Manufacturing reports: Going paperless

The pharmaceutical industry is gradually transitioning from paper-based records to new technologies to manage operations. Our manufacturing expert, Christian Fortunel, has been featured in Innovations in Pharmaceutical Technology discussing how manufacturing execution system (MES) technology can help to achieve business benefits and drive efficiencies in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Fortunel explains that there are a number of limitations associated with the use of traditional paper-based systems, including the high cost of documentation errors and potential downtime, lack of information visibility and a lengthy recording procedure.

In contrast, MES technology provides real-time data capture, saving time whilst also ensuring accuracy. These systems also help to bridge the communication gap between automation systems and enterprise resource planning systems, which many pharma manufacturers use to control the manufacturing process and manage the supply chain respectively. This allows materials and information to flow smoothly through the facility, which explains the increased adoption of MES technology.

So, the benefits are clear but how can you make the transition?

Making the move to electronic reporting need not be as daunting as it initially sounds and Fortunel explains four phases to success: justifying a project; planning a project; initiating implementation; and go-live and evaluation.

Read the full article on pages 12-15 of Innovations in Pharmaceutical Technology to learn more about the benefits of MES and how to make the transition to using the technology successfully.