Tulip Operations Calling 2024 Event Brief
Axendia recently participated in Tulip Operations Calling™ 2024. The annual conference brings together industry leaders and professionals to celebrate and support the transformative journey of the manufacturing industry. The vision is to redefine the manufacturing landscape by harnessing powerful, user-centric, and domain-specific technologies.
This year, the event attracted over 500 attendees, 67 thought leaders from over 30 companies sharing insights, as well as 28 ecosystem partners showcasing their integrations with Tulip.
The event also featured a Life Sciences track including participation from:
During his opening keynote, Natan Linder, co-founder and CEO of Tulip, provided a forward-looking vision of the evolution of operations management and the advancements in composable architecture.
Marking a decade of innovation, Tulip continues to redefine how industries approach frontline operations. Linder’s remarks covered the past, present, and future of manufacturing, emphasizing the company’s success in diverse sectors and unveiling the latest technological advancements, including the launch of the Composable MES for Pharma.
Addressing Operation Complexity with Composability
Despite these achievements, Linder emphasized that operational complexity has not diminished. “Operations have been extremely hard, and even 10 years in with all this technology, it is not getting easier,” he noted, citing issues like supply chain disruption, labor shortages, and the global need to scale factories. He explained that while new technologies—such as AI and automation—have made huge strides, the real challenge is integrating these advancements into operations efficiently. “We know what to do. We just need the tools and architectures to do it,” Linder remarked.
The Solution: Composable Architecture
Central to the keynote was the unveiling of Tulip’s vision for a composable architecture, which Linder described as essential for digital transformation. He likened Tulip’s role to that of a “quarterback” guiding the game: “We’re here to give you the architecture to push all your game plays.”
According to Linder, composable systems offer the flexibility and speed required for rapid deployment, allowing organizations to build and modify production systems based on their specific needs. He urged attendees to embrace this approach, saying, “You either compose or decompose your architecture. If you are not working on a composable architecture, you are likely working on some sort of decomposition of your current system.”
Changing The Digital Transformation Paradigm at Roche
Daniele Iacovelli, SVP, Global Head of Digital, Analytics & Operational Excellence at Roche shared how he is changing the Digital Transformation paradigm! “My organization is integrating Digital, AI and Operational Excellence, combining Tech Innovation with Augmented Human Capabilities to drive better Experiences & Outcomes.”
Daniele rewrote the rules for Digital Transformation. He shared how he designed & built a Digital & AI organization from the ground up based on these eight personal digital imperatives of continuous improvement:
- VALUE forward vs. Technology backward: Daniele stresses the importance of focusing on creating value through digital transformation rather than being preoccupied with technology or isolated use cases. He introduces the concept of ‘value pools,’ which are clusters of use cases that lead to a significant shift in business operations, emphasizing the need to prioritize and realize value from these pools.
- Innovators dominate headlines, but scalers dominate markets: Innovations must be scalable to generate real value. Daniele discusses the need for an operating model and governance that supports scaling rather than having numerous isolated proofs of concepts or pilots.
- Building Data & Digital products vs playing with toys: Building Data and Digital Products: Moving beyond experimenting with tools to creating solutions that deliver value. Daniele highlights the transition from playing with ‘toys’ to developing digital products and services that benefit the organization-.
- Triple transformation requires blending of Digital, IT & OE: Integrating these elements is crucial for transforming the organization and creating new ways of working. Daniele’s organization reflects this blend, which is necessary for significant impact.
- Data is knowledge, knowledge is power: Making data accessible and reusable is essential for informed decision-making. Daniele discusses the challenges of making data available and the time it takes, but also the importance of data products that feed multiple use cases.
- Workforce of the future – everyone will have its own GenAI co-pilots/ tutors: AI should assist and enhance human capabilities, not replace them. Daniele shares an example of a ‘Gen iBot’ that aids in quality deviation processes, predicting root causes while leaving the final decision to human analysts.
- The best companies will be the best testers: In a regulated environment like pharmaceuticals, it is not enough to build solutions; they must be tested and validated. Daniele emphasizes the importance of this process.
- Continuous Improvement needs an upgrade: Daniele’s CI 4.0 formula: Continuous improvement strategies must adapt to the digital environment. Daniele shares his formula for continuous improvement, which includes rapid wins, consistency, recovery, and progressive overload, while minimizing friction and resistance.
Daniele reinforced the importance human involvement in digital transformation, stating that it requires business understanding, technology innovation, and the augmentation of people.
Composables MES APP Suite for Pharma
One of the most exciting parts of Linder’s presentation for Life Science organizations was the launch of the Composable MES for Pharma platform, specifically designed to accelerate digital transformation in GxP environments.
Linder acknowledged that building a composable architecture in the Life Sciences environment is uniquely challenging: “You have to figure out how every piece of the operation talks to each other, from Weigh and Dispense to packaging, eBRs, line clearances—everything needs to come together. Yet, Tulip has risen to the challenge, creating a platform capable of supporting fully validated processes for pharmaceutical manufacturing.”
Tulip’s Composable MES for Pharma, a foundational set of downloadable apps and a common data model, aimed at enabling companies to deploy faster, ensure compliance, and streamline operations across various regulatory processes. This offering brings intuitive, guided MES and eBR functionality to the frontlines of pharmaceutical operations, supported by robust governance and validation features. Linder shared that the system supports both discrete and hybrid operations, adding, “Today, what we are showing is how you take the composable MES approach and apply it in regulated environments like pharma. This is incredibly hard, but we have built something that will transform the way operations work in this industry.”
With process-agnostic templates that leverage practices distilled from partnerships with dozens of forward-thinking life science customers, the Composable MES intends to make it easier for pharmaceutical manufacturers to implement composable solutions to support accelerated batch release and improve quality while ensuring compliance.
These app templates serve as building blocks that companies can swiftly adapt, facilitating quicker implementation, reduced development costs, and enhanced operational agility. Each app is built on a qualified platform and can be validated for intended use ensuring manufacturers address the challenges of pharmaceutical operations while reducing the burden of validation and complying with regulatory frameworks and GxP requirements from the start.
The cMES for Pharma includes app suites supporting electronic batch records, electronic logbooks, and batch production management – all built on a configurable and extensible common data model. The common data model is a data schema providing a single source of truth for Tulip apps. This model provides a flexible, configurable foundation that adapts as your needs change and grow. Designed to facilitate seamless data exchange, maintain data integrity, and foster collaboration, it effectively meets the pharmaceutical sector’s most pressing requirements.
cMES for Pharma templates include:
Tulip also introduced features to further reduce the burden of validation and change management, including seamless documentation between app versions, gated releases for apps, and governing user groups for controlled workflows.
Also new is Frontline Copilot™, a collection of AI tools that allow app builders to create custom chats for troubleshooting, translate text, and generate insights from data, enhancing efficiency and decision-making.
Strategies for Overcoming Digital Transformation Roadblocks
This year, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussing “Strategies for Overcoming Digital Transformation Roadblocks in Life Sciences.”
While digital transformation presents significant opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and growth, our panel focused on the challenges organizations face and must overcome in their digital transformation journey.
These challenges include:
Patrick Hyett, CEO, Plvs Ultra, Chris Kopinski, AWS,
Dharmesh Ved, ZS, and Daniel Matlis, Axendia, Inc.
Image Courtesy of Tulip
The challenges require precise navigation to support informed decisions and boost efficiency through unified data in the digital transformation journey.
In Brief
According to Natan, “The future is composable.”
Tulip Operations Calling 2024 emphasized the need for companies to take ownership of their operational architectures and ensure they are prepared for the next decade of industrial innovation. Daniele challenged the Life Sciences industry to rewrite the rules for transformation by bringing together Digital, AI, and Operational Excellence to drive value. My panel provided actionable strategies for overcoming Digital Transformation roadblocks in Life Sciences.
Is a composable operations architecture the next leap in Life Science Operations?
The Technology is clearly ready, Regulators are encouraging the adoption of modern approaches to operations, Business pressures are forcing industry to transform.
As Daniele eloquently shared, we must build organizations that integrate Digital, AI and Operational Excellence, combining Tech Innovation with Augmented Human Capabilities to drive better Experiences & Outcomes.
Stay tuned as we continue to provide updates on Tulip’s Composable Operations future as they become available.
To discuss how a Composable Operations Architecture impacts your organization, click on this link to schedule an Analyst Inquiry on this topic.
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To discuss how these initiative impacts your organization. Click on this link to schedule an Analyst Inquiry on this topic.
The opinions and analysis expressed in this post reflect the judgment of Axendia at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Information contained in this post is current as of publication date. Information cited is not warranted by Axendia but has been obtained through a valid research methodology. This post is not intended to endorse any company or product and should not be attributed as such.