Smooth and efficient transfer of production sites for a medical company

At a glance

Lanark supported the split-up and transfer of production sites for 2 large medical companies. The involved supply chain engineer was responsible for establishing a smooth and efficient transfer, with no impact on end customers.

The challenge?

A global leader in eye care and a global pharmaceutical company decided to split up their joint production facilities. It required transferring the production of certain items from one site to another. This not only impacted the actual production and physical distribution, but also all regulatory aspects of producing medical items.

Lanark’s solution

Together with the Lifecycle Manager, the Lanark supply chain engineer was responsible for daily internal coordination with various stakeholders, including production planning, compliance, and regulatory. This also involved monthly alignment meetings with other production sites in different countries.

The main objective was to ensure that the product remained identical to what it was prior to the transfer. To guarantee this, the compliance team carried out various tests, taking months to years to complete. Before any product could be shipped to a specific country, the country needed to submit a file to its respective public health authority. In addition, the artwork needed to be adjusted to reflect the new production situation, ensuring the correct company names were mentioned and all country regulations were met.

The transition phase carried a risk of stock-out and was therefore highly dependent on the speed with which local public health approved the submitted file. Proper alignment between the current and future production sites was a must. The Lanark supply chain engineer coordinated with the different sites to match stock and ensure a smooth transition period.

For medical companies, moving production from one site to another not only impacts the actual physical flow and logistics, but also the packaging, regulations and compliance. This requires close collaboration between all production sites and involved countries to facilitate a smooth transition.

“By proactively discussing stock levels and possible out-of-stock risks, impacted countries were able to manage their inventory levels and, as such, bridge any gap during the transition phase.”

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