Pfizer Global Supply (PGS) produces over 23 billion doses of medicine annually across its network of 42 global sites.
Jonathan Weiss Shutterstock
In 2016, the division embarked on a journey to optimise operations and support Pfizer’s overarching purpose of “breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.” The goal was to revolutionise the company’s manufacturing operations, leveraging data-driven insights to drive world-class performance.
This initiative began with the leadership of the president of PGS. PGS’ network of facilities, stemming from more than 30 legacy pharmaceutical companies, relied on a wide range of systems and datasets, each with unique standards and protocols. As a result, obtaining actionable insights across the network was difficult, and modernising operations at the operational technologies (OT) level required a multi-year effort.
A blank-slate approach to digital transformation
In crafting its digital transformation strategy, PGS took a step back to thoroughly assess both its internal business challenges and the broader technological landscape within the pharmaceutical industry.
Mike Tomasco, vice president of digital manufacturing at Pfizer, said: “We said, OK, if we could take a blank slate and start over, what would this look like if we started today and we didn’t constrain ourselves to what we’ve been doing?”
This fresh approach, coupled with strong executive support, enabled the creation of an expansive vision and a strategy focused on delivering tangible value. Concurrently, a PGS operational excellence group was pursuing a lean manufacturing initiative to further refine and streamline its operations.
Tomasco continued: “When we got together, it was very quick for all of us to notice these things were complementary to one another and they enabled each other. The idea of creating a new organisational structure for how you want your plant to run, or new processes and codifying how standard work is done, could be greatly enhanced through digital capabilities.”
Significant achievements and future plans
Although the digital transformation journey is ongoing, PGS has already documented notable improvements in key operational areas. Among the successes are reductions in cycle time, enhanced manufacturing throughput, increased yield, and improved first-pass quality. Notably, at one manufacturing site alone, the digital transformation program contributed to the production of an additional 3 million doses of a product beyond its original 2019 target.
A key factor in the success of the program has been the organisation’s willingness to experiment with new ideas and embrace innovative solutions. Tomasco emphasised: “Every time someone comes to me with a wild idea, it’s typically a, ‘Yes, go try that.’ And oftentimes they don’t understand why we didn’t have a committee to try to decide that.”
While speed has been crucial in certain aspects, such as deploying remote collaboration tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has also demonstrated that digital transformation doesn’t always need to happen at breakneck speed. As Tomasco said: “You’ve got to methodically plan this out and think, in three years, how am I going to benefit from this? And that’s where we’re at now. We’ve been plotting out those foundational layers. And the ability and the rate and pace of what we can do now is going up exponentially, because we’ve taken the time to build that foundation.”
Looking ahead
As PGS continues its digital transformation efforts, the division remains focused on evolving its manufacturing capabilities to support Pfizer’s commitment to improving global health. By leveraging data and digital technologies, PGS is setting a new standard for pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, ensuring the company can continue to meet growing global demand for life-saving medicines while enhancing performance and efficiency across its network.