On the road to maturity

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Automation brings with it a number of benefits, most of which are already well documented. Especially from a drug company’s point of view, these include traceability, system validation, trend analysis, improved repeatability of batch production and reduced human intervention on the process lines.

As Indian pharma industry becomes more globalised, automation is becoming vital to deliver products and services to the marketplace. For, automation could unlock full value of the business chain by connecting the plant floor to business systems and business systems to R&D, through clinical trials to commercial manufacturing. It holds the potential to bring in efficiency and increase productivity in the entire drug development cycle.

Already, the Indian pharmaceutical industry stands fourth largest in terms of volume and 13th in terms of value. The country has one of the lowest costs of manufacturing and is attracting R&D services and clinical trials as well.

On one hand, there is a paradigm shift for pharma companies focussed on local markets and now aiming to be connected with global markets. They are pursuing aggressive strategies to foray into new and under-served markets such as Japan, South Africa, EU and CIS countries and Latin America. On the other hand, the industry is witnessing price erosion and drying up of product pipelines. Little wonder then, there is a strong case for automation, which could play a vital role to facilitate processes that enable measurement and control.

While automation started and progressed slowly in the pharmaceutical industry, it has come to play an increasingly important role in keeping the industry moving ahead. “To reach out to newer markets and alliances and business opportunities, companies are faced with the hard fact that unless they improve their return on investments, comply with tough regulatory norms and enhanced safety requirements, they will miss the mark,” says JP Singh, president, Automation Industry Association (AIA).

According to Singh, companies, which earlier were competing with stand-alone equipment and lower production costs, are now looking at a new era in manufacturing. Today, competition is in terms of value chains, with a lot more emphasis on time and delivery cost to market. Manufacturing firms have to look at a scenario where they have to sense the customer’s need and respond immediately. Therefore, integrated automation in this situation has become a must, rather than a mere requirement, he adds.