MES with our new Pharma 4.0 approaches such as voice recognition and instruction technology that allows for operators to work hands-free with the electronic system whilst still meeting all the special industry regulations.

The future holds even brighter prospects for Werum IT solutions. In terms of new solutions, Werum is en route to releasing the next-generation platforms integrated with the latest powerful Pharma 4.0 initiatives such as Augmented Reality that clients have piloted in commercial manufacturing today. “By delivering robust technology and best practices, we aim to help the pharmaceutical industry operate at world-class levels of performance today, and to win in tomorrow’s digital world,” concludes Margetts.