On the way to the factory of the future in the pharmaceutical sector

The parties declare their willingness to cooperate in implementing the concept of the Factory of the Future, which is the digitization of industrial processes in the entire value chain of pharmaceutical production, starting from the laboratory, through planning and execution of production cycles, machinery and equipment servicing, condition monitoring and failure prediction, minimization of downtimes, optimization of processes, quality and safety control as well as training and development of production employees. The Memorandum provides for Polpharma to take steps to fit into the concept of Industry 4.0. The Microsoft Factory of the Future vision assumes among others the use of technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things, Industrial Automation, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, Digital Twin or Blockchain to improve the efficiency of business processes.

“Digitization is an important element of the transformation of Polpharma Group. On one hand it will help us provide valuable solutions for patients, which are a combination of pharmaceuticals and new services, and on the other – it will allow us to increase the flexibility and business agility of our organization. Digital technologies in the production process have a huge potential, because they affect the efficiency of production, and thus increase the competitiveness of Polpharma as the largest producer of medicines in Poland “- says Markus Sieger, President of the Polpharma Group.

“We are witnessing the digital transformation of the healthcare sector, where the patient and his needs are at the center. This positive change is possible thanks to the potential of using cloud computing technology and artificial intelligence. By combining the strength of Microsoft technologies and innovative solutions of our partners, we support the Polpharma Group in more efficient use of resources and building new market opportunities in digital times” – emphasizes Mark Loughran, General Manager of the Polish Microsoft branch.

The MoH opens up the possibility of creating competence centers in the area of advanced analytics of large data sets, predictive operations and cognitive services. It also assumes cooperation between the Polpharma team and Microsoft in the area of Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence.

The parties also intend to search, test and implement digital solutions in order to continuously improve the entire organization of the Polpharma Group, its business, operational and office processes. It includes, among others, applications of Robotic Process Automation technology.

“We focus already today on process automation, the use of robotics in our facilities, and organization support through advanced data analytics. We are on the right track to become a factory of the future. We do not care about having gadgets, but useful tools that are most suited to the needs of our business, “adds Markus Sieger.

The agreement also provides for joint actions to create a digital workplace using Microsoft Applications and Services.