Playing the long game: EPM discusses I Holland's success
With the company having marked 70 years in business, EPM sits down with I Holland’s sales and marketing director, Javier Raposo, to find out the secrets to long-term success in the pharma sector
What's been the key to your success over the last 70 years?
I Holland has been so successful over the past 70 years for a number of reasons. We work very closely with our customers to understand their challenges in production, and provide them with continuous support in every aspect of manufacture, from the tablet design through added-value tooling solutions, to press set-up and tooling lifecycle management.
The team have a wealth of experience and knowledge in the art of making punches and dies for tabletting, which helps to make the brand so successful. We supply an incomparable service to customers globally and it is this attention to our customers’ needs that has helped in our success.
Innovation is another key to the success of the company. The vision of I Holland has always been to be tablet manufacturer’s preferred choice as the market leading provider of innovative tablet tooling and complementary equipment, which is underpinned by our understanding of tabletting science. We work hard to ensure we can provide the most innovative products and solutions on the market, as demonstrated by the broad range of specialty coatings used to address the most common problems in tabletting such as sticking, corrosion and abrasion.
How has your market changed in that timeframe?
Innovations introduced by leading tablet tooling, tablet presses and pharmaceutical manufacturers have multiplied to keep pace with the ever-growing demand from developing markets to produce tablets for the masses.
During the past 70 years, the requirement for higher productivity and efficiency, whilst maintaining top quality tablets, has grown steadily. However, the difference in the last decade is the request for ever shorter lead times. Time to market is now a deal breaker.
These growing demands have led I Holland to always keep one step ahead of the market and to be innovative in its approach so requirements are always met.
How do you see it evolving further?
Developing countries are aligning with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and regulatory demands, and production volumes in these countries are growing quickly. The developing world must comply to these GMP and regulatory requirements in order to market their products globally. This will require major investment in upgrading manufacturing facilities and we are working in these countries to help them develop their processes and products.
Developed countries are under more pressure to be efficient and cost effective. It is through innovative solutions like our recently released XDF (eXtended Dwell Flat) that will help in this drive.
XDF is a novel patented elliptical head form which has been designed to increase dwell time on existing presses without the need for expensive modifications. As the importance of increased productivity continues to grow, XDF can give users higher press speeds for challenging products and formulations, enhancing tablet compaction and cohesion.
What motivates your employees?
The challenge of solving problems in partnership with our customers while covering the world and the associated cultural impact in doing so. Our knowledgeable team strive to keep one step ahead and to ensure tablet manufacturers globally receive the product and service that will ultimately help to improve production. It is this forward thinking attitude that motivates our employees.
What are the big challenges to maintaining a competitive edge?
It is tough to get to the top and much tougher to remain there. As the leader in our field we want to keep ahead of the competition and do so by providing excellent customer service and innovative solutions, fast. We are continually working on developing our products so we can always provide the best solution for our customers’ challenges.
Are customer needs changing? How so?
Today the same stringent quality requirements that have always characterised the pharmaceutical industry apply; the big difference is the increasing pressure on lowering costs and shortening production times. This calls for an approach that looks at ways to improve production from end to end, through durable tablet tooling and the associated maintenance equipment that go hand in hand.
What are your personal ambitions for the company?
Personally, I strive to meet the corporate vision of being recognised as the leading supplier and setter of industry standards. Through the provision of advanced tooling that makes better quality tablets affordable, we are also contributing to treating health conditions and improving the life of millions of people worldwide which makes me proud of working at I Holland.