Pfizer’s a global roll out of a shared services business system is being delivered to tight time scales with complex interfaces to local systems.
ABB was called in when Pfizer wanted to improve their processes and to deliver several software releases within a year. Using the existing techniques the team would have been completely overloaded.
The Pfizer Shared Services Building in Dublin
This work is jointly estimated to have resulted in an annual cost reduction of €1.25M. Five major software releases were successfully delivered in the year. Pfizer has also benefited from streamlined business processes and compliance with pharmaceutical and SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) regulations.
ABB provided validation, quality and business process improvement consultancy to assess and improve existing processes and then deliver these on each of the new releases. ABB worked with Pfizer’s team to embed them into normal operation so that it would be reproduced reliably when ABB completed its assignment.
Feedback was excellent from the Indian team
One of Pfizer’s key goals was to effectively outsource key activities to their Indian office. The Indian team were technically very able, but did not have a pharmaceutical quality culture. ABB developed training and improved documentation for effective knowledge transfer. ABB then coached the Indian team and provided second line support and auditing to ensure that processes were carried out effectively and efficiently.
Joe Calme, Validation and Audit Manager, said “ABB provided the support we needed to successfully complete a busy project schedule while at the same time implementing several improvements in our process. Combined with the off-shoring of resources, trained by ABB, our savings objectives will be comfortably met.”